#'pop culture paganism' .......worshipping fictional characters as deities...

[broomsick]

A few personal thoughts concerning Marvel, and deity depictions in pop culture

I will first and foremost start by saying that when it comes to pop culture depictions of Loki, Floki Vilgerðarson seems a lot closer to the deity’s true character than Marvel’s Loki, in my opinion. It’s his laid-back mannerisms but cryptic nature that do it for me. For whatever reason, some pagans still like to establish parallels between Loki as a deity and the shallow depiction Marvel makes of him, though when you observe the two even remotely, they really have nothing in common. Still, pop culture will be pop culture, and we cant expect for non-pagan writers, scenarists and the like to depict deities in the same manner as we pagans would, for the reason that they simply don’t believe in these deities. A fictional work will have to forego certain ties to myth (in the case of Floki Vilgerðarson, symbolism that tie him with the deity Loki) for the sake of scenario.

Now, the major difference between these two depictions is their purpose, or base intent, and it’s what makes me to slightly prefer Vikings’ Floki as a deity depiction. The thing is, establishing a few parallels between him and the deity without ever clearly stating that he does embody the deity creates quite a subtle result. Members of the audience who are familiar with the norse myths will recognize right away that Floki serves as representation of this deity, while those who aren’t, perceive him simply as another character among the cast. In fact, one could observe that in many instances, Floki plays the same role within the narrative of Vikings as Loki within the myths. This makes for quite the interesting parallel and, by never clearly highlighting this symbolism, the show leaves Floki’s ties with Loki to interpretation. This, in my opinion, is quite the clever way to depict a deity. So much so that one could think the writers of the show were aware of neo-paganism as a modern practice. They treated Ragnar Lothbrok’s character in the same manner, often emphasizing his resemblance with Óðinn, but never truly asserting it.

On the other hand, in terms of purpose, Marvel’s Loki has never had any pretense of being even remotely close to the deity of the myths, which makes him a very wobbly inspiration for new pagans to picture Loki. Unfortunately, this seems to be a tendency which sticks on many social media platforms. Which is why I think a crucial step in research within the context of pagan belief is to entirely detach oneself from pop culture depictions. This might sound obvious, but I have often witnessed pagans base their opinions of deities upon pop culture, whether they’d been aware of it or not. For example, I have once seen someone tell me they wouldn’t ever respect Thórr or his worshippers, because he was, and I quote, a “prime example of toxic masculinity”. Which, to me, is quite contradictory, considering how his historical worship was more often than not centered around fertility of the crops and non-violent concepts. Plus, his role as a sort of “warrior” deity in the myths is far from unique. In fact, many norse deities have been depicted as warriors in the myths, and Thórr is far from alone in that matter. Hence, the idea of his “toxic masculinity” does seem to stem from pre-conceived ideas created by pop culture. Which is why as I’ve mentioned, it was extremely important on my spiritual journey that I draw a clear line between deities and their pop culture depictions, no matter how accurate, and no matter if the deities concerned were believed to appreciate these depictions.

It is, of course, easy to subconsciously associate a deity with their pop culture counterpart and it would be an impossible task to not find parallels between the two, especially if attention was given to respecting mythology. For this reason, I don’t and will never try to avoid tv shows, games or movies that depict the Gods. Enjoying such content is not disrespectful in the slightest, in my opinion. The name “God of Outcasts” has, for example, become commonplace in pagan circles despite having been created from scratch by Marvel, for Marvel’s Loki. In this case, however, I believe the name does no harm at all. In fact, it seems quite popular among pagans, so much so that many aren’t aware it even stemmed from pop culture. One could see the name as respectful of the myths and for this reason, I believe it’s entirely harmless for worshippers of Loki such as me to use it within their practices, as long as awareness is kept concerning the fact that his has little ties with historical practice. Such a practice is among the perks of neo-paganism being centered around the individual and their ability to nurture their own belief! The only hazard I find to be worrisome, when it comes to pop culture and its depictions of deities, is when one’s idea of a deity starts to blend with a fictional depiction, and when the fictional character starts to have precedence over the deity.

#personal #thoughts #paganism #norse paganism #mythology #norse mythology #deities #norse gods #spirituality #deity work #polytheism #heathenry #pop culture

[chaotic-gremlin-27]

⛧ How fandom affects pop culture entities/deities ⛧

CW: Talk of sexualization of characters in fan spaces

In this post I will be talking about how fan perception of characters can then change or affect an engregore/PCE in both positive and negative ways. This entire post is upg (seeing as it’s pop culture paganism based) but I have found that many other pop culture witches have experienced and noticed this as well.

Let’s start with the positives

With fandom culture, characters who aren’t necessarily fully formed or given much screen time get the chance to become popular and gain fan bases of their own. Take the Mauarders for example. Canonically they have next to no information about them but fandom wise they have entire fan bases that are dedicated and have made them into fully fledged characters.

Like with James potter. Canonically all we know is that he’s Harry potters father, he bullies snape when he was younger, and he likes to play pranks. Now take the fandom James, who is loving and protective and has a strong moral compass but is willing to do what he must to keep the ones he loves safe. He has become a character who is now associated with sunshine and happiness but also helping others and mental health. (If you’re a follower of the “PCEs are just gods in forms that humans like and recognize” theory then he’s like Apollo)

This is a net positive because characters that barely existed in canon lore now have their chance to shine and be loved and worshipped.

Another example of fandom positively affecting PCEs is when they take a character who’s demonized and isolated in canon and give them a happy ending and life. A great example of this is Draco Malfoy. Canonically he’s a kid who gets forced to be a death eater and does end up getting redeemed but with fanon it’s a bit more complicated. He’s more of a complex character that feels a lot of conflicting feelings and has trouble experiencing and expressing love. His engregore is now a being of standing up for yourself, escaping abuse, child abuse, financial aid, and healing from trauma.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t negatives though. The biggest negative is the hypersexualization and fetishizing of characters.

I’m not saying you should stop sexualizing these characters or making smut or nsfw things about them because let’s be real that is a big part of fandom and that isn’t a bad thing.

What I am saying is you have to be aware of this aspect of Pop Culture Entity work when you start interacting with these entities. If you only work with canon entities, then you should be fine. But again, a huge part of fandom culture is sexualizing these fictional characters. The people doing this sexualizing probably aren’t witches and have no idea what engregores are, and it isn’t our place to judge or criticize them. The work that they are making, even if they aren’t doing it on purpose, affects these engregores though.

Take Dabi, for example, he’s an entity I work closely with and canonically he has absolutely nothing to do with sex, sexuality, and/or lust. But in the fandom space, it’s very common for people to simp for him and give their energy in a sexual way. This in turn makes Dabi into a sexual being.

It’s a “trend” to worship/work with PCEs because you want to have sex with them or because you simp for them. This is a problem because 1. It gives Pop Culture Entity work a bad rep and 2. It leads to even more sexualization of these people. Again it’s not a problem if it’s the fictional that you’re sexualizing but the second it becomes a genuine entity you recognize exists it turns into you fetishizing a genuine being.

To clarify: it is not a bad thing to have sexual feelings for fictional characters or for beings/entities/deities. It becomes a bad thing when the only reason you work with/interact with a being is for sexual reasons without their prior consent and you only are doing it because you liked them as a fictional character. You have to remember that these beings are real and have thoughts feelings emotions and consent.

#gremlin’s witchy knowledge depository #witchcraft #pop culture deity #pop culture egregores #pop culture magic #deity work #engregore #entity

[stormwaterwitch]

I have a question about Deities that you can TELL weren't brought into existence by you, but take on a form of fictional media that you hyperfixate on?

