Hinduism and Heathenism are closely related. I argue the point on three levels…
1. Hinduism and Pre-Christian Heathenism (along with Druidism, Greek Paganism, Zoroastrianism etc.) evolved from the same basic source, Proto Indo-European Paganism.
2. Hindu and Buddhist philosophy has been hugely influential in the Neo-Pagan movement from which Recon Heathenism was born. (And for anyone who’d like to argue that Recon Heathenism is NOT a form of Neo-Paganism, all I can say is “grow up and stop kidding yourself”.)
3. The connection just makes a lot of sense to me personally, on an intuitive level. I’ve learned a lot from studying the eastern religions and clearly I’m not alone among Heathens in feeling this way.
So where does that leave us? Actually it gives us a fantastic new tool, an idea we can use.
The ordinary conception of Heathen history is as a broken line. If we accept the influences of Hinduism and Neo-Paganism on contemporary Heathenism, we can mend the break. Consider this…
We trace our history backwards from Pre-Christian Heathenism to Proto Indo-European Paganism.
We then trace our history forward from Proto Indo-European Paganism to Hinduism and then Buddhism.
From Hinduism and Buddhism, we again trace forward to Neo-Paganism.
From Neo-Paganism we trace forward to Reconstructionist Heathenism at which point we reconnect with our ancestors and realize our religious history is no longer a broken line. It has now been revealed as a circle.
Our tradition is a very ancient one. I find great comfort in that fact.
And, this idea can be used in other ways. Let’s see how we can apply this new knowledge to a common uncomfortable scenario. Someone from work asks you if you’re religious. You have a few different options. You could…
1. Lie.
2. Refuse to discuss the issue.
3. Explain to them honestly that you practice the reconstructed polytheistic religion of pre-Christian northern Europe (and deal with the fact that they now think you’re a raving loony).
4. Say something clever.
What I usually say in this kind of situation goes something like this…
“I feel a lot closer to Hinduism and Buddhism than I do to Christianity, though I’m not really a Hindu or a Buddhist. (Or, I am and I’m not.) I feel I get a lot out of studying philosophy, psychology, history and mythology. Personally, I really get a lot out of mythology, even more than academic philosophy.”
How’s that for magic? Just few simple words, nothing but the truth, and I’ve transformed myself from “potentially dangerous psycho” into “sensitive, intelligent and obviously well read”. This routine probably would not work if delivered to a Christian fundamentalist, but living in Southern California it tends to go over pretty damn well.
Let’s face it. Being part of a new minority religion sucks. Regular people think we’re crazy. They put our books next to the reptilian conspiracy theorists instead of in the religious section and we’re classified as “miscellaneous” on the census. Buddhism and Hinduism, however, are big. They’re old. By accepting ourselves as part of that family we gain a very healthy measure of social acceptance and respectability. And the best part is you don’t need to convert! You don’t need to change a thing! Heathenism is a form of Indo-European Paganism. It is a western variant of Sanatana Dharma. Our tradition is ancient and we are a part of a great and proud religious family.
Hail Chaos!
Viva Loki!
Aum Siva-Wodinaz Aum
You are right, Clint. My Tibetan friends show an immediate respect for and interest in Asatru when I explain to them that it is the indigenous religion of northern Europe. They just get a feel for it – the common Indo-European wyrd.
Clint, that’s a good approach! Nobody can deny that we are part of the Indo-European Tradition. (Not everybody accepts the term Indo-European Tradition in academia, but when academics argue about things like, say, if the toilet is half-full or half-empty, who gives a shit! :-) I also think that Ásatrú folks tend to isolate themselves too much. This is certainly NOT the way to go! Anyone of us lives in a different corner of the world, all of us know people from different cultures & countries, all of us travel the world. This kind of is reflected in our approach to our Heathen Tradition. This can happen without loosing our cultural identity and pretending that “we are all the same”. We must know where we come from & honour our ancestors, but today I see no other option than being a cosmopolitan – at least if you fully engage in the modern world.
Thanks. Hinduism as practised in India encompasses and even transcends all existing faiths.This post is educative.
