Pagan sacred texts/scriptures?

[Nyiix]

Hej peeps,

Christians have The Bible, Muslims have the Qur'an and Jews have The Tanakh, but when it comes down to (most) Pagan religions things are usually much more difficult and controversial. This seems to be because of the oral rather than written tradition of telling stories/legends and because 'the idea that final or absolute truth can be contained within a written text or series of text has no support' and as 'no text is above criticism'. However, 'any text may be respected or even revered for whatever wisdom it might contain' and these texts/books/scriptures are exactly what I'm looking for.

As a (quite new) pagan enthusiast myself I would love to hear what texts/books/scriptures you guys read and hold in high esteem; being that it provides you with the religious background, practices, beliefs, tales, guidelines to live by, feels enlightening etc.

After doing some research I found several (supposedly [haven't read them yet]) good sources for some pagan religions I'm currently reading about. These are as follows:

Norse Paganism
-The Eddas
-Hávamál
-Nine Noble Virtues

Hellenism
-The Odyssey
-Homeric Hymns
-Orphic Hymns
-Sacred Word in 24 Rhapsodies

Rodnover (Slavic)
-The Primary Chronicle
-The Tale of Igor's Campaign
____
-Book of Veles - Proclaimed as a forgery many times (due to mix of 'different modern Slavic languages with erroneous and invented forms and no regular grammar') Anyone who use(d) this and wants to shed some light on it? If so please do.

Tengriism
Couldn't find anything except from a few letters to medieval kings.

Romuva (Baltic)
Couldn't find anything except for a modern book explaining the old customs and religious practices.

If you have any knowledge about any of these religions/have read any of these books/scriptures or have ones I really have to read but didn't write down please tell me!

___
TLDR; If you have any texts/books/scriptures that provide any religious background, practices, beliefs, tales, guidelines to live by or anything else for the religions listed above please contact me :3

Would love to hear from you guys!

Nyiix

 

[Quintessence]

"Scripture" is really the wrong word to use when referring to Pagan or Neopagan writings, and I wrote a post about that just yesterday, in fact.

But to answer the question at the bottom of your post? Well, it's pretty simple. Walk into a library. Check out every single book in it. Then go into the next library. Do the same thing, but skip the books you already checked out. Repeat indefinitely.

 

[Nyiix]

"Scripture" is really the wrong word to use when referring to Pagan or Neopagan writings, and I wrote a post about that just yesterday, in fact.

But to answer the question at the bottom of your post? Well, it's pretty simple. Walk into a library. Check out every single book in it. Then go into the next library. Do the same thing, but skip the books you already checked out. Repeat indefinitely.

Hej Quin,

Thank you for replying.

According to collinsdictionary.com, thesaurus.net, thesaurus.com and several other dictionary sites the word 'scripture' means; 'writings that are regarded as holy in a particular religion' and its synonim is guideline, so yes, also all the different Pagan branches. In the post you linked you me to you mostly refer to the Western perspective of scriptures.

You said: 'it is probably inaccurate to refer to our religious writings as "scripture" because we simply don't regard written works as they sometimes are within Abrahamic religions'. Here you talk about the western (more known) perspective of the word scripture. Not the term itself. The meaning of the term (being writings that are regarded as holy) doesn't change when we talk about different religions. Furthermore you say: 'We Pagans love our books, but it's not a scenario where we accept some singular book as a main authority for building our religious traditions, much less accept such a thing uncritically'. This is exactly what I said in my post. Oral tradition above written traditions and I repeat: 'any text may be respected or even revered for whatever wisdom it might contain'. Thus multiple sources (most often oral but sometimes written) can and will be used. But we both know that this single word isn't the topic of my thread.

Secondly, the advice you gave me won't help me in any way. I asked for help from people who have read one of the books I mentioned, have any add-ons, or have any knowledge when it comes down to the religions I asked for. A generic 'go to the library' is something a random person on the street could have told me.

Come on Quin, really?, 'go to the library, check out every single book in it'.. not really the advice I was expecting from you.

Kind regards,

Nyiix

 

[Quintessence]

Come on Quin, really?, 'go to the library, check out every single book in it'.. not really the advice I was expecting from you.

I'm actually quite serious about that (though I'm rather confused about you having such expectations with not even a dozen posts here).

Given there's no central "scripture" as typically understood - no book set up on a pedestal and considered "holy" or the "word of god" or some such - Neopagans can (and do) draw religious inspiration from anything. I understand and sympathize with the desire to have "the book" to read (or a list of "the books" to read) as a newcomer, but I've grown skeptical of that approach for a variety of reasons. The most important reasons are probably these two: (1) reading a bunch of stuff isn't going to capture Paganisms, because they are religions of doing stuff and experiencing stuff, and (2) there are so darned many paths out there, that any list someone generates is going to be biased to their particular path and may be unsuitable or useless to someone else's direction within Neopagan religions.

