# Paganism
## Overview
**Paganism** broadly refers to religions outside the Abrahamic traditions, especially polytheistic, animistic, and nature-based faiths. The word carries a complex history: originally a neutral Roman administrative term, it became a Christian polemical label, and has recently been reclaimed by modern religious movements.
## Etymology
From Late Latin *paganismus* ('heathenism'), from *paganus* ('civilian, rural person, non-Christian'), from *pagus* ('rural district, village, countryside'). The PIE root is **\*pag-** ('to fasten, fix'), referring to a *pagus* as a district marked out by fixed boundary stakes.
The semantic journey of *paganus* is one of the most debated in historical linguistics. Two main theories explain how 'villager' became 'non-Christian':
**Military metaphor theory**: Early Christians described themselves as *milites Christi* ('soldiers of Christ'), enlisted in God's army through baptism. In Roman military slang, *paganus* meant 'civilian' — someone who had not enrolled in the army. Non-Christians were 'civilians' who had not enlisted in the spiritual militia.
**Urban-rural theory**: Christianity spread most rapidly through Roman cities along trade routes. Rural areas (*pagi*) were the last to convert. The countryside remained the stronghold of traditional polytheistic religion long after cities had become predominantly Christian. A *paganus* (country dweller) was thus a non-Christian by geographic association.
Both explanations likely contributed to the word's evolution — the military metaphor provided the mechanism, while the urban-rural divide provided the social reality.
PIE **\*pag-** ('to fasten, fix, make firm') produced a diverse Latin and English vocabulary:
- **Page**: from *pagina* ('a fixed column of writing,' originally a trellis or frame to which vines were fastened) - **Peasant**: through French *paisant* from *pagus* — one fixed to rural land - **Peace**: from Latin *pacem* (*pax*) — a 'fastened' agreement, a compact fixed between parties - **Pact**: from *pactum* — something fastened, an agreement - **Propagate**: *pro-* + *pagare* ('to fasten forward') — originally to fix vine cuttings in the ground for new growth - **Pays** (French 'country'): from *pagus* — the fixed local district
## Modern Paganism
Since the mid-20th century, **neopaganism** has emerged as a cluster of religious movements that draw on (or reconstruct) pre-Christian European traditions. Wicca, Druidry, Heathenry (Norse paganism), and Hellenism (Greek polytheism) are among the most prominent forms. These movements typically emphasize nature reverence, seasonal cycles, polytheism or animism, and personal spiritual experience.
The reclamation of 'pagan' as a positive identity — rather than the polemical label Christians intended — represents a significant semantic reversal.
## Related Forms
The family includes **pagan** (noun/adjective), **paganize** (verb, to make pagan), **neopagan** (a modern practitioner), and **neopaganism** (the modern movement). The word **heathen** is the Germanic equivalent — from Old English *hǣþen*, originally 'one who lives on the heath (open countryside),' paralleling the Latin *paganus*/*pagus* connection.