I am a Hindu from India.I would like to know more about how Heathenism is connected to Hinduism. What are the other points which are common in both? I beieve in “Advaita” philosphy of Hinduism. Can i become member of your community?
I agree that Heathanism is similar to Hinduism and Buddhism. And it is great to see that many other people think that Mythology teaches a lot, even more than rigid so-called logical books.
There is no connection between Hinduism and paganism/heathenism. Hinduism is NOT paganism. This aryanism nonsense is just simply another attempt for white people wo make slaves out of us and to bastardise our religion like they have been doing for centuries.
Raj Kumar , you should be ashamed of bringing racism here. These people are doing some genuine work and are honest with their beliefs. Why cant you see any good in these people? You are delusional and paranoid. Try to respect others. You don’t have to smell conspiracy in everything.
Raj Kumar , you should be ashamed of bringing racism here. These people are doing some genuine work and are honest with their beliefs. Why cant you see any good in these people? You are delusional and paranoid. Try to respect others. You don’t have to smell conspiracy in everything.
Moron, “aryanism” itself is racist ideology. Are you forgetting how many innocent jews perished in WW2 due to this dirty ideology? White people don’t know the first thing about Hinduism…They always turn Hinduism into a hippy cult without even understanding the basics. They go into crazy phases – one second they become hindu and the next second they become muslim.
Aryanism = Filth
Dear friend
I am a Vedic people of European origin. I have been living in Bharata (India) now for almost 8 years now. You are right to an extent in your theory.
However the Vedic way of life (it was never meant to a religion) goes much beyond you can possibly think.
There was a time when the Vedic faith or way of life was practiced all over the planet and this is the reason why you find so many similarities between the Vedic way of life and ancient European cultures.
The Vedas have world history that does back to hundreds of billions of years. Unfortunately after the Christian and Moslem conquests most of these manuscripts which could have proven these facts were destroyed. However we still have a large amount of knowledge in the form of Vedas to understand the beginning of this Kalpa(phase).
I would also ask you to do some more research into this subject so that you understand how deep the rabbit hole goes. I am sure it will surprise you.
This is an incorrect article. Let me break it down.
Islam/Christianity/Judaism = Abrahamic religions
Hinduism/Buddhism/Sikhism/Jainism = Dharmic religions
Druid/wicca/norse/Heathenism (and many others) = Paganism
Hinduism is classified as a dharmic religion and not a pagan religion. Paganism is just really a set of rituals and mythological beliefs whereas Hinduism actually has a sophisticated philosophy, code of conduct and a wide range of literature and teachings in the form of the Vedas and Gita. I respect paganism just like I respect all religions but it makes me sad when I see pagans distorting Hinduism and making bogus connections between Hinduism and paganism.
Hinduism is a misnomer for Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is as ancient as the Earth itself. There is nothing comparable to it. Don’t stop your delving in at the near past and jump on the conclusions. Go to the mother root and see where you belong. Stopping in between the chronicles of time and declaring one’s roots is always misleading and conflicting. Do not restrict your soul to a time stop in the chronicles. The soul is eternal. So is the Sanatana Dharma. As long as you identify yourself as someone as you are identified right now, you are illusioned to be secured in that identity. As long as you comfort yourself with the identified secured position, you are not realizing your eternal nature as the pure soul.
I agree with this article. Sanathana Dharma is the oldest religion of all and the mother of all religions. It definitely influenced the early Pagan religion and even the old Buddhist and Hindu sages spoke European languages and the connection between Sanskrit and Nordic is too vast to just be a mere coincidence. But I find it unfortunate that some Indians here are giving their culture a bad name. Heathens have every right to identify with Sanathana as it was certainly the biggest influence on Heathenism and yet was never forced on us. Some historians say we are the same family, some say we were conquerors .. the bottom line is we were influenced by Sanathana for sure and have greater ties with Sanathana than we do with any of the Abrahamic religions. And Sanathan does not just belong to Indians, it belongs to mankind and a lot of the most devout Hindus and Buddhists today are Caucasian.
There’s a lot of comments here that suggest to me that their author’s don’t know anything about the subject at hand.
I won’t throw stones though, I live in a glass house!
Oh, one thing that DOES need to be repeated (for the umpteenth time), Heathenism generally regards Nazism and all that crap as being, well, a heap of steaming crap.