Hyper-fixation vs 'Real Deities'

Heya anon~♥

The term you might be looking for is Pop Culture Paganism or the inclusion of popular culture into your practice. I have my own hyper-fixations and moods that I go through with my path so I'll speak from my place and hope that it translates well enough ^^); b There are forms of media that mean everything to me. Things that have helped form the very basis of who I shaped up to be. Through these medias I was able to define my very sense of self and I feel a deep connection towards them. In a way they are anchors to me, holding me together. Tethers to the parts of myself that I don't want to lose.

There is absolutely NOTHING WRONG with adding your pop culture fixations to your craft or to your path as your path helps to define you as a whole. These medias that you enjoy help to define you too. You see yourself in the characters, their struggles, their triumphs; their stories. It is natural to want and crave those characteristics for yourself, add them to your path or even celebrate them.

Ancient Greeks wanted the Strength of Ares, the Wisdom of Athena, the Beauty of Aphrodite. Were they not also stories that were told and are still told to this day? One of my personal beliefs for Pop Culture Paganism and the worship of Pop Culture entities as deities is that you just have to believe. Belief is part of what makes the magic real, what makes it happen.

-oOo-

Pop Culture MAGIC is something a little different but I do that over on my @pokemonmagic account more where I would utilize Pokemon for all the magical aspects they can provide to my craft as a whole~!

Some more great links and discussions about these topics can be found with these lovely people's posts!

Pop Culture Paganism & God Theory -@the-broken-stones Creating your own Pantheon - @thiscrookedcrown How I created my Pantheon Source Specific Pop Culture Paganism

Thanks for sending this in I hope it makes sense, please feel free to send in more if you'd like to keep talking about it!

Other Pop Culture Pagans feel free to chime in!

#Thanks for sending this in! #Pop Culture Paganism #Storm's Ramblings #I hope this made sense #I might have misinterpreted the post #Sorry to any hellenic worshipers I might have pissed off #Y'all the real MVPS

[animeheadcanonsblog]

Random thoughts about the Multiverse Theory

So, I actually believe in the multiverse theory, because it just makes sense in my head. The same way the Evolution theory and the gods makes sense in your head.

But there a few things that made me wonder...

Like I remember reading somewhere that or heart cannot see/feel the difference between fictional crush or real crush. So, if we have a crush on a fictional character we are truly falling in love.

I also read somewhere that if we are feeling pulled towards a characters than there is a high chance that they might be our soulmate in a different universe.

The way I see it that there is a difference between having a crush someone, finding them attractive or falling in love.

Like just because you find someone attractive it doesn't mean you have a crush on them or that you are in love with them (at last romantically)

The same way a silly crush is not the same things as falling in love. Crush can turn into love, but only after you spend sometime with this person.

But I do believe that there are some people that truly fall in love with a fictional Character, and I honestly cannot blame them since I also have Characters that I fell in love with. Both platonically and romanticallyl

This is why I think that reality shifting makes sense and is real. Because these character/s are our soulmates. This means that no matter in what universe we are living in, these character/s are still our soulmates.

SO, why should it be wrong to wish, try and succeed shifting in the same Universe they live in.

Because there is an Universe where they try to shift for us.

Another thing:

I've been scrolling through the Pop Culture Witchcraft/Paganism stuff (because I think it's interesting) and a though appeared in my head.

Since there are people that worship, believe, work and pray to fictional Characters/deities.

Those that mean that there are Universes where people are worshiping us? Or at least our Universe selves?

Would it be technically be possible to worship our Universe selves? Or a Universe version of a person that exists here?(Not that I would do it, but is it possible?)

There is probably a Universe where our comfort Characters are worshipping us...which is an interesting thought?

This would depend on your comfort Character though...I cannot imagine Sans worshipping anyone...

Would you prefer being worshipped as a deity? A spirit? Or instead of worshipping...being honored?

(Also, any hate against reality shifters/Pop Culture Witchcraft/Paganism or Witchcraft/Paganism in general will be blocked and deleted. This blog is safe place for them.)

#multiverse #multiverse theory #reality shifting #pop culture witchcraft #pop culture paganism #sans mentioned

[rosexmary]

whoa, did you talk to Gojo spiritually? what is it felt like?

Hi love! So before i talk about gojo satoru, i want to talk about pop culture practices quickly.

What is pop culture magic?

-It is basically incorporating anything from movies/animes/stories/TV shows/books into your witchcraft/occult practice.

I’ve recently made a post about my personal ritual that was inspired by domain expansion from jujutsu kaisen. Although that ritual is not entirely a pop culture magic since i also included other types of magic such as astral magic but it still is a part of pop culture magic.

What is pop culture paganism?

-Pop culture paganism is taking a fictional character as a face for a deity you worship, or as the deity you worship.

I do not practice pop culture paganism however, i think it’s still an interesting modern practice.

How is pop culture paganism real? They are all fucking fictional characters?

-Everyone has a different theory. i’ll list down some of the common theories.

1. (I personally do not believe in this theory.)Multiverse theory. This theory basically states that there are countless universes and our universe/reality is just one of them. This theory leads that there are even universes that look exactly like the universes from books, movies, animes, stories, and tv shows.

2. (I personally do not believe in this theory.)The second one is that deities are created by people's belief. Which means that if the fictional characters didn't exist before, when someone believed they are real deities and started worshipping them as one, they really started existing.

3. The books, movies, etc create realms.

As i said earlier, I do not practice pop culture paganism. I personally do not believe that fictional characters become a deity however, I do sometimes practice pop culture magic. I summon a fictional character that matches with my intent so that i can utilize their energy.

My personal theory on how they have their own energy is mixed with the third theory and the energy theory/thought form theory. Everything is energy. Literally anything you can think of is energy. Your thoughts are also energy which means that if you create something with your thoughts, it will have its signature energy.

This is how you create thought forms. You are basically using your energy/thought to create a spirit.

“So does that mean they are just mindless energy or do they have their own consciousness/mind?”

They are made out of your energy but they will start to have their own consciousness/mind. Why? Because they are not “your” energy anymore. The energy you use to create a thought form is now separated from your energy.

This energy theory/thought form theory tells us that someone’s thought can create a signature energy. Books, movies, etc are all made from someone’s thoughts which means that gojo satoru also has its signature energy and we can utilize it in our practice.

My UPG on Gojo Satoru

-Okay! Now let’s finally talk about our beloved gojo.

Name : 五条悟 Gojo Satoru

Appearance : To me, he appears as a slim and tall man (i think he was like 189~193cm tall i’m not sure though.) who has sparkly vibrant blue eyes. His eyes are truly beautiful. He has a very long white/light silver eyelashes. His skin looks pretty pale and he has a short white hair. (Although due to my astral temple weather, it looked like a light silver hair.)

Personality : He is a very playful but also a very thoughtful person. He can also be very cruel/dangerous to those who don’t deserve his respect. He is a very complex character. He also appears very confident in his skills just like in the anime. He was really playful but he didn’t do anything that made me uncomfortable. I feel like he understands people’s boundaries really well. He also seems to be kind of obsessed with powers which is why i think he isn’t for beginner practitioners. He will be pushy when it comes to magic. He want you to be strong so if you show him your weak side, he will push you to be stronger and he also might show some coldness if you don’t do anything about your weakness but he is also protective so he will not push you to the point where you get hurt badly. He also makes jokes.. a lot.

Btw, he is not good at being on time🤦🏻‍♀️ One day, I asked him if we can meet at 7pm and he said sure but he came at 8pm..so yeah keep that in mind when working with him.

He can help you with : he can help you with many many things. He is truly a powerful character when it comes to magic/spells. he helped me a lot when i was constructing the domain expansion ritual so i feel like he can also give you inspirations and creativity. He was especially good with warding magic, circle casting, energy manipulation, and astral magic.

Offerings I gave him : I honestly had no idea what to offer at first so I offered him his favorite sweet (according to the anime) KIKUFUKU! It is a Japanese rice cake stuffed with cream and sweet paste. Did he like it? Hell yeah he liked it a lot! He also seems to like any other sweet foods. Do not offer him alcohol!!!

