Pagan Poetry: "If Indeed He Died?" by C.P.Cavafy

Constantine P. Cavafy was a Greek poet, born in Alexandria in 1863, who developed a fascination for the classical ― and therefore the pagan ― world. This is a translation by the poet himself of his Greek poem into English.

Video: Britain BC - the Druids

Archaeologist Francis Pryor considers the religious life of the ancient Britons and counters the myth that pagan Britain was uncivilized before the Roman conquest.

The Pagan Sites of the Middle East Remembered: (3) The Well of Asbama

Pagan Art: The Aino Triptych

(click to enlarge)

One of the most renowned painters of pagan subject matter is the Finnish artist Akeseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931). He is particularly well known for his illustrations for the Kalevala, the national pagan epic of Finland that was preserved by the work of the poet Elias Lönnrot (1802-1884) in the early 19th-century just as the oral tradition that had preserved it for centuries was starting to die out.

Pagan Art: "Pallas Athena" by Gustav Klimt

Klimt's Pallas Athena (1898) is an unusual painting for Klimt, whose work is often sensuous and highly sexual. By contrast, his depiction of the Goddess is filled with a sense of nobility and veneration. She is shown in her usual garb of helmet and armour, and is obviously more than capable of defending her honour.

Pagan Art: "Nemesis" by Alfred Rethel

Nemesis is the ancient Greek goddess of vengeance. The Greeks had a karmic sense of justice and believed that no one should either be too lucky or escape punishment for acts of hubris. Nemesis was this idea given executive form.

The Pagan Sites of Asia (1): Burkhan Khaldun

This is the most sacred mountain of Mongolia. Since the time of Genghis Khan (1162-1227) it has been associated with his legend, but its religious significance appears to date back much further. The religious myths connected to it have roots in the beliefs of earlier peoples, like those of the Khitans, a Mongol or Tungus people who ruled Northern China from 907 to 1125.