For his part, Hitler strongly ridiculed the proto-neo-heathens of the day and promoted Christianity as his preferred religion (and may I also point out that anti-Semitism emerged from Christian theology and has no basis in pre-Christian European traditions).
Enough! I fear I am waxing self-righteous. Ganesha, please smash this klesha!
Just because Hinduism believe in Gods and Goddesses and so do pagans, it does NOT mean that they are related. Once again white people are skimming the surface and cherry picking rather than digging deeper. I am a Hindu Indian and I get really offended when I see people trying to misrepresent my religion without having a clue about it. Be they pagans, Muslims, Christians etc. You don’t see Hindus go around insulting other people’s religions so why the hell does everyone keep insulting ours??? Just live and let live guys!!
And I really do NOT mean to offend white people, but the mentality that is required to be a true Hindu is simply not permitted by caucasian genetics. The values and principles of dharma (duty), loyalty, dedication, selfless love and sewa (charity), the eradication of ego is simply not a part of the white man’s mentality. He cannot, as hard as he tries, comprehend these things. Sorry if I have offended anyone but that is the truth. Caucasian people should just stick to Christianity because that is far more commensurate with their gentic makeup.
F***** weirdos
Oooh, I had no idea I’d caused such a little controversy.
Isn’t it interesting that the assertions for Hinduism being completely seperate and unrelated to anything else are so strongly remeniscent of the B.S. we hear from folkish Heathens and white supremacists? I’d like to argue this is another example of consistency among Indo-Europeans, but unfortunately it’s been my experience that racists are much the same regardless of where they come from.
For those of you who enjoyed my little opinion piece…cheers, thanks for reading.
After the blast of Mahabharata in Aryavart, All the Aryas has spread through out the world. They came into the contact of the tribes or they themselves established many colonies outside and the new races come into the existence. I won’t hesitate to say that all the human races are complete or partial result of Arya culture. Those who think that the Vedas and other Arya Arts are only the heritage of the Hindus of India are completely wrong because we all are same for our ancestors Arya. Suppose a person has two sons and one of them settles abroad. It doesn’t mean that he is no more the son of that person. The blood relations and the qualities of the blood never come to an end and the same thing is with the children of Arya who are scattered through out the world.
Well…I’m more inclined to believe that we Indo-Europeans originated from somewhere around the Black Sea, but I wouldn’t rule out the “Out of India” hypothesis as completely impossible.
In any case, yes, we are spiritual brothers. I would even go as far as to say that Hindus should be regarded as “elder brothers” by European Heathens and Pagans.
Our paths are not identical, but they are certainly closely related.
Europe, come back to your roots! We (India) are the last link to the ancient world and we have been keeping the christians and muslims at bay for thousands of years.
Can you imagine the dilemma of the first converted christians in Europe? Their God’s carried weapons and were strong (see any picture’s of Hindu deities and they all carry weapons) and instead they have been made to worship a ‘God’ who allowed himself to be nailed onto a cross.
Alfred Hillebrandt spoke of India as the ‘fatherland of mankind’ which ‘gave the original religion of our race,’ and he expressed the hope that European peoples, ‘who stemmed from Asia,…would re-attain the religion of their home.’
I don’t understand, are Europeans embarrassed of their own culture?
Like blonde haired blue eyed aryan, your not aryan and you never will be. Aryans are from the northern region in india and have light brown skin, and black hair and sometimes coloured eyes.
Europeans have NO connection whatsoever with Hinduism and it’s history aryans are indians so don’t call yourself something your not.
Keshav Parkash says:
“I don’t understand, are Europeans embarrassed of their own culture?”
Yep, sometimes. Sometimes proud, too.
“Like blonde haired blue eyed aryan, your not aryan and you never will be. Aryans are from the northern region in india and have light brown skin, and black hair and sometimes coloured eyes.”
Agreed. Europeans are not Aryans.
Aryan refers to a branch of the Indo-European family that migrated east and became the ancestors of the Persians, Afghans, Pakistanis, Northern Indians and probably some others that I’m forgetting.