Element I personally associate with him : all the elements

Hour : I personally found that summoning him at night works the best!

[eucatastrophicblues]

Pop culture paganism is something that completely baffles me but not for the reasons that you’d expect a Catholic to be baffled

Like, I completely understand the appeal of worshiping a character, especially since as far as I can tell a lot of online paganism “content” takes the form of edits and poetry and playlists and devotional examination and personal blogging + conversations with the community, all of which are evocative both of religious practice and fandom. I’m also not going to say that any one god is more or less “real” than the others are. No, what baffles me is largely about who gets chosen as an object of worship and why.

Gods and powerful beings from pop culture make sense - the Hylian pantheon, the gods from Skyrim, whatever’s happening with Kingdom Hearts, Slenderman, Kyuubey, etc., I get all of that 100%. I’ll even make room for the trolls from Homestuck. I also completely understand worshiping the pantheon from your past life or alternate universe existence or what have you, like, that makes sense. (I think a lot of eclectic occult practice has the real chance of being dangerous as fuck and pop culture deities are no exception, but that’s a different question)

But why just random people? Edward Elric is an atheist canonically, why would he be your god when we know his feelings about gods? What about characters from religious fiction or who are themselves religious? That’s what baffles me. Gods should be worthy of your worship, shouldn’t they? For me, at least, that means power over my life and my circumstances, and willingness to protect and safeguard me. If they’re not capable of that, what then is the appeal?

this is actually an invitation for conversation and I promise it’s not a stealth conversion attempt or any of that bullshit - I want to get this, you know?

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Okay uh so... all the times I have ever worked with some sort of entity or deity, they are like always gods, saints, angels.. the thing is that I'm starting to get interested in working withpop culture deities, I have some books on it but it's something that feels very foreign to me and I'm very cautiously approaching it. Do you think that there is a bad type of pop culture deity to work with??? (Basically I seen a guy working w a horror movie character and I was like omg!!!! Can you do that?????? But since the character is kind of the villain then I started questioning if you actually shouldn't do that. Since like. In their media they kill people and such. So not very cool. But could I do that? Since they are fictional and you can bend a bit like using a slasher to FIGURATIVELY slash an opponent in a test.... is that like weird?.............. 😶)

Other people's religious practices, even with "villain" characters, is honestly none of my business. If they're happy with their religious practice, then so be it.

Also, the difference between deity and some other entity in pop culture practices is very personal and strange. Where I would draw the line is different from others.

If you haven't already, I recommend checking out my pop culture magic/paganism resource masterpost, namely the ask I answered about my feelings on working with/worshiping evil or villainous characters and the post by @neonswitchhouse about working with villains.

Frankly, the types of pop culture entities to work with or not ain't my business, because the whole crux of pop culture magic and paganism is that it's deeply personal and can't be defined by anyone other than the individual in question. I'm just sitting over here in the corner and gathering things that might help others figure their own things out.

~Jasper

#answered #frombloodandflesh #pop culture #wow this reads as so disjointed #there's a reason i'm on hiatus i guess

[knightofhylia-sageofthetriforce]

In this modern world connected by the internet, it is beyond easy to be spiritually eclectic. Christianity of various forms, pagan reconstruction, traditional cultural religions, you name it! However, this tends to lend itself to a few problems.

One such issue is the common sense of entitlement to practice whatever tradition we want however we want, even if it is a closed or initiatory practice. There are so many various open practices that there is no reason to enter into what is a closed or initiatory practice, unless you are allowed to join by the community it belongs to and initiated into it.

Another issue is the tendency to blend practices. For example, I’ve seen people worship Inari Ōkami, Shinto deity of harvest and prosperity and Loki, the Norse deity of chaos and trickery on the same altar. That isn’t to say that you can’t be both Shinto *and* Heathen. You absolutely can, but it is considered incredibly rude to mash these faiths into one when they are both due our full respect. How this would look would be to practice both but keep them as their own separate things. Following the laid out example, one could absolutely have both a Shinto kamidana and a Heathen altar.

There are, however, some forms of traditional syncretism. An example of this is Shinbutsu Shūgō, a syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism. This is one of my spiritual practices. A Shinbutsu approach to Tsubaki faith, praying to Sarutahiko no Ōkami and the other enshrined kami at Tsubaki Grand Shrine but also maintaining Buddhist meditation practices and views since my priest told me that was acceptable for our faith.

However, I also find myself interested in something known as Pop Culture Paganism where one may choose to revere a pantheon of gods from works of fiction, or maybe even create a pantheon of gods from the characters of a work of fiction. This is essentially what I mean when I said I am a Knight of Hylia and a Sage of the Triforce. The Legend of Zelda has influenced me to such a large degree in my life that I find myself feeling deep respect for what world building we have received and so I am forming my own path where I revere the Three Golden Goddesses and the other important figures in lore. Din, Nayru, and Farore created the world in which Hyrule exists. Goddess Hylia was entrusted with protecting the Triforce and life in the world from the demon tribe. Goddess Hylia becomes Zelda and her Chosen Hero becomes Link. I view Link as an embodiment of the Triforce of Courage and Zelda as the Triforce of Wisdom. These characters are like archetypes to follow. Ganon becomes a cautionary tale of what happens when people lust after power too greedily. Beyond these goddesses and demons, we also meet many beings in the world of Hyrule who are essentially kami of the world. The Great Deku tree, Lord Jabu-Jabu, The Light Spirits, and many more.

Here is where I reach my point—

I do my best to show each of my practices their due respect and veneration by keeping them their own separate things but this is one area where it is a bit difficult. Keeping this Hylian Faith separate from Shinto and Buddhism isn’t easy because the lore of Legend of Zelda is *heavily* inspired by Shinto and Buddhism. In that regard, this Hylian Faith almost *is* the real world faiths, but with western fantasy flavors.

So while it won’t always be easy to keep them separate, I will do so since Shinto and Buddhism are traditions thousands of years old, this Hylian Faith is something new inspired by the old. And that’s totally ok!

#hylia #legend of zelda #meditation #spirituality #triforce #shinto #buddhism #shinbutsu #Shinbutsu Shugyo #kami #Sarutahiko no Ōkami #heathen #norse paganism #eclecticism

[crimsonsongbird]

Quick Question: Do you think its valid to worship and/or work with ”fictional” deities?

Heya, Nonny!

While I personally do not worship a "fictional" entity as a deity (for personal reasons), I do work with "fictional" characters as heroes. Pop Culture Paganism is a thing and it is valid, friend! For more info on that, I recommend checking out the blog of my friend, Jasper (@jasper-pagan-witch). They are a great resource for this practice and they worship a pop culture deity themselves!

Hope this helps and thanks for stopping by!

~Crimson

#asked and answered #anonymous #crimson speaks

[neonswitchhouse]

BoS/Grimoire/BoM Prompts and Ideas for the Pop Culture Witch / Pop Culture Pagan!

If you’re like me, you might spend a lot of time searching for prompts to help fill pages in your Book of Shadows, Grimoire, Book of Mirrors, whatever you wish to call your magical record keeping log. If you’re also like me, you’re a bit overwhelmed and discouraged by all the prompts that are more so for Wiccan-based paths and the like when you’re not exactly going that route. So, here’s some ideas on what to put in your books if you’re a pop culture practitioner of sorts!

General

What are your theories as to pop culture magic(k)/witchcraft/paganism and the like? (I recommend the book “Pop Culture Magic 2.0” by Taylor Ellwood if you need context or ideas for your own theories)

What about pop culture magic(k)/witchcraft/paganism appeals to you?

Do you also incorporate more “traditional” spirits and the like in your practice? How do things intertwine and work together?

Entities/Spirits/Deities/Etc.

Who or what do you work with/worship/devote yourself to?

