The term Western Religion refers to those religions that originated in the Western Roman Empire, such as as seen in Roman religion, Nordic religion, etc. It is often opposed to Eastern Religion. See Comparative religion. The Western Roman Empire is the name given to the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian. ... Religion in ancient Rome combined several different cult practices and embraced more than a single set of beliefs. ... Nordic religion is a termed used to abbrevate the religion preferably amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries under pre-Christian period that are supported by archaeology findings and early written materials. ... Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes interpretive differences of common themes and ideas among the worlds religions. ...

Rome

Religion in ancient Rome combined several different cult practices and embraced more than a single set of beliefs. In religion and sociology, a cult is a relatively small and cohesive group of people (often a new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ...

The Romans originally followed a rural animistic tradition, in which many spirits (gods) were each responsible for specific, limited aspects of the cosmos and human activities.The early Romans referred to these gods as numina. For example, there were different numina for ploughing, for horses, and for cattle. See Faun. The Etruscans provided the context out of which Roman culture and religious beliefs evolved. See Etruscan mythology. Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... Numina is the project name for musician Jesse Sola. ... Numina is the project name for musician Jesse Sola. ... In Roman mythology, fauns were place-spirits (genii) of untamed woodland. ... The Etruscan civilization existed in Etruria and the Po valley in the northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman Republic. ... The Etruscans were a race of northern Italians eventually integrated into Rome. ...

Another aspect of this animistic belief was ancestor worship, with each family honouring their own dead by their own rites. See Genius. A genius is a person with distinguished mental prowess. ...

Early in the history of the Roman Republic, foreign gods were imported, especially from Greece, which had a great cultural influence on the Romans after they conquered it. In addition, the Romans connected some of their indigenous deities with Greek gods and goddesses. See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century) The Roman Republic (Latin: Res Publica Romanorum) was the republican government of the city of Rome and its territories from 510 BC until the establishment of the Roman Empire, which sometimes placed at 44 BC the year of Caesar...

