A Pagan Christmas in High Summer

An offering of gingerbread men I made to Saturn

Christmas presents a bit of a problem for me. Obviously there is the problem of the very obvious Christian aspect of this most popular of Western celebrations, and then there is the problem that the most common Pagan twists on this important holiday tend to focus on the winter solstice, which obviously has absolutely no application in the southern hemisphere – where I live and have lived for many years. Another common Pagan re-interpretation of Christmas revolves around Saturnalia – which is worthy but doesn’t completely solve my problem.

Julian the Apostate – Pagan Hero?

Bust of Julian (4th century): St Petersburg

When I first heard about Julian the apostate (also known as Julian the philosopher) – the last polytheistic emperor of Rome, who attempted to reinvigorate the old ways throughout the Roman Empire after decades of Christian rule – I was naturally pretty interested. My initial impression was that he must of been amongst the last of the old school Romans bravely trying to push back the tide of Christianity. As I have learned more about him, and his times, I have come to realise that this was a naïve and self-serving perspective. I know now that Julian the apostate was an infinitely more complex character than I could have ever imagined and perhaps, ultimately, an unknowable one at that.

The first thing to know about Julian the apostate is that he was indeed a Christian apostate – he was not brought up as a Pagan. He was raised as a Christian. From the age of seven he was under the guardianship of the Bishop of Nicomedia (having been orphaned by his murderous cousin, the emperor Constantius II) and he later became a lector of the Christian church. It is known that he had a detailed knowledge of Christian teachings and it is thus an inevitable conclusion that Julian’s world views were profoundly influenced by his Christian education. The monotheism that earmarks Christian teachings appeared to have stayed with him, to some extent, as he drew ever more interest in classical philosophy and Hellenic polytheism.

Accepting Paganism

"A Priestess of Apollo" by Alma-Tadema (1888)

pagan (say 'payguhn)
 noun 1. a follower of an ancient polytheistic or pantheistic religion or set of beliefs.
 2. 
a. one of a people or community professing some other than the Christian religion (applied to the ancient Romans, Greeks, etc., and sometimes the Jewish people).
b.  (derogatory) someone who is not an adherent of one of the world's major religions.
 3. an irreligious or heathenish person.
 4. a person who follows a contemporary set of beliefs modelled on the ancient pagan religions.
–adjective 5. relating to the worship or worshippers of any religion which is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim.
 6. of, relating to, or characteristic of pagans.
 7. heathen; irreligious. [Middle English, from Late Latin pāgānus pagan, from Latin pāgānus villager, peasant, civilian; used to refer to noncombatants by the Roman military, and later by Christians to refer to those not enlisted in the Church military] 
–paganish, adjective [Macquarie Dictionary]

Pagan Sydney

While not immediately obvious, Pagan and polytheistic themes abound in Sydney. Here are some examples.

Archibald Fountain, Hyde Park (central Sydney) – depicts Apollo at the head of the fountain with Diana, the "young god of fields and pastures" (Faunus?) and Theseus at the base. Sculpted by Francois-Leon Sicard (posthumously commissioned by Jules Francois Archibald – a leading journalist and publisher of his day) and unveiled in 1932. Of the work Sicard wrote: 

"Apollo represents the Arts (Beauty and Light). Apollo holds out his right arm as a sign of protection, and spreads his benefits over all Nature, whilst he holds the Lyre in his left hand. Apollo is the warmth which vivifies, giving life to all Nature. At the touch of his rays, men awake, trees and fields become green, the animals go out into the fields, and men go to work at dawn. 

The ancient Pliny adored the sun, symbol of Life. It is on this account that I wished this figure to be the chief one in the memorial. 

Pagan Idolatry

"Semele waiting for Zeus" by F Bol (b. 1616)

When I consider the Gods I do, unavoidably, consider the many representations (written, painted, sculpted) that mankind has made of them. If I think of Venus in corporeal terms I imagine her as an immensely beautiful woman with full hips and breasts, and no hint of prudishness about her. I confess that I imagine her as ethnically European – whether her hair be blonde or dark. The more I think of Venus in this way the more absurd my imaginings seem for being so hopelessly centred in Western perspectives on this mighty Goddess. If I see her as merely a European Goddess of sex and fertility then perhaps my imaginings can be forgiven, but I do not live in Europe so why should I revere a specifically European Goddess? Or do I imagine that, regardless of place, she hears the prayers of those who call her Venus or Freyja or Aphrodite (or some other European title given to her) but not those who may call her Rati (Hindu), Ishtar (middle eastern), Qetesh (Egyptian) or some other name? If the Goddess of sex and fertility is universal why should I not also imagine her in the image of these Goddesses? But the images I have seen of these non-European Goddesses are for the most part alien to me – they do not resonate. Like Cicero, I imagine the Gods from a perspective of cultural bias. Under the guise of an Epicurean philosopher he wrote:

Pagan Pilgrimage to the Capitoline Museums

A few months ago I visited the Capitoline Museums (or Musei Capitolini), here follows some of my favourite works from those Museums. 

Click on the images to enlarge.

"Capitoline Wolf" nursing the twins Romulus (mythical founder of Rome) and Remus, date uncertain (twins added in the renaissance period)

Life in the Roman Forum

One of the wonderful things about the Roman Forum is that it is teeming with life. Here are some examples.

Pagan Pilgrimage to the Roman Forum

A few months ago I visited the Roman Forum (Rome) - here are some of the photographic highlights.

Temple of Vesta

Pagan Pilgrimage to Rome

A few months ago I visited Rome - here are some of the photographic highlights of that all too brief trip  (I will post some more pics from the Roman Forum and the Capitoline Museums in another post).

The Pantheon