What sort of media do they originate from?

When did you start working with/worshipping/devoting yourself to them?

What draws you to them?

What is their lore and canon?

Are there any “alternate universes”/differing canons within their main source? (I.e, do they have different backstories between movies, tv series, comics, games, etc?) If so, how does this affect your practice with them?

(If working with archetypes) What archetypes do they represent?

(If you interact with the fandom of your media of choice) How does the fandom in general view this character? How does this affect your practice with them?

Offering/Dedication Pages

Something I do in my own personal practice is making offering/dedication pages of sorts. It involves things like making mood boards based on whomever I’m working with, taking magazine clip outs or stickers of things that remind me of them, even writing personal poetry whenever I’m feeling up to the task.

If you’re looking for something more discreet, try doing digital pages of sorts in programs like Notion, OneNote, or other similar programs. Make a main book and store fan art, links to fan fictions, mood boards, personal notes, etc. within the subpages. Even making something akin to a Pinterest board and filling it with things that remind of you them works as well.

I’ll try to update this as I get more ideas or even ideas from any comments left on this post, but I hope this can give you some ideas and help get the ball rolling.

Stay safe, have fun, stay spooky 💜

#pop culture paganism #pop culture magic #pop culture witchcraft #pop culture spirit work

[will-o-the-witch]

What do you think of pop culture paganism? Do you think fictional characters can actually form in the astral as a result of belief, and be worshipped and worked with, or is it an unhealthy relationship with capitalism? Not that I see it that way!! I'm actually considering it as a witch but I've seen both sides and you're a really trusted member of the community so I'd like to know your take on it!

I gotta be careful how I word this so a necessary disclaimer: these are MY beliefs for MY practice and other folks are obviously still allowed to do what they want!

I personally advise being very, very, extremely careful mixing any kind of corporate entertainment into your religion. They are designed to make us feel strong emotions and get attached, because that's how they keep you consuming media, buying merchandise, and giving them free promotion. Obviously passion projects still exist but it's important to remember that most popular media is designed to make money and wouldn't exist if a board of suits didn't crunch numbers and decide it was a good product for their target audience. I have an extremely loose definition of idol worship, but for me what does count is worshipping human beings or anything man-made, so objects, cult leaders, celebrities, politicians, and characters from works of fiction. (Again, other peoples' practice is none of my business, but as a Jewitch that's something I avoid.)

Can we still draw inspiration from pop culture? Absolutely! It's perfectly normal and fine for pop culture figures to resonate with us and feel meaningful. Take all the meaning, empowerment, lessons, and comfort you can from stuff, you know? Pop culture is part of our culture, and I think there's actually a lot of really interesting work to be done in the realm of pop culture magic. I can get behind the idea of thoughtforms, but I personally don't see deity figures being born out of it. I struggle to believe they'd have the same sort of cosmic place in the universe as figures like Aphrodite, Odin, Jesus, etc. who were explicitly born out of religious pursuit and with entire cultures built around their explicit worship. (I view HaShem kinda differently than pagan deities so I'm shelving that for now. Jesus also fits into my idol worship definition but that's an entire other industrial barrel of worms lmao)

I've heard some pop culture pagans argue that their deities have always existed and this is just the way their stories manifested in the world, which is my preferred explanation over the thoughtform theory. Between everything else it still doesn't sit right with me for my own practice (plus as a writer I would be very uncomfortable if someone told me my story was like that)

So all in all? Not for me, but don't take my word as gospel. Form your own opinions! I absolutely don't care what other people do. I definitely still warn everybody not to blindly simp for megacorporations in general but if you're going into things mindfully and with a genuine heart, who am I to judge?

[samwisethewitch]

Polytheism

Most pagan religions are polytheistic in nature, meaning they believe in multiple divine beings. This is one of the hardest parts of paganism for outsiders to understand. In a culture where strict monotheism is treated as the norm, it can be difficult to wrap your head around the idea of worshiping more than one god.

Ironically, monotheism — the belief in a single, all-powerful creator deity — is a relatively new invention. Zoroastrianism, the first monotheistic religion, is only about 4,000 years old. In the big scheme of things, that really is not a long time. Evidence for polytheistic religion dates back much, much farther (like, up to 40,000 years). We could argue that polytheism is the natural state of human spirituality.

Within pagan communities, polytheism is often described as a spectrum, with “hard polytheism” on one end and “soft polytheism” on the other. Hard polytheists believe that every deity is a distinct, separate, autonomous spiritual being. Soft polytheists believe that every deity is a part of a greater whole. As we’ve already discussed, extreme soft polytheism isn’t actually polytheism at all, but monism — the belief in a single divine source that manifests in different ways, including as different deities.

Hard polytheism is pretty straightforward. Norse paganism is an example of a hard polytheist system. Most Norse pagans believe that Odin is distinct from Thor, who is distinct from Freyja, who is distinct from Heimdall… you get the idea. Each of these gods has their own area of expertise over which they preside. If you’re dealing with a love matter, you’re probably going to seek out help from Freyja rather than Thor — unless you have a close, ongoing working relationship with Thor. (We’ll talk more about these types of close working relationships in a future post.)

Soft polytheism can be a little harder for people coming from a monotheist system to wrap their heads around. I think Jeremy Naydler describes it best in his book Temple of the Cosmos (here discussing Kemetic/Egyptian polytheism): “Shu and Tefnut are distinct essences dependent on Atum for their existence… The image often used in ancient Egyptian sacred texts concerning the gods in general is that they are the ‘limbs’ of the Godhead.” Shu and Tefnut, who are described in mythology as Atum’s children, are an extension of Atum’s creative power. However, they are also distinct beings with their own thoughts, feelings, and agendas. (It’s worth noting that we also have myths describing Atum’s birth. He is not a supreme being or a timeless force like the Abrahamic God.)

Monism is soft polytheism taken to its logical extreme. In her book, Wicca For Beginners, Thea Sabin describes it this way: “Think, for a moment, of a tree with a thick trunk that splits into two large branches. In turn, smaller branches grow from the large ones, and still smaller branches from the small ones, and so on. Deity is the trunk of the tree, and the God and Goddess are the two main branches. The smaller branches that fork off of the two big ones are the worlds gods and goddesses…”

If you’re not sure what the difference between soft polytheism and monism is, here’s a good litmus test: If you believe in the existence of a supreme divine force, you’re a monist. If not, you’re a polytheist.

Many pagans are somewhere in between hard and soft polytheism. For example, you may believe that Zeus and Jupiter are different versions of the same deity, filtered through the lens of Greek and Roman culture, respectively — but you believe that Thor is distinct and separate from Zeus/Jupiter, even though all three of them are gods of storms.

To make things even more complicated, there are some pagans (and some atheists, for that matter) who believe that the gods exist less as autonomous beings and more as archetypes within mankind’s collective consciousness. Their stories resonate with us because they serve as mirrors for different parts of ourselves. In this sense, we create the gods in our own image.

This belief is how we get “pop culture pantheons.” Some people work with fictional characters as archetypes in their spiritual practice. After all, if Sailor Moon is the ultimate representation of feminine power for you, what’s stopping you from putting her on your altar? Some pop culture pantheons have actually broken through into mainstream paganism — there are a lot of Wiccans who work with Merlin, believe me.

This interpretation is a bit different from polytheism, and could really be its own post (or several), so for the sake of keeping things short and sweet I’m not going to go any deeper into it. If this interests you, I recommend reading the work of Jungian psychologists like Clarissa Pinkola Estés and Robert A. Johnson. You may even want to check out The Satanic Bible by Anton LeVay for a particularly spicy take on the idea that we create our own gods and devils.

Just know that you can still practice paganism, even if you aren’t 100% sold on the idea that the gods literally exist.

