Polytheism is a type of religious belief. It is when people believe in and worship multiple Gods and Goddesses. Unlike monotheism, the belief in a singular God, like in Christianity or Judaism. The word Polytheism means, first “poly” comes from the Greek word for “many,” and “theism” from the Greek word for “God.” These Deities are grouped into specific regions of the pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. We see these polytheistic religions throughout ancient Mayan, Mesopotamian, Native American religions, and to name a few. While many focus on the classical pantheon legends of the Greek, Nordic, Roman, Hindu, and Egyptian. In most of these pantheons, there will be a "leader" of the Deities. For example, Odin leads the Norse pantheon while Zeus leads the Roman pantheon. Other legends tell of heroes like Prometheus, Hercules, and Dioscuri to name a few. Then other tales help us to understand the changing of the seasons like in the story of Hades and Persephone. The first religious beliefs were polytheistic. The first Dieties were linked to nature. Humans knew the sun was very important. Without the Sun there would be no life. The moon was next. Through observation, they had observed the moon's power over the Earth and humans. Then later the elements; trees, water, fire, and air, all had their Deities. These Deities were the manifestation of what they represented. We often see the Gods represented as animals or animal companions. If you saw an animal that represented a Deities it often meant that the Deity had a message for you. Most Dieties have legends that tell more like a human story. This helps us, humans establish and connect with the Dieites easily. Each Gods have an all-knowing power not just of what they represent, but also with human lives. These legends would include their births, wars, special abilities, and how they connected with us, mortals. It helps us see them on a more human level. "While polytheism, through the worship of many gods, affirms the life and mystery of the world in all its complexity, monotheism declares the world to be a mere artifact, the product of God’s making, and thus about as living and mysterious as a thumbtack. The transition from polytheism to monotheism is the “De-Godding” of the different aspects of the world."
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As a mom of three boys who go to public school I started to notice that some things were not being taught in detail so I decided to create lessons for them. Many of these lessons cover science, history and of information about Paganism. I share crafts for the all different holidays and cultures as ways that they can learn and have fun at the same time.
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