Could I generate a list for you? Yes. Would it be useful to you? That's highly debatable. And even if I generate a list, it's going to have big meta-categories in it like "read anything and everything on natural science, especially works that pertain to your ecoregion."

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Hej peeps,

Christians have The Bible, Muslims have the Qur'an and Jews have The Tanakh, but when it comes down to (most) Pagan religions things are usually much more difficult and controversial. This seems to be because of the oral rather than written tradition of telling stories/legends and because 'the idea that final or absolute truth can be contained within a written text or series of text has no support' and as 'no text is above criticism'. However, 'any text may be respected or even revered for whatever wisdom it might contain' and these texts/books/scriptures are exactly what I'm looking for.

As a (quite new) pagan enthusiast myself I would love to hear what texts/books/scriptures you guys read and hold in high esteem; being that it provides you with the religious background, practices, beliefs, tales, guidelines to live by, feels enlightening etc.

After doing some research I found several (supposedly [haven't read them yet]) good sources for some pagan religions I'm currently reading about. These are as follows:

Norse Paganism
-The Eddas
-Hávamál
-Nine Noble Virtues

Hellenism
-The Odyssey
-Homeric Hymns
-Orphic Hymns
-Sacred Word in 24 Rhapsodies

Rodnover (Slavic)
-The Primary Chronicle
-The Tale of Igor's Campaign
____
-Book of Veles - Proclaimed as a forgery many times (due to mix of 'different modern Slavic languages with erroneous and invented forms and no regular grammar') Anyone who use(d) this and wants to shed some light on it? If so please do.

Tengriism
Couldn't find anything except from a few letters to medieval kings.

Romuva (Baltic)
Couldn't find anything except for a modern book explaining the old customs and religious practices.

If you have any knowledge about any of these religions/have read any of these books/scriptures or have ones I really have to read but didn't write down please tell me!

___
TLDR; If you have any texts/books/scriptures that provide any religious background, practices, beliefs, tales, guidelines to live by or anything else for the religions listed above please contact me :3

Would love to hear from you guys!

Nyiix

Well, what I found out in my spiritual walk that literally every aspect of nature is a "scriptural" message. It reminds me of stories of native people around the world using different parts of nature, literally, to tell the time, to heal others, to plant, to have festivals, and to mark the seasons. Vegatarian cook books are part of my "Scripture". It helps me live holistically; that, and I'm trying to wane off meat. Finding out more about my ancestors by talking with family, their stories and relations are scripture for me.

I am a Buddhist; and, many pagans have a lot of gods/goddesses they follow from. Indian culture is no exception. From that perspective (neopagan) rather than Buddhist, I'm learning about the different gods/esses of India and Japan.

They have practices that, of course as a non-native I wouldn't know, but the lesson is not to depend on other people's practices but in paganism (how I see it), these older practices are a way to shape your own. So, saying that, the Lotus Sutra, as well as other Sutras, are where I get my inspiration from and how to live life and learn about the gods/esses.

Going back to "pagan" language, I have a book called People of the Earth. It's a beautiful book similar to Chicken Soup for the Pagan Soul (not a real book; that would be nice though). The authors interview different pagans from Wiccans, Druids, to everyone under the sun who idenfities as pagan.

The "Words of inspiration" I've been creating has books I use (the Buddhist and pagan ones) for inspiration.

What else?

Actually, there isn't really anything "pagan" as in scripture wise. Like you said, it's mostly oral. Wiccans and Druids may have something written; and, it's not universal, it's by coven.

What you can do is do what Quintessence says. Go to the library. In my personal view, when you go to the library, don't look for "pagan" books like "what is witchcraft?" and such unless you want to know the religious aspect of paganism. If you're nature oriented like me, go outside. Observe the trees. See if you can tell time by the sun and not by your watch. Learn about your environment. Who lived there in the past? Who died? What stories does your land have to tell?

Go through your history books. Ask your family. Even your friends. Look at natural ways to take care of yourself. What one can use for healing, protection (there are natural means of this, as so my mother and grandmother says), even cleaning the house!

Be holistic minded, if you like. That is paganism to me. Use the world as your scripture. Use books as commentary.

Nam.

 

[Quintessence]

Use the world as your scripture. Use books as commentary.

I might have to steal this phrase from you. I like it.

I probably recommend library delving because books are gateways to the world. If you can't go there in person, a book can take you on an otherworldly journey to a new world.

