Similarities in the Pantheons of "Pagan" religions

[Diolun]

How would we know when this borrowing started and from where?

As far as the kemetic pantheon I can't say for sure the whereabouts of its origins but as for the norse, celtic, hellenic, roman, slavic, Baltic and hindic pantheons there is the proto-Indo-European theory. I think over time each culture developed the gods and goddesses to fit their local set of beliefs.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

The simple answer is that we don't know. The true nature of a god is obviously beyond our understanding: the discrepancy of scale is just too great. One can find a pair of gods who seem to have similar personalities or fields of interest, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Naturally, we all have similar needs and so look to gods to tend to them. We often need healing, so every one has a god they approach for that end. In Greece, that would normally be Asclepios or Apollo, but on one island it was Poseidon. Any god would be capable of healing their worshipers, though.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I simply view modern monotheistic religions as a bastardization of previous religions. Evil does win and unlike common thought evil can win big and dominate society for years to come. I view this as a cleansing of the ills of pagan thought.

Jesus is just a son of Zeus at the end of the day and a false son at that.

 

[Vinayaka]

I have noticed that some deities across various pantheons share striking similarities and attributes. This is the thread to discuss it and rather you think these pantheons influenced each other or not.

Maybe. Maybe not. Mankind has a long history, and we've inter-related culturally a whole lot. Language is a common reflection of all that interaction. But I'm also not one to jump to conclusions on this either. Often a closer look, or just asking the specific adherents specific questions will reveal as many differences as similarities. As a Hindu, in the context of discussions like this, more often than not I've seen people alter the understanding of my faith just to suit this 'similarity' concept. I'm confident that happens to other faiths as well as mine. So who knows really?

 

[Quintessence]

Woah... thread necro from 2011? I miss @Rainbow Mage. And @Breathe.

Don't really have anything to add beyond what's been said. It reminds me of this article - http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2018/05/the-gods-are-like-water.html - that I read recently, though. It provides some interesting food for thought on this issue, if nothing else.

 

[Shiranui117]

If these religions all descend from a common ancestor though, which was that ancestor?

For the Germanic and Celtic peoples, Hindus, Greco-Romans, Slavs and Baltic peoples, it was the Proto-Indo-European religion.