“Europeans have NO connection whatsoever with Hinduism and it’s history aryans are indians so don’t call yourself something your not.”
I never called myself an Aryan and I never would. I want nothing to do with racism, socialism or nationalism of any kind. Don’t put words in my mouth.
On the other hand, European language and culture definitely is related to Indo-Iranian culture.
If you take the time to learn a little about ancient European mythology you’ll see a lot of paralells to Hinduism right away. If you look into early Greek philosophy, you’ll find a lot of ideas that are similar or identical to those expressed in Hindu or Buddhist philosophy.
I know you guys must be sick of Americans coming in, ripping off your culture and turning it into a new age pop abomination. That’s not what we’re trying to do here.
I’m not a Hindu and I’m not pretending to be. I’m simply acknowledging that I’ve learned a lot from Hindu philosophy and I still think it has a lot to offer. (Though from the number of angry comments I’ve gotten, I’m starting to wonder.)
I’m a Heathen, not a Hindu. I believe the two are related, but not identical. Is that clear enough for you all?
I am a heathen not a Hindu but I think all heathens can learn a few things from Hinduism. Hinduism is a very Beautiful culture with very intelligent philosophies.
Clint — don’t let self-loathing Indians intimidate you. Most Indians today know nothing about Hinduism or Buddhism anyway. And yes, we share a lot with Hindu and Buddhist philosophies and pantheons — though not with Indians. Google Stephen Knapp for more research on this. Heilsa!
I am a srauta brahmin which means that i am religiously inclined to aryan elements of hinduism like reverence to vedas ,mahabharat and fire worship(agnihotra).That doesnt make me racially any different from other indians.I am as brown.However , my religion is very different from other hindus (most of whom practise non aryan cults).
I believe that aryans were orginally from the ural region .Perhaps they were very light skinned .However ,they must have entered india peacefully and there was no invasion.They had not waged wars with aboriginals but accepted them into aryan fold . Early aryans society repected women and vedic women like “gargi” were educated.
Hindus should n’t object to them being called “pagans” or “heathens” .Hinduism like “paganism” and “heathenism” is a natural religion involving no prophetic monopoly.Hinduism is also polytheistic.There is nothing wrong with it.”paganism” and polytheism” were demonized by Abrahamic religions and their jealous god.Christianity committed cultural genocide of Europe.
I found this page researching a link between paganism and hinduism. I am a hindu brahmin, don’t let the other hindus on the page dissuade you from your beliefs. I see nothing wrong with paganism, and understand that it’s the modern word for the ancient european religions before the middle east religions invaded them. Seeing how the indian region was invaded by the same religions I feel a certain kinmanship with ancient europe. I believe they evolved from the same traditions that the ancient settlers carried with them, to India as well as Europe. However, I have been interested in paganism (which I see as the modern word for european religion before middle eastern religions) for a long time. When I tried to speak to the “pagan” students group at my college, I felt shunned for not being European. I’m still annoyed at that. So I think the disdain goes both ways.
Hinduism is a Dharmic religion. There should be certain points this article must have been cleared.
1)First of all we need to understand the why they are connecting themselves to hinduism.
2)What is the similarity between the two religious belief.
3)By associating the two, is there anything that would portray Dharmic religions (like Hinduism, Jainism, Budhisim and sikhism) in a distorted way? or vice versa?
Let me try to answer all the three:
1) This connection (of hinduism and neo-paganism) can be very historic. As we all know Christianity and Islamist never recognized the any thing which per-dated the notion of the of theology, which is against the fundamental right of Humans who want to know their past, ancestors religion and way of life. For hindu and now-pagans it can be a basis of organizing under a big roof.
2) The idea of God, monopoly of Salvation, Name changing ceremony (to biblical or Islamic names), and condemnation of religions practices like the (so called) idol worship, nature worship. These are the things which we both Hinduism and Neo-Paganism are against.
3) The denigration of the practice of native religion and belief system by both the Abharamic religions. The connection between the Hinduism and the neo-paganism can bring the people close the their native religious practices.
There are many more.
What are the similarity between the Dharmic Religions and the Neo-paganism.