Some important ones, with the Greek equivalents in parentheses, were Jupiter (= Zeus), Juno (= Hera), Minerva (= Athena), Mars (= Ares), Vesta (= Hestia), Saturn (= Kronos), Vulcan (= Hephaistos), Cupid (= Eros), and Neptune (= Poseidon)and Dionysus or Bacchus in Rome Roman mythology can be considered as two parts. ... Jupiter In Roman mythology, Jupiter (sometimes shortened to Jove) held the same role as Zeus in the Greek pantheon. ... Mars was Roman god of war, the son of Juno and a magical flower (or Jupiter). ... In Roman mythology, Quirinus was a mysterious god. ... Bust of Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (Classical Latin: IMP·C·IVLIVS·CAESAR·DIVVS¹) (b. ... Bust of Augustus Caesar Imperator Caesar Augustus (Latin: IMP•CAESAR•DIVI•F•AVGVSTVS)¹ (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known earlier in his life as Gaius Octavius. ... Juno was the equivalent of the Greeks Hera, queen of the gods. ... Vesta was the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family in Roman mythology, analogous to Hestia in Greek mythology. ... Minerva was a Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom. ... This article treats Mercury in cult practice and in archaic Rome. ... Vulcan, in Roman mythology, is the son of Jupiter and Juno, and husband of Maia and Venus. ... For other uses, see Ceres (disambiguation). ... Venus is the Roman goddess of love, equivalent to Greek Aphrodite and Etruscan Turan. ... Diana was the equivalent in Roman mythology of the Greek Artemis (see Roman/Greek equivalency in mythology for more details). ... Lares (pl. ... In Roman mythology, Fortuna (Greek equivalent Tyche) was the personification of luck, hopefully of good luck. ... The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans. ... Romulus and Remus, (771 BC¹-717 BC Romulus, 771 BC-753 BC Remus), the legendary founders of Rome in Roman mythology, were the twin sons of the priestess Rhea Silvia, fathered by the god of war Mars. ... According to legend, Numa Pompilius was the second of the Kings of Rome, succeeding Romulus. ... For the son of Napoleon I of France, styled the King of Rome, see Napoleon II of France. ... Religion in ancient Rome combined several different cult practices and embraced more than a single set of beliefs. ... Alternate meanings: see Pontifex (disambiguation) Originally the Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the pre-Christian Roman religion. ... A sacred king, according to the systematic interpretation of mythology developed by Sir James George Frazer in his influential book The Golden Bough, was a king who represented a solar deity in a periodically re-enacted fertility rite. ... A vestal Virgin, engraving by Sir Frederick Leighton, ca 1890: Leightons artistic sense has won over his passion for historical accuracy in showing the veil over the Vestals head at sacrifices, the suffibulum, as translucent, instead of fine white wool. ... The Flamen Dialis was an important position in Roman religion. ... A flamen was a priest of the Roman religion. ... The rex Nemorensis, (Latin: the king of Nemi or the king of the grove) was a sort of sacred king who served as priest of the goddess Diana at Aricia in Italy, by the shores of lake Nemi. ... Roman mythology was strongly influenced by Greek mythology and Etruscan mythology. ... Jupiter In Roman mythology, Jupiter (sometimes shortened to Jove) held the same role as Zeus in the Greek pantheon. ... Statue of Zeus The Greek sculptor Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall Statue of Zeus in about 435 bc. ... Juno can refer to: Juno, the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Hera A guardian spirit for Roman women (equivalent of the male Genius) Jupiter IRBM rocket (Juno II) the Jupiter-C IRBM rocket (Juno or Juno I) the Juno Awards, a Canadian music award festival Juno Beach, one of... In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hêra (Greek or ) was the wife and sister of Zeus. ... Minerva was a Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom. ... Athena from the east pediment of the Afea temple in Aegina After a sculpture of Athena at the Louvre. ... Mars was Roman god of war, the son of Juno and a magical flower (or Jupiter). ... This article is about Ares, the Greek god of war. ... Vesta was the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family in Roman mythology, analogous to Hestia in Greek mythology. ... In Greek mythology, virginal Hestia is the goddess of the hearth, of the right ordering of domesticity and the family, who received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household, but had no public cult. ... Rhea tricking Cronus with a wrapped stone. ... Rhea tricking Cronus with a wrapped stone. ... Vulcan, in Roman mythology, is the son of Jupiter and Juno, and husband of Maia and Venus. ... The Temple of Hephaestus, Athens: western face. ... Cupidon (French for Cupid), by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1875 This article is about the Roman god, for other meanings see Cupid (disambiguation). ... In Greek mythology, Eros was the god responsible for lust, love, and sex; he was also worshipped as a fertility deity. ... This article is about the Greek god. ... Andrea Doria as Neptune by Agnolo Bronzino: a potent allegory of Genoas hegemony in the Tyrrhenian Sea In Greek Mythology, Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν) was the god of the sea, known to the Romans as Neptune, and to the Etruscans as Nethuns. ...

As the Roman Empire expanded, and included people from a variety of cultures, there were more and more gods. The legions brought home cults originating from Egypt, Britain, Iberia, Germany, and Persia. The cults of Cybele Isis and Mithras were particularly important. Statue of Cybele in a chariot drawn by lions, in the Plaza de Cíbeles, Madrid Originally a Phrygian goddess, Cybele (Greek Κυβέλη, sometimes given the etymology she of the hair if her name is Greek, not Phrygian, but more widely considered of Luwian origin, from Kubaba) (Roman equivalent: Magna Mater... // Isis in Egypt Early Isis Isis (Greek corruption; the Egyptian is Aset) was originally a goddess from Nubia, and was adopted into Egyptian belief very early. ... Mithra and the Bull: fresco from Dura Europos late 2nd–early 3rd century Mithras was the central savior god of Mithraism, a syncretic Hellenistic mystery religion of male initiates that developed in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC and was practiced in the Roman Empire from...

Along with this, the ancient Roman beliefs and practices continued, especially in and around Rome itself. This included the worship of the lares and penates (spirits specific to a family, with altars in the home), festivals such as the Lupercalia and Saturnalia, and a complex system of lucky and unlucky days. Lares (pl. ... In Roman mythology, the Di Penates or briefly Penates were originally patron gods (really geniuses) of the storeroom, later becoming household gods guarding the entire household. ... The Lupercalia was an annual Roman festival held on February 15 to honour Faunus, god of fertility and forests. ... Saturnalia (from the god Saturn) was the name the Romans gave to their holiday marking the Winter Solstice. ...

