Pagan wicca

[norseman]

Tanith, surprisingly [ or not ] I have a single deity and She is Mother Earth. I could never understand the need to pull in every pantheon under the sun. Coming back to the Triple Goddess, I am not convinced about the christian triple and the Triple Goddess in terms of timing. It's a chicken and egg but which comes first ? There is something about the Triple which is ingrained in mankind, it crops up all over the place, even in the model of our minds [ Id, Ego, Superego]. I really enjoy the fact that within the pagan streams, there are a variety of ideas. To me, that's healthy and it keeps the pot boiling. Even my own path, which is a long way pre-christian, is still developing and changing the better to fit into the modern world.

Originally Posted by abikisses

This has been the best History lesson I ever sat through, thank you most kindly!

Blessings
Abi _/\_

I agree. I find Norseman very enlightening. And Tanith puts forth a good post there too. Thank you both - I love this whole thread. Very informative.

Originally Posted by norseman

It's a chicken and egg but which comes first ?

That is very interesting. I have never quite thought of it that way, and certainly never heard of it proposed. Very good point! I may have to re-think my argument, though until more research and study is underwent, I stick by my original thoughts. But good insight, thank you!


LadyMoondancer, thank you :) I enjoyed Norseman's original post as well, and I tried to write my own side to match. If I'm going to respond, what good is a simple answer except to a simple statement?

[norseman]

Tanith, my hesitation regarding the Triple Goddess rises out of Ronald Hutton statement that it comes from the Robert Graves work, The White Goddess. Although it must be mentioned that Greek mythology and pantheon has triple goddesses e.g. Hera - girl, wife, widow or Demeter - Kore, Persephone, Hecate.
If it can be established that Maiden, Mother, Wise Woman is pagan rather than wiccan, then it can be argued that christianity [ especially Roman Catholicism ] is a pagan religion in that it has a Triple Deity - father, son, Holy Ghost. Just a thought
However, to muddy the water even further, excavation at Knossus in Crete provides evidence of worship of a goddess with multiple facets.

I agree that the argument stands against Christianity being a monotheistic religion. And goddesses with three (sometimes more) aspects are common in many pantheons. Unless I am mistaken (I haven't brushed up on Hinduism in a very, very long time) the principle mother goddess has three aspects. The Hindu trimurti also reflects this- Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. They are usually depicted as separate but also one. And Hinduism is a very old religion, as old as the other polytheistic (but now for the most part dead) religions.

Originally Posted by norseman

Tanith, my hesitation regarding the Triple Goddess rises out of Ronald Hutton statement that it comes from the Robert Graves work, The White Goddess. Although it must be mentioned that Greek mythology and pantheon has triple goddesses e.g. Hera - girl, wife, widow or Demeter - Kore, Persephone, Hecate.
If it can be established that Maiden, Mother, Wise Woman is pagan rather than wiccan, then it can be argued that christianity [ especially Roman Catholicism ] is a pagan religion in that it has a Triple Deity - father, son, Holy Ghost. Just a thought
However, to muddy the water even further, excavation at Knossus in Crete provides evidence of worship of a goddess with multiple facets.

Norseman, can you give me any references to the Hera thing about girl, wife, widow? I've never heard of that, but I would be interested in seeing if she was portrayed in such a manner.

[norseman]

Hi Animus, Hutton in Triumph of the Moon quotes Graves, in his The White Goddess: a Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth (1948) but, of course, we now get into that grey area between myth and history. However, Hutton is impeccable in his scholarship