Also, reading everything I could get my hands on is basically what I did starting off. I didn't look for lists, I just knew how to use libraries and checked out everything that related to the niche I was studying at the time. I do less of that now, because my path is in a different place, but when I go into "research mode" I look at everything. I'll grant this approach might not work so well for everyone. I'm a massive nerd, so I don't mind devouring tons of books on a subject, and I'm good at facilitating self-study.

 

[Nyiix]

I'm actually quite serious about that (though I'm rather confused about you having such expectations with not even a dozen posts here).

Given there's no central "scripture" as typically understood - no book set up on a pedestal and considered "holy" or the "word of god" or some such - Neopagans can (and do) draw religious inspiration from anything. I understand and sympathize with the desire to have "the book" to read (or a list of "the books" to read) as a newcomer, but I've grown skeptical of that approach for a variety of reasons. The most important reasons are probably these two: (1) reading a bunch of stuff isn't going to capture Paganisms, because they are religions of doing stuff and experiencing stuff, and (2) there are so darned many paths out there, that any list someone generates is going to be biased to their particular path and may be unsuitable or useless to someone else's direction within Neopagan religions.

Could I generate a list for you? Yes. Would it be useful to you? That's highly debatable. And even if I generate a list, it's going to have big meta-categories in it like "read anything and everything on natural science, especially works that pertain to your ecoregion."

Hej Quin,

Jup, I had very high expectations of you, but you let me down

No, le'ts be serious now, to be honest I expected to get a list of literature that I could analyze and read.. but I see your point. The reason why I'm asking for it is to get some basic knowledge in the different religious views and its lore (background, stories, history). A good example of this would probably has to be Eddas as anyone can read them and get information out of them. Information on the Norse gods, traditions and so on. To find books like these was the aim of my thread, but I gather that you already understood that.

I understand your point and can see why you said it, thank you for the clarification

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I might have to steal this phrase from you. I like it.

I probably recommend library delving because books are gateways to the world. If you can't go there in person, a book can take you on an otherworldly journey to a new world.

Also, reading everything I could get my hands on is basically what I did starting off. I didn't look for lists, I just knew how to use libraries and checked out everything that related to the niche I was studying at the time. I do less of that now, because my path is in a different place, but when I go into "research mode" I look at everything. I'll grant this approach might not work so well for everyone. I'm a massive nerd, so I don't mind devouring tons of books on a subject, and I'm good at facilitating self-study.

lol Thank you. Don't worry, I do that too. When I first went into Witchcraft, I looked up everything taking in all the "magic spells" and so forth thinking "this is it; this is my faith." There is a lot. I was surprised in our strict Catholic environment, we had books on witchcraft! but most where academic and at the college I went to.

They have good historical stuff on paganism and witchcraft. You'd like those books. Also, there's a series on "The World of Magic" I think, and it talks about magic practices around the world in many faiths. It goes through the history of magic and how we interpret it. I will get the title of the series went I get back to the school and post it for you if you like?

I really do like the way you answer your posts, though. I also like how you describe your path. (Which path sounds like a better word; doesn't have the bias attached to it). I was always a little uncomfortable with calling myself a Witch given I don't have the neopagan outlook in life. I do revere nature to the point where others may consider it worship. Then I found that the Buddhism I practice, Nichiren himself mentioned about the Sun and Moon God and Godesses. I almost flipped. He used beautiful examples of the personifications of life. It just got me.

Then I thought, "am I a pagan? am I Buddhist? What am I?" haha. that was, what three or four years ago. I am comfortable not holding the pagan label because for me it's a default. It's like you're really naturally a pagan, just do you want to live it or someone's philosophy.

Anyway, lol, I could go on. That's okay, though. I'm not saying not to read books. Just saying, don't use them as scripture. We should have a Pagan book club!

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Hej Quin,

Jup, I had very high expectations of you, but you let me down

No, le'ts be serious now, to be honest I expected to get a list of literature that I could analyze and read.. but I see your point. The reason why I'm asking for it is to get some basic knowledge in the different religious views and its lore (background, stories, history). A good example of this would probably has to be Eddas as anyone can read them and get information out of them. Information on the Norse gods, traditions and so on. To find books like these was the aim of my thread, but I gather that you already understood that.

I understand your point and can see why you said it, thank you for the clarification

In addition, I will give list some book that helped me later on. There is a lot to learn about paganism. It's just my opinion not to be attached to the books. I think that's what we are saying. We're nerds (looks at Quintessence ), of course we read.

Anyway, keep tuned.

Nam.