1) They both don’t want to control and destroy the history. They both can bring back a sense of belonging to the people who practice these religion. As the two never try to hinder the science and development of the society. Also don’t try to be the basis of discrimination on the basis of sexuality, like gays and lesbians. I think we have a lot of common things.
What are the hindrance between these association?
1) Distorted History which sill taught in schools
Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory and Dravidian Theory, These two theories are created by the Christians during the colonial period of India. So by supporting these two theories YOU ARE ACTUALLY HELPING CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA AS A LEGITIMATE CAUSE OF “CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY” AND “BRITISH COLONISATION”. You must understand the 18th century historians are very inclined towards Christianity. The principle architect of the Aryan Invasion Theory is on Racial Supremacy, rather than any historical evidence. The Hindus are expecting you NOT TO SUPPORT SUCH THEORES. These theories are disproved the genetically surveyed studies, Linguistics studies, Scientific dating and Satellite images.
1) These theory has no basis on Scientific evidences and Indian Sanskrit literatures. These are still creating divisions in India. Even riots in some parts of the Country. Even ‘Common Sense’ can Counter the Aryan Invasion Theory if chose to give a chance to it.
By Suppoting the Aryan Invasion you are actually doing something what it was done by the Colonialist. This theory is destroying the native culture and the religion itself known as Hinduism. Or I would by this association of Hinduism and Neo-paganism, if the Hindus are getting the same old bashing of Historical blunder theories. Then Im afraid that Hindus might not associate with Neo-Paganism. They can’t sacrifice their Native religion (Hinduism) in sake of Revival of Neo-Paganism. OUR ASSOCIATION SHOULD NOT DISTROY NATIVE RELIGION IN INDAI.So don’t support the theory.
It fact, Sanskrit is an Indian Language. But Sanatana Dharma had a global presence. You people worshiped the Gods in some other names and we did it some other names.
The concept of people brought the God during the trade and travel was promoted by the Christian Colonialist, so beware of it. Ous ORGANISING SHOULD BRING BACK THE ANCIENT GLORY TO OUR GODS NOT DISTROY THEM. THANKS.
Hello fellow panthenists!
Well TBH Hinduism is not really panthenism,its monotheist which says that god is one,but manifestations are many..but I(hindu brahmin-Iyengar-keeper of the culture-blah blah ;) to be exact)would like to relate myself and my “”religion”” with all you pagans if that would give a legitimate and ancient platform with impecable pedigree and descendancy to neopaganism and other reconstructionist religions.Trust me,when all the totally unrelated,non-vedic Indian tribal cults of Tamil nadu and other places can be classified as Hindu,I don’t think any “”Hindus”” should mind pagans.I actually can feel deep within what happened to you guys.Have read lots about pre-christian europe,the druids may have been southie brahmin monastics for all we know :0
Panthenist Greece and Rome were close associates with India(the former via trade and the latter via war!),so lots of ideas were exchanged between the philosophical Indians(our forte) and the materialistic westerners(their strength-AKA the mingling of best of both worlds.I believe all religions were constructed by man(unlike our “heathen” christians and islamists who believe it is god’s message!LOL) and see no fault in rational religions being constructed today.
Reconstruction of heritage buildings destroyed by invaders is seen as a good deed,but when we do the same to religion,it is seen as an unmentionable and maybe even silly deed.Fact is white europeans(considering many non-ethnic europeans are europeans too-citizens that is,for example I could become swiss if I wanted ;) )are attached to their ancient ways and after learning to what their ancestors had to go through,they are more interested in their ancient ways to the extent of dropping christianity(in decline all over the EU and USA as well).
IMHO Some more archeological findings in Lithuania would place neopagans in a better position of understanding their workings,rituals and so forth,considering the morons did’nt baptise that baltic country well until the 1400s,when a light bulb suddently reminded the pope of such a people’s existence…unfortunately!But this relatively recent timescale of lithuania’s conversion may produce innumerable depictions,manuscripts and other invaluable info for reconstructionists.Wealthy nordic countries like Sweden,Norway,Denmark and so forth have to convince their governments to spend on digs there to better understand the history of lithuania and thereby that of pre-christian europe as well.