Your take on polytheism doesn’t necessarily have to match up with the historical cultures you take inspiration from. For example, you may be a hardcore monist, but find that you’re drawn to work exclusively with the Norse gods. Or, you may be the hardest of hard polytheists, but find that the Kemetic gods are the ones who really speak to you. This is all totally okay! One of the benefits of paganism is that it allows for a lot of personalization.

Now that we’ve got the types of polytheism out of the way, let’s address the other big question that comes up when pagans discuss polytheism with monotheists: Does that mean you believe all those crazy myths are true? Once again, the answer depends on the pagan.

Just like some Christians are biblical literalists who believe that the Bible is a factual historical account, there are some pagans who believe that their mythology is factually true. However, many pagans accept that these stories have fantastical or exaggerated elements, but still convey a spiritual truth.

There are multiple Norse myths about men being transformed into dragons by their lust for riches, the most famous of which is probably the story of the dwarf-turned-dragon Fafnir. (Yes, Tolkien did steal that plot point from Norse mythology. Sorry.) These stories aren’t really about the dragons, though — they’re about the corrupting power of greed. The stories are true in that they teach a valuable life lesson that resonated deeply with ancient Norse culture. But did dragons really roam the earth in ancient times? Probably not.

This is one of the most important skills for any pagan: finding the spiritual truth in a myth or story. If you read a myth about Artemis transforming a man into a deer because he spied on her while she was bathing, what does that tell you about Artemis? Next time you read or listen to a myth or folk tale, try to find the message at the core of the story. You may be surprised by how this changes your understanding of the mythology.

If you’re interested in paganism but aren’t sure where to start, it might be helpful to gauge where you fall on the polytheism spectrum. Are you a hard polytheist, a soft polytheist, or somewhere in between? Are you a monist? Do you believe the gods function more as archetypes? Write it down so you can look back on it later.

When we talk about specific pagan traditions in future posts, I’ll point out where they fall on the polytheism spectrum. If you’re looking for a path that is compatible with your own beliefs, this is one thing to keep in mind.

Finally, know that your beliefs about the gods might change as you continue to learn and grow. That’s a natural part of religious exploration, so don’t try to fight it!

#paganism 101 #pagan #paganism #polytheism #deity work #wicca #wiccan #feri #reclaiming #goddess worship #goddess #hellenismos #hellenic polytheism #hellenic paganism #religio romana #roman polytheism #heathenry #norse paganism #kemetic polytheism #kemetic paganism #eclectic pagan #baby witch #witchblr #long post #my writing #mine #pop culture paganism #pop culture pantheon

[teawiththegods]

hi jessie--my friend has been reccing your blog to me for resources for ages and it's been very helpful :D i saw you talking about pop culture paganism and i was wondering, how does that....work...exactly? i've always felt a connection to the night vale pantheon (the distant prince, the glow cloud, the woman from italy, the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home and most significantly, huntokar) and i was wondering, what exactly does pop culture worship entail?

Hello, love!

So much like paganism in general, pop culture paganism has many ways you can go about practicing it. What am about to explain is specifically my way and the way I’m most familiar with.

One way some people choose to view and Interact with deities is by seeing them as representing certain archetypal energies. For example, Artemis is often seen as the archetype of the wild woman and pple will use her image and mythology to help connect with that specific archetype and its attributes.

This is also how many pple choose to go about practicing pop culture paganism. Finding fictional characters that represent either certain archetypes or specific energies for a variety of purposes.

That’s it in a nutshell at least my way of doing it.

#pop culture paganism

[godsofhumanity]

GODHUNTER by AMY SUMIDA | REVIEW

okiee this was recommended to me by @inkleaves ^-^ uhmm so i have a LOT to say about this book. spoilers under cut.

OVERVIEW: “Godhunter” is the epithet given to a young woman named Vervain who uses witchcraft and magic to go around committing deicide in order to save humanity from gods who drain their energy to gain immortality and other godly attributes. However, when Vervain is recruited by the Norse god Thor, she finds herself in an alliance with the people she originally considered her enemies, as they work together to save the world from the maliciousness of the Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli.

RATING: 2/10. i’m giving it a low rating because it doesn’t really have too much to do with mythology, but i did like its general portrayal of most deities even though this book was insanely cringey and dumb.. now, even though under the cut, i’ve kinda bashed the book quite a bit, i still have to admit that i’d be lying if i said i didn’t have fun reading it. i stayed up to 1 AM trying to finish it because i had to find out what the protag’s next stupid decision would be,, all in all, if you like trash/cringe fiction- this is for you.

WARNING: even though this book is a YA novel, I’d say there’s a definite emphasis on the adult part of “young adult”... Certain scenes and themes are inappropriate for minors.

AVAILABLE ON: pdf link here ^-^ ((i think it downloads immediately if you click))

THINGS I LIKED:

the book is cringe.

great diversity in terms of the god cast. i learned about some new deities that i was previously unfamiliar with, so that was cool

Brahma (Hindu deity) wears a Gucci belt as part of his attire ^-^

whatever Estsanatlehi and Tsohanoai (Native American deities) had going on.... they were really cute and wholesome

THOR-HORUS BROTP AGENDA!!!!!!!! everyone who follows me already knows how keen i am about this idea of all the war deities hanging out together (fite club), and this novel served up exactly that. disappointing that Huitzilopochtli wasn’t a part of it, but i am settling for Thor and Horus’ several centuries old friendship.

Horus’ falcon tattoo detail.. i LOVE the idea of the gods having their sacred animals tattooed,, it’s so awesome!!!

Pan... i liked the way he still had his little horns, and he was kinda chaotic and fun.

in general, the descriptions of the gods were so pleasant and so cool.. i really liked the way that pretty much all the gods were beautiful,, this is very much in line with my own idea of how the gods look, and i think it makes sense, because they’re meant to be charismatic, compelling beings- beings that you worship, beings that you praise- why would they be anything but beautiful? and even if they were considered ugly by other gods, that’s only in comparison to other deities.. from a human perspective,, i just can’t see how any mortal could consider a god to be anything less than perfection,, idk

in particular- i really enjoyed the descriptions of Huitzilopochtli in his debut. i know he’s a piece of shit in the novel, but i LOVED the way he was described with his war-frenzy being triggered by blood, and the way, as god of the sun, his body almost glows, and heats up as though you’re looking into the sun itself, and the only way he can cool it down is by bathing in blood... WOWOWOWOW it’s just such a neat and fantastic visual description. his physical appearance really paid tribute to Huitzilopochtli’s original domain and attributes.

i also liked the linking between Huitzilopochtli being the Father of Vampires.. links between Aztec culture and vampirism is a trope that i didn’t originally suspect, but have become exposed to quite a bit as of late,, and i think that it’s quite a clever little plot. i liked that Huitzilopochtli also debunks superstitions about the sun, garlic, crosses, holy water etc.

Huitzilopochtli as the villain. the man makes a BRILLIANT villain- his motives are very clear and also, i thought, justified, albeit unoriginal. his presence is quite terrifying, and the reader does worry for Vervain’s safety whenever she’s with him- which is good! this means that he fills out his role as a villain well. tbh,, i did love Huitzilopochtli from the moment of his debut, but he got knocked out of my books during a certain temple scene and i have some thoughts about that in the next section.

when Vervain wakes up after the temple dream with Huitzilo, and she relaxes because it was just a dream, but then she looks into the mirror and sees bite marks on her neck!!! CHILLS! now THAT was good writing- it was unexpected, and served well to navigate into the next part of the plot.

Odin and Huitzilopochtli holding a ted talk on “how to create panic and discord among the humans”, and the gods having to bring certain meals depending on what the first letter of their names were.