 

[Nyiix]

Then I thought, "am I a pagan? am I Buddhist? What am I?

I think I am in that state right now, not really know what to think or believe now haha, want to read as much as possible about as many topics as possible :3

I probably recommend library delving because books are gateways to the world.

I will have to take your advice on this one!

Use the world as your scripture. Use books as commentary.

I agree with Quin, beautiful quote.. mine now too

In addition, I will give list some book that helped me later on. There is a lot to learn about paganism. It's just my opinion not to be attached to the books. I think that's what we are saying. We're nerds (looks at Quintessence ), of course we read.

Can't wait

 

[Quintessence]

No, le'ts be serious now, to be honest I expected to get a list of literature that I could analyze and read.

I figured, and my reaction to that genuinely tends to be "READ ALL THE THINGZ!" I'm actually not the best person to ask for a reference list for understanding historical Paganisms as that isn't the path that I follow, so I have not looked at much of that literature. If I was going to do that, I'd start with my university library and start devouring. Developing good research skills is almost a must for anybody doing these sorts of religions. A full discussion of that probably belongs in its own topic.

 

[Jainarayan]

A good example of this would probably has to be Eddas as anyone can read them and get information out of them. Information on the Norse gods, traditions and so on.

The Eddas can't be fully appreciated if they are read without an understanding of the Germanic/Norse worldview. Without that understanding even the Hávamál and especially the Völuspá could have you saying "huh? wut da... ?" There are books such as We Are Our Deeds by Eric Wodening, and Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by H.R. Ellis Davidson that give a glimpse into the Heathen worldview. The Sagas of Icelanders is also a good place to start. You don't have to read all of them, but two of the most often talked about are Egil's Saga and the Völsunga Saga, tales of the Volsung clan. These are representative of Norse and Icelandic life. This is necessary because the gods act according to the worldview. Understanding this explains their actions and the stories.

 

[Nyiix]

The Eddas can't be fully appreciated if they are read without an understanding of the Germanic/Norse worldview. Without that understanding even the Hávamál and especially the Völuspá could have you saying "huh? wut da... ?" There are books such as We Are Our Deeds by Eric Wodening, and Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by H.R. Ellis Davidson that give a glimpse into the Heathen worldview. The Sagas of Icelanders is also a good place to start. You don't have to read all of them, but two of the most often talked about are Egil's Saga and the Völsunga Saga, tales of the Volsung clan. These are representative of Norse and Icelandic life. This is necessary because the gods act according to the worldview. Understanding this explains their actions and the stories.

See! This is what I meant haha, I will look into them!

 

[Quintessence]

They have good historical stuff on paganism and witchcraft. You'd like those books. Also, there's a series on "The World of Magic" I think, and it talks about magic practices around the world in many faiths. It goes through the history of magic and how we interpret it. I will get the title of the series went I get back to the school and post it for you if you like?

Sure! That's not a series I'm familiar with. The subject of magic is one I've done fairly extensive reading on, but it's impossible to hit everything. One of my favorites has to be "The End of Magic" because it is a good synergy that covers a bunch of the other works I read, and doesn't ignore contemporary practice like many anthropological studies do. Susan Greenwood's works are fantastic as well, and directly pertain to contemporary Paganisms.

Anyway, lol,

I could go on. That's okay, though. I'm not saying not to read books. Just saying, don't use them as scripture. We should have a Pagan book club!

We'd never get it started because we'd never decide on what book to select.

 

[Jainarayan]

See! This is what I meant haha, I will look into them!

One book I will recommend against at this point is Culture of the Teutons. It will make your eyes glaze over. I had to put it down.

 

[Nyiix]

I figured, and my reaction to that genuinely tends to be "READ ALL THE THINGZ!" I'm actually not the best person to ask for a reference list for understanding historical Paganisms as that isn't the path that I follow, so I have not looked at much of that literature. If I was going to do that, I'd start with my university library and start devouring. Developing good research skills is almost a must for anybody doing these sorts of religions. A full discussion of that probably belongs in its own topic.

I guess my library will become unsafe really soon then... small study break is coming up.. I guess my time came xd

 

[Unveiled Artist]

@Quintessence and @Nyiix The phrase is copyrighted now. Can't take it!

 

[Nyiix]

One book I will recommend against at this point is Culture of the Teutons. It will make your eyes glaze over. I had to put it down.

I will try to find the books you recommended and will give an update whilst reading/when I finish them. If I have questions a future thread will follow!

 

[Nyiix]

@Quintessence and @Nyiix The phrase is copyrighted now. Can't take it!

Aw :c

 

[Jainarayan]

If I have questions a future thread will follow!

That's what we're here for.