Most “Indians” are so brainwashed,they don’t what their religion is about and many things cannot be questioned here so they just don’t do it.The level of diversity allowed in USA is not allowed here ironically.This is a society heavily reliant on the government,considering Republic of India is a premature democracy and our constitution was written by a man who wanted to destroy hinduism.Freaky stuff…Hindus like most pagans are self destructive…there’s another similarity.Anyways this is a timeless land and you are welcome to our culture.
BTW the scottish beltane festival attracts more participants than sunday’s church mass…this is in scotland,lets not even go into hardcore pagan celtic lands like Ireland and so on.You european whites have ensured that education and enquiry have removed the 2000 years old diseas eplaguing you and are back on track for a golden era.No more middle ages for your lot(as long as you manage to keep too many-unassimilable immigrants outside your borders you know)
Cheers and love to yall!
Hi,
I just discovered your site so this is my first entry.
Many years ago reading many books about Indo-European religions
I became especially found and interested in the Proto-Indo-European religion and culture more than in any of it’s daughter religion maybe because I could not identify with a local ethnic group:my father was christian orthodox half Macedonia Greek,half Bulgar, my mother is catholic half Flemish half northern French.
I began to practice religion along in these pre-internet time
praying that I may find , meet other like minded people.
I observed nature ,meditated and prayed in the in front of great oak to PERKUNA (called Thor ,Donner ,Indra…)DIUWOS the father of all and gods and godesses ,I practice Agnihotra at home and worshiped weapons. I was no satisfy with Hinduism for the following reasons : Hinduism is centered in Ganga valey and is strongly influenced by pre-Aryans. Punjab and Rajastan the true Aryan part of India are not anymore center of Hinduism .
The strong and dynamic purely Aryan religion is now Sikhism who get reed of brahamanism b…s… and superstitions. and reaffirm the Indo-European predominance of the warrior who make the real sacrifice above brahaman blood sukkers who feel their pockets by exploiting the faith of the people.
So I became a Sikh following Sanatan Sikhism of the Nihangs Singh’S .
When Alexander the Great invaded India he did meet in battle the most formidable adversary till then. When the muslim moguls invaded and ravaged India it had become an easy prey,also the English eastern company annexed the Indian states one by one ,they were close to be defeated only when they invaded Punjab . So what had happened ?
The adversary of the Alexander was at the head of a country based on the values as seen in the Rig-Veda ( and the Bagava Gita and so…) dominate by the warrior ethic and glorification of heroism . Then the too clever brahamins cheated the people and the warriors to let then have the effective power and then established a rigid cast system with themselves at the summit. So oppression by superstition and negation of the warlike and heroic values demoralized India to submition.
My evaluation of brahamanism may seems a bit harsh considering that the brahamin caste maintained the relative unity of the Hindus and resisted the attempts of conversion but it is also because the brahamin caste establishment of a rigid cast system,taking the real power , that India became so weak and incapable to resist invaders. They also promoted unfounded superstitions for their own profit . This must serve as a warning for the restoration of the ancient European religion : The excessive ritualism and the establishment of a “professional” priesthood risk to bring the same disastrous effect as in India. What count is what men do and sacrifice not his caste or pretend superiority. The Rig-Veda represent or at least is very close to the religion of the ancient Aryans .
I think we must not think that reincarnation is absent or contrary to the Rig-Veda and the faith in one supreme God is not absent from the Rig-Veda ,simply the God-Head is represented successively by Varuna ,Indra , Rudra ,Vishnu and so on…
South Central Asia and maybe a part of the area occupy by modern Iran including the Elamites , was occupy by a language family close to modern Dravidian languages .That can explain the number of Dravidian words in Indian languages but also in Iranian languages.The name of Indra ,the archetype of the Indo-European Thunder God is determined by linguists to be of Dravidian origine, how can we explain that?
I humbly propose my own theory : It has always been in the habits of the Indo-Europeans to call God or the Gods by different names depending of the reason for the prayer or aspects of the Divinity. When the Aryans arrived in the area,they witness the monsoon climate with the monsoon clouds and rain and so tookthe dravidian name for monsoon clouds:ind , Indra as a other name of PARJANIA (Perkuna)the original name.So the name of Indra become use, Parjania becoming a much less use name.