Another important aspect of religion in Roman times was the divinity of the Emperor. More than just being the Pontifex Maximus (the head of the Roman Religion), Roman Emperors endorsed the various popular cult religions. In an effort to enhance political loyalty among the populace, they often called subjects to participate in the cults and revere the emperors as gods. Examples of this include "The Achievements of the Divine Augustus", which are two large bronze pillars in Rome inscribed with the deeds of Augustus, roman coins where the Emperor is portrayed with a halo or divine glow, temple inscriptions such as "Divine Augustus Caesar, son of a god, imperator of land and sea..." (Roman Temple Inscription in Myra, Lycia). Alternate meanings: see Pontifex (disambiguation) Originally the Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the pre-Christian Roman religion. ...

Eventually, Christianity came to replace the older pantheon as the state religion.

Related topics

• Roman mythology
• Greek religion
• Greek mythology
• Temple (Roman)
• College of Pontiffs
• Suovetaurilia

Roman mythology can be considered as two parts. ... Greek religion is the polytheistic religion practiced in ancient Greece in form of cult practices, thus the practical counterpart of Greek mythology. ... Greek mythology comprises the collected legends of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ... The numbers and architecture of Roman temples reflect the citys receptivity to all the religions of the world. ... In ancient Rome, the College of Pontiffs was a body whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the polytheistic state religion. ... The suovetaurilia was an ancient Roman sacrifice in which a pig, a sheep, and a bull were sacrificed. ...

Nordic religion

Nordic religion is a termed used to abbreviate the religion preferably amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries under pre-Christian period that are supported by archaeology findings and early written materials. The term Germanic tribes applies to the ancient Germanic peoples of Europe. ... The Nordic countries (Greenland not shown) The Nordic countries is a term used collectively for five countries in Northern Europe. ...

There are scholars (such as Georges Dumézil's theory) suggesting structural similarities with the Norse religion and the whole Indo-European languages region. Georges Dumézil (March 4, 1898 - October 11, 1986) was a French comparative philologist best known for his analysis of sovereignty and power in Indo-European religion and society. ... The Indo-European languages include some 443 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects spoken by about three billion people, including most of the major language families of Europe and western Asia, which belong to a single superfamily. ...

Archaeology

There are many archaeology findings in Scandinavia. The eldest may be seen in petroglyphs and are usually divided into two categories from its age: "hunting-glyphs" and "agricultural-glyphs". The huntingglyphs are the oldest (ca. 9,000 -- 6,000 B.C.) and dominate in Northern Scandinavia (Jämtland, Nordtrøndelag and Nordland) and describe an economy mainly based on hunting and fishing culture. These more real motifs are later (ca. 4,000 -- 2,000 B.C.) replaced with more zoological (or perhaps religious) glyphs. Animals are often illustrated from a x-ray viewpoint (strongly reminiscent of the Australian's petroglyphs), hence the term zoological. The most southern glyphs (Bohuslän) are later complemented with younger agriculturalglyphs (ca. 2,300 -- 500 B.C.), which describe an economy based on agriculture. These are motifs of ships, shamans and worship in the sun, rain and geometrical figures. There is also a third, younger (ca. 900 -- 500 B.C.), glyphs showing a culture that have not been archaeologically supported other than these petroglyphs (containing a large part of sexual acts and feuds.) Petroglyphs on a Bishop Tuff tableland Petroglyph on Petroglyph Point Petroglyphs on Petroglyph Point Petroglyphs on Petroglyph Point Petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument Petroglyphs from Scandinavia (Häljesta, Västmanland in Sweden). ... Jämtland is the name of a geographical region in Sweden which can refer to: Jemtia, or Jämtland - a historical Province of Sweden Main part of Jämtland County, or Jämtlands län - a current County of Sweden Formerly a part of Västernorrland County, or Västernorrlands... Nordland is a county in Norway, bordering Troms and Nord-Trøndelag. ...   Bohuslän? is a historical Province or landskap on the western coast of Sweden. ...

It is only speculation that humans (such as The elk-man or Bog bodies) were sacrificed in a religious context. Bog bodies, also known as bog people, are preserved human bodies found in sphagnum bogs. ...