Vervain’s pop-culture references, and her weaponry- especially the gloves that have blades in them that get released when she swings her hand downwards. very cool, i want them.

casual appearances from Vladimir Putin (yes, i said Vladimir Putin)... i couldn’t stop laughing when i read that Huitzilo was trying to kill Putin’s daughter to instigate a war...... asdhshajdhasdjfhjdhf insane

also i know Vervain was trying to mock Huitzilo when she nicknamed him “Blue”,, but like.. that’s a really cute name and it wasn’t even insulting.. yeah, that one backfired on you Vervain... if anything, that just made it seem like she actually had affections for him and i feel like probably in part is the reason why he felt encouraged to pursue her.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE/THINGS THAT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE AND/OR CONFUSED ME:

the book is cringe.

it reads like a 15 year old’s fantasy AU where she’s a humble young woman, unextraordinary- yet somehow, she is the muse of every man’s desire. handsome, ripped gods who never wear clothes are laying themselves down at her feet,, and she is just overwhelmed by the choices before her; and all the while, she has to balance a complicated love life with her duty to save the world (since she’s the only one who can).

Vervain as a protagonist. idk how old she’s meant to be, but since the book is in first-person, and the reader is exposed to her innermost thoughts,, i’ve gotta say- she’s incredibly immature. as a protagonist, i just feel like she’s rude, pretentious, snobby.. she has no idea what “respect” even means. in every scene, she’s either fighting someone, or lusting after them (when Teharon told her off for having lascivious thoughts about him, and she simply responded with “well stop being so sexy then” i wanted to die.... WHAT is wrong with her)

i hate the way she looks down on the gods- even if you didn’t worship them, or even believed in their existence, surely you wouldn’t have the gall to lecture Hades and Persephone on how to be a good couple (especially when your advice is shit). surely you wouldn’t have the gall to say to Thor what Vervain says to him on pg 227, 4th line from the bottom, that i will not repeat here. Vervain is just too self-absorbed. i don’t hate her, but i definitely think her character is a bit,,, iffy.

relating to Vervain as the protagonist- everything just seems to happen to her.. and i know that she’s the protag, and things are meant to happen to her, but it all happens to her one after the other in succession, no breaks. it’s so easy for her... oh? Huitzilopochtli is going to kill Putin’s daughter? no worries, Vervain can read Huitzilopochtli’s thoughts! oh? the gods have never been able to transform more than half their body into their animal form? no worries, Vervain is so powerful she can force a god to change against their will! oh? Vervain is being attacked by blood-thirsty wolves? no worries, she saved the life of one werewolf and now he’s indebted to her and will literally kill himself in order to protect her! everything is easy, and nothing is a problem.

the way every male deity ever sees Vervain once and immediately wants to take her to bed. why was that a necessary aspect of her character? and also, why are the gods portrayed as such lustful beings?? it really wasn’t necessary.

Horus throwing a fit about how December 25 is his birthday and that it was stolen from him by Jesus... to quote:

“No big deal?” Horus puffed up. “I was called the Lamb of God. I had twelve apostles, and my myths spoke of my crucifixion and consequent resurrection in three days. His stories were my stories first!”

it’s fine that Horus is angry about his birthday which was i think, historically celebrated around this date- but the rest of it isn’t even true???? Horus didn’t have 12 apostles, i’m pretty sure he was also not called “Lamb of God”, and he wasn’t crucified!!! aghhhh even Thor says “It’s been so long that even you don’t remember things accurately.”

anyways.. my beef with this is the way it’s phrased so as to imply that “oh christianity just stole everything from the pagans” when this is so incredibly false and sounds like something an ill-informed person would say. you can read more about christianity, paganism and christmas here

kinda related to the previous point- the jokes about Jesus’ skin colour. i quote:

“... when Christ first became a god, he looked Jewish because those were the people he chose to align himself with. However, the Jews didn’t want him, and when Christianity spread, the white people wanted Jesus to look more like them. With the change in belief, Christ’s appearance changed. ... We used to tease him about how he looked whiter every time we saw him... Kind of like Michael Jackson...”

what the FUCK??????? seems like Sumida doesn’t understand that various ethnic groups illustrate Jesus as appearing as the local people do. Yes, obviously in a Western country, Jesus is going to look European, he’s going to look white. If you go to Japan, you will see Jesus and the rest of the gang looking pretty fucking Japanese. the point of this is NOT to erase Jesus’ Jewish ethnicity, and it is certainly not because of something like “the Jews didn’t want him”- it is because it is a way for followers to better relate to the Divine. including Christ in this story isn’t the problem- i’ve seen others do it very well. the problem is how uneducated her writing comes across.

all the gods have human jobs so that they can earn money and stuff,, which is fine- Thor, for example, owns a line of boats, which makes sense. but Pan? his job is making p*rn. now even though it’s true that everyone associates Pan with sexuality and stuff,,, this isn’t his primary role, and making Pan out to be just a playboy who has his mind in the gutter 24/7 i think is a bit of a mockery. Pan is, first and foremost, a god of the Wild. why Sumida elected to make him a p*rn manufacturer and not a wildlife conservationist is beyond me... i’m not even pagan, and i thought this creative decision was distasteful and stupid, especially because his character is actually quite light-hearted and cool.

the temple scene with Huitzilopochtli and Vervain. as i said previously, i really really liked Huitzilo’s character. he made an excellent villain. but this part?? i understand why it was done, but i HATED that it had to happen... not just because it was horrible for Vervain, but Huitzilo seemed so powerful and godly right up to that point- after which he seemed pretty pathetic- going back after Vervain after she’s rejected him countless times. she is JUST a mortal!!! c’mon Huitzilo, give it up!!! you are degrading yourself at the expense of achieving one mortal’s “love”.. the fact that he had to hypnotise her to get what he wanted AND had to achieve it through her dreams (when’s she can’t protect herself) was sooooo pathetic and disgraceful.. IMO, he committed the worst sin any person could ever commit and i just... AGHHHHHHHHH SMH WHY?!

speaking of morons- Thor. Thor just comes across to me as extremely possessive, and over-protective,, and idk how Vervain was NOT creeped out by the fact that Thor had literally been stalking her for two years before she even met him. wtf? god or not- that’s creepy. actually, i think it’s creepier because he is a god. 

Sif. i am still waiting for good media representation of thunder god Thor and his beautiful golden-haired wife Sif- i want them to be HAPPY, and i want them to be in love the way they should be! 

Persephone. i like the idea of Persephone being sweet-tempered, and kind- but in this book, she’s such a wimp??????? she totally just lets Vervain be rude to her, a goddess who’s name means “Bringer of Destruction”. also- her relationship with Hades seems toxic.. i mean,, he like tracks her? she starts stuttering when she talks to him, and gets nervous when people so much as mention his name. not to mention the fact that Persephone says that when she does go back to him, all he demands from her is a certain horizontal dance so much so that she is “sore” (<- quoting from the book here) every time she returns??????? WHAT IS HAPPENING?????????? and no one even questions it. Vervain doesn’t even question it! instead she suggests that Persephone MOVES IN with Hades permanently???? and that Hades should just start verbally saying how much he loves Persephone instead of “showing” her how much he “loves” her.....??? there are SO many issues with this.. i can’t even- *screams*

the Aphrodite-is-madly-in-love-with-Huitzilopochtli side plot. it could have been really good, but then it ends so abruptly,,, i mean.. why’d Aphrodite get done so dirty like that? Also summary of Hephaestus’ first and final scenes:

Hephaestus, entering the room: Right, what’s all this then? Vervain: Your wife is cheating on you (again) Hephaestus: Aight, i’m out *leaves and never comes back for the rest of the book*

what the HECK was the ending with Trevor?? i hate Vervain so much i can’t... okay first of all- WHY did Trevor decide to have a wolf-marriage with Vervain?? he kept on going on about how she’s so beautiful, and kind, and caring... NO SHE ISN’T TREVOR!!! i’m so mad that he would pledge himself for all eternity to this girl who doesn’t even like him in that way!!! you played yourself son

also- Thor accepts the fact that Trevor is going to have to be close by to Vervain because the terms of the marriage state that Trevor will literally die without her touch, which is VERY GENEROUS of Thor... but Vervain?? ooooh i HATE her.. she has the audacity to look at Trevor with her lecherous eyes thinking about lustful things IN THOR’S OWN BED!!!!! and then she thinks to herself “oh whoops i shouldn’t be thinking that”- yeah you’re darn right you shouldn’t be thinking that!!!! whatttt is wrong with her............. 

also- where tf did Huitzilo go??? he just gave up on trying to instigate a war and vanished?? the plot was so unresolved?????? AGH!

