The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles
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''The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy'' is a book of
religious history The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves th ...
and archaeology written by the English historian Ronald Hutton, first published by
Blackwell Blackwell may refer to: Places ;Canada * Blackwell, Ontario ;United Kingdom * Blackwell, County Durham, England * Blackwell, Carlisle, Cumbria, England * Blackwell (historic house), South Lakeland, Cumbria, England * Blackwell, Bolsover, Alfre ...
in 1991. It was the first published synthesis of the entirety of pre-Christian religion in the British Isles, dealing with the subject during the Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman occupation and
Anglo-Saxon period Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom of ...
. It then proceeds to make a brief examination of their influence on folklore and
contemporary Paganism Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...
. In keeping with what was by then the prevailing academic view, it disputed the widely held idea that ancient paganism had survived into the contemporary and had been revived by the Pagan movement. In turn, it proved somewhat controversial among some sectors of the Pagan community, with two prominent members of the Goddess movement, Asphodel Long and
Max Dashu Maxine Hammond Dashu (born 1950), known professionally as Max Dashu, is an American feminist historian, author, and artist. Her areas of expertise include female iconography, mother-right cultures and the origins of patriarchy. She identifies as ...
publishing criticisms of it.


Background

Hutton was born at Ootacamund in India to a colonial family, Hutton 1991. p. dust jacket. and is of part-Russian ancestry.Hutton, Ronald (Dec 1998). "Roots and rituals". '' History Today'' 48 (12): 62–63. . Upon arriving in England, he attended Ilford County High School, whilst becoming greatly interested in archaeology, joining the committee of a local archaeological group and taking part in excavations from 1965 to 1976, including at such sites as Pilsdon Pen hill fort,
Ascott-under-Wychwood Ascott-under-Wychwood is a village and civil parish in the Evenlode valley about south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 560. Toponym The village is one of three named after the hist ...
long barrow, Hen Domen castle and a temple on Malta. Meanwhile, during the period between 1966 and 1969, he visited "every prehistoric chambered tomb surviving in England and Wales, and wrote a guide to them, for myself
utton Pip Utton is a British actor and playwright. Utton was born 15 February 1952, raised and educated in Cannock. He authored the award-winning ''Adolf'', ''Chaplin'' and ''Only The Lonely''. As one of the leading solo performers in the United Kin ...
and friends." Hutton 2009. pp. xii–xiii. Despite his love of archaeology, he instead decided to study history at university, believing that he had "probably more aptitude" for it. He won a scholarship to study at
Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...
, where he continued his interest in archaeology alongside history, in 1975 taking a course run by the university's archaeologist Glyn Daniel, an expert on the Neolithic. From Cambridge, he went on to study at Oxford University, where he held a fellowship at Magdalen College. In 1981, Hutton moved to the University of Bristol where he took up the position of reader of History. In that year he also published his first book, ''The Royalist War Effort 1642–1646'', and followed it with three more books on
17th century British history Early modern Britain is the history of the island of Great Britain roughly corresponding to the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Major historical events in early modern British history include numerous wars, especially with France, along with the E ...
by 1990.


Synopsis

In this work, Hutton attempted to "set out what is at present known about the religious beliefs and practices of the British Isles before their conversion to Christianity. The term 'pagan' is used as a convenient shorthand for those beliefs and practices, and is employed in the title merely to absolve the book from any need to discuss early Christianity itself." The book contains chapters entitled The Mysteries Begin (c. 30,000 - c.5000 BC), The Time of Tombs (c. 5000 - c. 3200 BC), The Coming of the Circles (c. 3200 - c.2200 BC), Into the Darkness (c.2200 - c.1000 BC), The People of the Mist (c.1000 BC - c. AD 500), The Imperial Synthesis (AD 43 - 410) The Clash of Faiths (AD c.300 - c.1000), and Legacy of Shadows.


Reception

Dealing with both ancient pre-Christian religion and its influence on the contemporary Pagan, or '
Neo-Pagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...
' new religious movement, ''The Pagan Religions of the British Isles'' prompted various reactions from members of the contemporary Pagan community, both positive and negative. The book proved controversial amongst some contemporary Pagans and feminists involved in the Goddess movement, one of whom, Asphodel Long, issued a public criticism of Hutton in which she charged him with failing to take non-mainstream ideas about ancient goddess cults into consideration. Ultimately, Hutton would later relate, she "recognised that she had misunderstood me" and the two became friends. Feminist historian
Max Dashu Maxine Hammond Dashu (born 1950), known professionally as Max Dashu, is an American feminist historian, author, and artist. Her areas of expertise include female iconography, mother-right cultures and the origins of patriarchy. She identifies as ...
condemned the work as containing "factual errors, mischaracterizations, and outright whoppers" and claimed that she was "staggered by the intense anti-feminism of this book." She criticized Hutton's writing style as "dry as dust" and said she was "sorry I bothered to plough through it. If this is rigor, it is mortis." Other Pagans were less critical of Hutton's work. One American Pagan named Lorena Wolfe commented that the book touched "at the basis of our belief system – our
symbology A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conce ...
, our festivals, our view of our history, and our vision of the Goddess Herself", but ultimately she recognised that "Mr. Hutton seems, overall, to be reasonably sympathetic to those with neo-pagan beliefs". Meanwhile, whilst he faced criticism from some sectors of the Pagan community in Britain, others came to embrace him; during the late 1980s and 1990s, Hutton befriended a number of practising British Pagans, including "leading Druids" such as Tim Sebastion, who was then Chief of the Secular Order of Druids. On the basis of ''The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles'' (which he himself had not actually read), Sebastion invited Hutton to speak at a conference in Avebury where he befriended a number of members of the Pagan Druidic movement, including
Philip Carr-Gomm Philip Carr-Gomm (born 31 January 1955) is an author in the fields of psychology and Druidry, a psychologist, and one of the leaders and former Chosen Chief of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. Early life and education Philip Carr-Gomm was ...
,
Emma Restall Orr Emma Restall Orr (born 1965) is a British animist, philosopher, poet, environmentalist, and author. Career Restall Orr worked for the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in the early 1990s, becoming an Ovate tutor. In 1993 she became joint chief o ...
and John Michell. In later years, Hutton would write further historical studies of the contemporary Pagan movement, producing '' The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft'' (1999) and ''Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain'' (2009). In 2011, a writer for the New Age magazine ''
Kindred Spirit Kindred Spirit(s) may refer to: Arts * ''Kindred Spirits'' (film), a 1984 Australian film * ''Kindred Spirits'' (2019 film), a 2019 film by Lucky McKee * ''Kindred Spirits'' (painting), a painting by Asher Brown Durand, a member of the Hudson R ...
'' noted that Hutton had become a "well-known and much loved figure" in the British Pagan community. Whitlock 2011. p. 33.


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles 1991 non-fiction books Academic studies of ritual and magic History books about religion History books about England Paganism in Europe Pagan studies books History of the British Isles Books by Ronald Hutton