There is also one category of artefact finding which has called into question the archeologies, and that is, the "gripdjur" (=grip-animal). The datings go back to the period 700 -- 900 A.D. Other younger objects include the well known runestones, written in runes, sometimes indicating ones property, other times a secret ciphered message, or finally a memory of a brave person who has been killed in a foreign country. Even small runic notes written on wood have been found, containing diary-like messages. In archaeology, an artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human culture, and often one later recovered by some archaeological endeavor. ... A rune stone Rune stones are somewhat flat standing stones with runic stone carvings from the Iron Age (Viking Age) and early middle ages found in most parts of Scandinavia. ... The Runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes, formerly used to write Germanic languages, mainly in Scandinavia and the British Isles. ...

Kylver (Gotland), Mojbro (Uppland) and |Istaby stone (Blekinge) are the oldest runestones currently known (2004). The Runic script originates from Southern Europe (ca. 1st century), but there have been (not yet satisfactory) attempts to connect them to Turkish or Orkhon script. The major part of Scandinavian runestones appear in the 11th century. A modified variant of the Kylver inscription, on the original inscription some letters are mirrored, a few features missing and it also includes an unknown rune and an additional small inscription. ... Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic Sea. ... Uppland is the name of a geographical region in Sweden, which can refer to: Uplandia, or Uppland - a historical Province of Sweden Uppsala County, or Uppsala län - a current County of Sweden Part of Stockholm County, or Stockholms län - a current County of Sweden Part of Västmanland County or Västmanlands... Blekinge is the name of a geographical region in Sweden which can refer to: Blechingia, or Blekinge - a historical Province of Sweden Blekinge County, or Blekinge län - a current County of Sweden This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same... Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... The Orkhon script is the earliest known Old Turkic alphabet. ...

The society was certainly divided into an upper and lower class. Slaves were probably used as workers for the upper-class. Most archeology remains do certainly belong to the upper-class families, but also early christian graves in villages allow us to tell more about "ordinary" people. Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ...

Texts

The younger religion which is commonly termed Norse mythology was by the Christians (in a degrading purpose) frequently termed hedendom (Scandinavian), Heidentum (German), Heathenry (English) or Paganismus (Latin, also a modern English term) due to the fact that the heathen or pagan people, i.e. people living on the country side (Lat. paganus; also cf. the English word heath), professed these beliefs. The profession of Heathenry was on Iceland commonly termed Forn Siðr and was seen as a crime from medieval till modern times. Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... The North Germanic languages (also Scandinavian languages or Nordic languages) is a branch of the Germanic languages spoken in Scandinavia, parts of Finland and on the Faroe Islands and Iceland. ... Paganism is a catch-all term which has come to bundle together (by extension from its original classical meaning of a pre-Christian religion) a very broad set of not necessarily compatible religious beliefs and practices that are usually, but not necessarily, characterized by polytheism and, less commonly, animism. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Within a European Christian context, paganism is a catch-all term which has come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion (as opposed to a revealed religion of a text). ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Heath can refer to: Several related genera of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae: Erica (the genus most widely so known) Calluna Cassiope Daboecia Phyllodoce Heath (habitat) is a habitat type where these plants are dominant. ...

Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are Eastern Religions which have become fairly successful in the West. Many in the West, in fact, mistakenly suppose Judaism and Christianity to be Western. But they originated in the Eastern Roman Empire and are fundamentally opposed to Western Culture. Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... Islam   listen? (Arabic: al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest religion. ... Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... Islam   listen? (Arabic: al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest religion. ... A compass rose with west highlighted West is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. ... Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered around its capital in Constantinople. ... Leonardo da Vincis Vitruvian Man, for many a symbol of the changes of the Western culture during the Renaissance Western culture refers to the culture that has developed in the Western world. ...

See also

• Germanic mythology
  • Norse mythology
• Finno-Ugric mythology
  • Sami mythology
• Celtic mythology.

Thor, god of thunder, one of the major figures in Germanic mythology. ... Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... A Celtic cross incorporating the Celtic knotwork motif associated with Celtic cultures Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism the apparent religion of the Iron Age Celts. ...

External links

• Roman Religion
• More information about Roman Gods and myths