#also- i forgot but- the Brad Pitt looking guy on the front cover.. i thought maybe that was meant to be Ull because he's blonde but i guess #it really was Thor in the end?? but Thor in the novel has red hair so what's up with that? how disappointing #person who reviewed this and said ''Vervain's one of the best female heroines today!''- can i have some of whatever you're smoking? #she's so horrible!!! aghhhhh #review #godhunter by amy sumida #long post

[dovewithscales]

What's your opinion on pop culture paganism? Like, not just stuff inspired by pop culture, but when people worship deities or characters from franchises? It sort of had me thinking, cause my friend is pokemon kin and worships arceus and other people worship gods from movies, games, etc. Some people think its unhealthy and "worshipping a multimillionaire company" which definitely doesnt seem right, but what's your opinion on it?

To be thematically appropriate, I’ll quote Shepherd Book (Firefly) and say “I don’t care what you believe, just believe in something.”

I’m cool with pop culture paganism. It’s an evolution on concepts found in Chaos Magick. The prevailing opinion in Chaos Magick (which I do not believe but do have respect for) is that all gods are egregores, or “godforms.” Constructs created by the collective belief of groups of people. There were some groups who intentionally created such egregores for magical purposes, mostly back in the 90′s I think.

Pop culture paganism is the same, but the groups contributing energy to egregores from popular fiction are much larger, so they’re potentially more powerful.

I know someone who’s done evocations of DC heroes and villains for spells, and they work.

I’ve known people to pray to Tolkien’s Valar and receive an answer.

I’ve encountered the Raven Queen myself and I share brain space with egregores who started as D&D characters. Once fiction is in the public consciousness it’s nothing to do with whoever made it. Any more than fan fic is. If we’re to be critical of belief that supports a “multimillion dollar company” we should probably start with megachurches. And it’s not our place to judge any belief that doesn’t directly harm anyone.

[thereismagicinthesepages]

Pop Culture Entity Challenge: Hircine, Part 1

Stolen from @highpriestness

This is meant to be a sort of bonding and questionnaire in regards to spirits, entities, and deities you may work with in Pop Culture.

You can use it as a 30 day challenge, an ask meme to ask for questions, or simply write them all however you feel.

General Questions:

1. What is the name of the entity and what is their canon universe?

Hircine. The Elder Scrolls anthology.

2. What drew you to this entity? What drew you to their world?

The Elder Scrolls universe has been close to my heart for a very long time. In particular, Skyrim. It’s a beautifully created fantasy world full of colorful characters and lore, and it came to life for me. I’ve put many hours of playtime into the game, running new characters with varying skills and trying new things. It’s always a unique experience and one I never regret diving into.

Hircine himself interested me from the first time I met him in-game. He is the Great Hunter, and the quest in Skyrim (my first encounter with him) leads you to him by way of helping a werewolf NPC who had been cursed by him. Many of the characters in the game frame Daedra as being evil or bad, they are considered demons against the godly presence of the Aedra; the Divines. Hircine’s actions throughout this quest are harsh, but he is also one of the more agreeable Daedra.

Hircine appears in the game as a white stag that you need to hunt down and kill, then his Aspect will appear to tell you to hunt down the same werewolf who asked for your help. You can refuse, but he will warn you that other hunters will be going after the werewolf regardless. You then have two options; Defy Hircine and save the werewolf from the hunters, or join the hunt and kill him. Either way, Hircine will reward you with one of his artifacts. I always choose to spare the werewolf.

What actually draws me to Hircine is my already great love of nature. Deer and Wolves have always been very close to my heart, wolves in particular. Hircine is the father of lycanthropy and thus werewolves are his people. Also while I myself am not a hunter in the strictest sense, I do support and respect those that do hunt, and I respect and make use of animals’ sacrifices on a regular basis. I often pick up roadkill or take hunter waste and use the bones, pelts, feathers, ect. in crafts, as offerings to my gods, or just as general decor,

Also, going back to Hircine’s Quest, if you choose to kill the hunters to save your werewolf friend, Hircine remains impressed with you for “turning the hunt inside-out.” He appreciates alternative thinking, and he just wants to see his Hunters overcoming obstacles to reach their goal. That’s the true Hunt, and he reminds me of that frequently. I don’t have to dawn a bow and shoot a deer, my Hunt can be any goal I’m reaching for, every obstacle I am trying to over come, regardless of how small or massive. Afterall, hunters take on prey of all sizes, right? From a hunting spider catching a tiny insect, to a dragon hunting a mammoth.

3. Did you choose them or did they tap you? How?

A little bit of both. I am a fairly recent baby witch and pagan, and at first I was really only looking into “real” gods, in particular I started with the Egyptian and Greek pantheons, as I already had very strong connections to both. However, I did begin to see others weaving pop culture into their witchcraft, and I eventually discovered Pop Culture Paganism. It clicked for me, it made so much sense, that these worlds and characters that I put so much love and time into, that someone put heart, soul and life into, could be considered “real” and hold power in their own rights.

I already believed in the Infinite Universes theory, wherein there could be a universe out there somewhere where literally anything could exist. Hearing that others worshiped gods based on works of fiction, or even other non-deified entities from those works, was eye-opening for me. I started researching. I wanted to learn more. I found a particular tumblr user who worshipped the Daedra and that clicked with me. I love so many of the Daedra, something about them always spoke to me. Clavicus Vile, Sheogorath, Molag Bal, Hircine....

Shortly after this revelation, I started researching how to worship PC entities. I wasn’t really all that solid on my more “traditional” pagan beliefs, let alone branching out into mostly uncharted territory. There was so little help on how to begin. I found posts about manifesting, about working with them as spirits, as archetypes, creating thoughtforms and servitors.... It was a lot of information to pick through, and a lot to think about. Even now I’m having some trouble beginning working with some entities I’d like to approach, because thus far all of the beings I’ve been working with are considered gods in their own rights. I am having a harder time figuring our how to work with a mortal character who may not want to be deified.

Regardless, while I was in the midst of all of this research and soul-searching, Hircine did tap me. I had actually forgotten the initial feeling, I had to go back to my journal to remember. I was asleep in bed asleep one night and heard a sort of crinkling sound. I got a vivid vision of large, leather boots crunching through dried leaves in a dense forest. My mind immediately screamed Hircine.

I put off contacting him for a bit after that, as I was still unsure, but upon realizing that the Hunter Moon was coming up, I couldn’t ignore the signs. I found a young buck skull that I got from a roadkill deer I processed a few years ago, and set it and some crystals out near a window where they could absorb the moonlight. I left him some bread and water, and waited.

I don’t remember if it was the following day, or a few days later, as I’m terrible at keeping an up-to-date journal, but I know that shortly thereafter, I was heading to work early in the morning. As I was walking out to my car, I felt a compulsion to look out at my back yard. There were a number of deer standing there. That’s not so uncommon, we have a doe that seems to frequently hang out behind the house, I see her often. What was unusual, is that she was accompanied by three other does. I usually only see the one. As I cautiously stepped forward for a better look, a large buck suddenly bolted past, leading the does back into the woods.

The feeling of elation that rose inside of me was amazing. I love seeing deer anyway, but to me it was very strongly a sign from Hircine. I sensed a presence there that I’d never before experienced. I thanked him, watched the herd leave, and continued on my way.

