pagan

Usually, a member of one of the pre-Christian cultures of northern Europe, primarily Celtic or Norse, linked to the stone circles and to an agricultural calendar of which the main festivals are the summer and winter solstices and Beltane, the spring festival.

The term was and often still is used as a dismissive phrase, signifying ignorance or ‘primitive’ religion. It can cover a range of activities, largely agricultural and closely associated with the veneration of nature. In the 8th–12th centuries the Christian church set itself to eradicate the traditional practices that were found to be continuing, particularly in the countryside, even after the population had officially converted to Christianity. This gave paganism a strong anti-Christian emphasis, which is one of its attractions for some people today.