Since then, I get occasional messages from him, either in similar form, or just hearing his voice. I get this with most of my main deities, either hearing them in my head, or just getting a strong feeling about a situation and knowing it to be one of my gods communicating. I have a fair number of deities I appeal to, so sometimes it’s hard to decipher who exactly is trying to speak. I have no such ambiguity with Hircine, as I always distinctly hear his voice from the game, that clever, echoey sort of voice that emanates from the Stag aspect.

4. How do you typically communicate?

This is what I get for writing too much for each question;; As stated above, he often speaks directly to me, in the voice I know as his from Skyrim. He often gives me advice, though it’s usually in a sort of “tough love” form. If I’m feeling frustrated or discouraged, he’ll tell me things like “a hunter presses on regardless of hardship” or “the hunt is not yet over”. Usually it relates to hunting, but it always fits my circumstances.

5. What role does this entity play in their universe?

Hircine is the God of the Hunt and Father of Manbeasts. He created the various forms of lycanthropy in Tamriel. Every Era, he will put on a Great Hunt for which he will choose a number of mortal candidates to participate in. It could be as simple as sending hunters to kill a rogue werewolf, to making his champions navigate a maze of Daedric creatures while transformed into hares.

Hircine is revered by hunters and offers his followers the chance to hunt with him for eternity in the Hunting Grounds, Hircine’s Oblivion Realm. He has a fondness for predators, and values Strength, Speed, Guile and Cunning.

6. What kind of relationship do you have with this entity?

I offer my personal “hunts” to Hircine, using his wisdom to overcome the obstacles in my life. He offers me advice and council, occasionally being stern about it, but really only when I need it. We have a pretty positive relationship, I think. I have always had a reverence for nature, and I think he appreciates that. While I don’t actually hunt animals as prey, I still am able to take the lessons he teaches to put towards everyday life, and I am still able to offer him what I consider traditional offerings, like bones and pelts from animals, due to my taxidermy work.

7. What aspects does this entity reside over?

Traditionally, the Hunt is his Sphere, called many names (the Great Game, the Chase, ect). I also consider the other traits he values as being part of this. He values strength, speed, guile, and my personal addition; cunning. He often appears as a fox to trick people, and will grant those he finds to be clever knowledge and tricks of their own. He takes pride in seeing someone openly defy him and turn a hunt around on his chosen hunters.

He values loyalty. He values nature and animals and a respect for them. He values pride in oneself and strength of heart and character. He values independence, but also the ability to run with a pack or herd. He values both the hunter and the prey, and he values someone who can flip on those roles very highly.

8. What kinds of offerings do you/would you give this entity?

I am still discovering this myself. Certainly a very traditional offering to Hircine is the act of hunting. Again, I alter this to be overcoming challenge or reaching for a goal. I will sometimes dedicate such things to him as offerings. I would also offer him animal bones or pelts. I believe he would like prey animals, like deer or rabbit in particular, but also predators like wolves or big cats. I often offer him cool water, which is a traditional offering for many old gods, and in the wild is such an essential thing. Though I have not yet, I would offer him natural foods; berries, fruits, thinks like that.

I offer him meat sometimes, usually whatever I have, though I think he would particularly appreciate things like venison, rabbit or bear meat. I have given him a number of stones and crystals in the past, things close to the earth. Alcohol is another thing I have and would like to offer him. Particularly I think he would appreciate red wines and mead, though I have access to neither right now.

Arrows, arrowheads, daggers or hunting knives, bows, and other hunting tools would be other good things to dedicate to him, I think. Especially if they’re used to hunt with. Imagery of deer, wolves, bears, foxes or werecreatures would all be good as well. I also associate him with crocodiles, mostly because of his Daedroth creatures. I feel like he would also appreciate tattoos as well, particularly of a tribal sort.

9. What kinds of animals, stones, elements, plants, etc do you associate with this entity? Why?

Stones I used for him were clear quartz, like a clear lake or like the full moon. Moonstone, for obvious reasons; bloodstone, representing blood from his prey. Red or orange stones, representing the blood moon. I’m still learning and experimenting with others.

Animals that I associate with him, I mentioned some, but really any hunter animal. Wolves, bears, foxes, crocodiles, spiders, and birds of prey in particular. Deer and elk are also very strong associations for me, as well as other antlered or horned prey animals like gazelle. I also associate him with other creatures in Tamriel such as Daedroth, dragons, unicorns, sabrecats and werecreatures. I also have a loose association with him and sharks, again for the predator aspect.

I strongly associate him with the element of Earth. I always feel a connection to the Earth with him, to plants and animals and nature. He makes me feel very grounded and in touch with my surroundings. I could also connect him to fire, for the occasional harshness he exhibits, the flaming reds of the blood moon, his ability to go from warm and gentle to fierce and burning. I could make connections to air and water as well, but Earth is certainly the strongest elemental association for him, to me.

Plants are tricky, I’m still learning meanings and correspondences so I have trouble pinning them to spirits and deities, though I do strongly associate him with Hemlock and evergreens in general. As well as with fall foliage. I have the image of a stag moving through a forest of evergreens and that feels very Hircine to me.

I associate him with the smell of musk, pine, and a general earthy smell, like freshly disturbed soil. I associate him with the smell of the forest, with the crisp mountain air. The sound of birdcalls and wolf howls. The full moon.

10. Are there any songs, books, or quotes you associate with this entity? Why?

I’m still looking for things like this that remind of of him. Of course there are his in-universe books such as The Totems of Hircine, and any of his spoken dialogue in game (”Well met, hunter” springs to mind), but as for things in our world, one song I really strongly associate with him is “The Stampede” from The Lion King soundtrack.

11. How and when did you first encounter them as an entity?

Told the story above, but there was the strange dream/vision of him walking in the woods, and then the buck in my back yard.

12. How are they particularly involved in your life? Do they teach you anything specific? If so, what?

He teaches me patience and control, dignity and pride, perseverance and strength. He reminds me that a successful hunter has to be aware and in control of her surroundings. He reminds me that sometimes the prey escapes, and that’s okay. He reminds me that even the greatest hunters sometimes lose their mark and go home hungry. He reminds me that it is important to keep trying and keep improving. To keep my eyes on the target, but not to get lost in it either. The wilds are dangerous and they require my attention. They are also beautiful and demand my reverence.

There is excitement and also sadness in a successful hunt. You have taken something very beautiful and precious from the world, and that demands a moment of introspection. But you have also triumphed over your trial, and you will continue to thrive now with all that the hunt provided you. You have food, tools, clothing and shelter. The good sometimes comes with the bad, there is balance in all things and that must be accepted to be able to move on with one’s life.

He teaches me that there is a time and a situation where one should rely on the pack, be content and dependent upon the presence and assistance of others, but there are also times when the hunter must venture out alone. Some prey are best taken down with a group, some are best to be hunted solo.

He reminds me that all things are not as they seem. The hunter may hide himself from the prey if he is skilled enough. I must take care not to become the prey myself, and if the hunt should turn upon me, I must be clever and resourceful enough to escape my hunters. I must be mindful of those hidden hunters, and I must be hidden myself to be successful; either as a hunter or as prey. The strong and the smart survive, I must be one of the two to live; I must be both to thrive.

13. Do they have any identifying symbols in canon or otherwise?

Deer, mostly. Hircine is most known for appearing as a stag, or having the head or skull of one. But he has also appeared as a fox, a bear and a man. His children are the skinshifters, the werecreatures. His weapons are the spear and bow.

14. Do they have alternate versions, verses, or canons? Do you communicate with all or some of them?

Hircine appears slightly differently in each TES game, though it is always the same entity. I have based most of my worship on his appearance in Skyrim, as that is the one which I have the deepest connection with.

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