Temple to Jupiter completed!

[The Emperor of Mankind]

This project has been ongoing for some time but it's only in the last year or so that it's come close to being finished. A new temple dedicated to Jupiter Perun or Iuppiter Perunus in Latin has been built in Ukraine.

In arguably one of the most aggressively Christian nations in Europe, followers of the Religio Romana have managed to build their own place of worship. In addition to the main temple structure, the site also includes altars dedicated to numerous other Roman deities including Fortuna, Mercury, Hercules and Sol Invictus.

Spoiler: Pictures!

The temple before any altars were added

A libation is offered to the gods at the temple site

This is just the first step in reviving the old Roman religion; other temples dedicated to other gods like Juno, Minerva and Mars are planned, though neither the link nor Templvm's Facebook page offer insight as to where these might be built.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

This project has been ongoing for some time but it's only in the last year or so that it's come close to being finished. A new temple dedicated to Jupiter Perun or Iuppiter Perunus in Latin has been built in Ukraine.

In arguably one of the most aggressively Christian nations in Europe, followers of the Religio Romana have managed to build their own place of worship. In addition to the main temple structure, the site also includes altars dedicated to numerous other Roman deities including Fortuna, Mercury, Hercules and Sol Invictus.

Spoiler: Pictures!

The temple before any altars were added

A libation is offered to the gods at the temple site

This is just the first step in reviving the old Roman religion; other temples dedicated to other gods like Juno, Minerva and Mars are planned, though neither the link nor Templvm's Facebook page offer insight as to where these might be built.

I'm all for living history and reenactment, but as I've said before, I have a hard time believing that anyone really BELIEVES any of these revival religions with no unbroken connection to their erstwhile forebears.

 

[Jumi]

I'm all for living history and reenactment, but as I've said before, I have a hard time believing that anyone really BELIEVES any of these revival religions with no unbroken connection to their erstwhile forebears.

I don't know how it's different than many others. There's even in major religions revivals that want to point to some lost interpretations or wanting to start things over going back to some golden age.

 

[Jumi]

Not a huge fan of Rome, but that looks amazing. I'm pretty sure they've had to go through a lot and sadly, I think the place will probably get vandalized like some others.

 

[England my lionheart]

It's Interesting that the old religions are reviving.

Iceland’s fastest growing religion will soon complete the first temple to Thor and Odin in 1000 years

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

I don't know how it's different than many others. There's even in major religions revivals that want to point to some lost interpretations or wanting to start things over going back to some golden age.

Hey, maybe it's just me, but there's a difference between revivals, reformations and schisms within an ongoing tradition and the same in a tradition without a direct lineage, IMHO. I mean hey, let people do what they want, if they want to revive an extinct religion, good luck to 'em, who am I to judge, I spend my weekends practicing mediaeval armoured combat. I just feel any actual worship going on is about as "real" or sincere as any idea that my armoured swordsmanship is a practical battlefield skill, if that makes any sense? I can understand it as an exercise in heritage, living history, experimental archaeology, even just for fun. As an actual sincere spiritual or religious practice, I just don't see it.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

It's Interesting that the old religions are reviving.

Iceland’s fastest growing religion will soon complete the first temple to Thor and Odin in 1000 years

Same comment. Apart from anything else, many (most?) of these extinct religions don't have enough foundational texts surviving to be "real". Reviving Norse paganism (or any traditional form of paganism, really) based on the extant information would be a bit like trying to re-establish Christianity based on 3 chapters of the Bible that were possibly apocryphal in the first place.

 

[England my lionheart]

Same comment. Apart from anything else, many (most?) of these extinct religions don't have enough foundational texts surviving to be "real". Reviving Norse paganism (or any traditional form of paganism, really) based on the extant information would be a bit like trying to re-establish Christianity based on 3 chapters of the Bible that were possibly apocryphal in the first place.

Of course it's not going to be the same but paganism is gaining in popularity.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Of course it's not going to be the same but paganism is gaining in popularity.

Hey, if they keep it going for a few generations so that people can grow up in it, you might end up with "true" believers, I still can't see it as any more than a form of LARPing. That's not a criticism, just my opinion.

 

[England my lionheart]

Hey, if they keep it going for a few generations so that people can grow up in it, you might end up with "true" believers, I still can't see it as any more than a form of LARPing. That's not a criticism, just my opinion.

I think the quote from the link I posted makes sense.

"I don’t believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet,” High priest Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson told the Guardian. “We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.”

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

I'm all for living history and reenactment, but as I've said before, I have a hard time believing that anyone really BELIEVES any of these revival religions with no unbroken connection to their erstwhile forebears.

It might help to consider that some or many of these people may have had a spiritual experience with at least one of the gods they worship. Another reason people turn to these religions is that a polytheist outlook just makes more sense to them than a monotheist one or an atheist one; or they believe the stories of the Roman gods have more value to impart or are more relatable in some ways than holy books like the Bible or the Quran. I mean, these are my motivations for becoming a Hellenic revivalist. I'm sure these people have other motives besides these.

Hey, if they keep it going for a few generations so that people can grow up in it, you might end up with "true" believers, I still can't see it as any more than a form of LARPing. That's not a criticism, just my opinion.

It may be hard for you to understand how people can relate to these religious traditions - you're lucky that way. You've got an unbroken tradition leading back nearly two thousand years to rely on - but that doesn't mean they/we are faking it. The concept of an unbroken tradition really isn't that important to a lot of us, however.

I actually do agree with you to an extent about it seeming like LARPing when it comes to things like reconstructionist groups - i.e. ones that try to rebuild pre-Christian belief systems as close to their historical counterparts and with as few concessions to modern sensibilities as possible. I get where you're coming from here. It seems like a rather slavish attention to detail and doing things 'because the ancients did it'.

But if it works for these people and it brings them closer to their gods then who am I to argue?

 

[Jumi]

Hey, maybe it's just me, but there's a difference between revivals, reformations and schisms within an ongoing tradition and the same in a tradition without a direct lineage, IMHO. I mean hey, let people do what they want, if they want to revive an extinct religion, good luck to 'em, who am I to judge, I spend my weekends practicing mediaeval armoured combat. I just feel any actual worship going on is about as "real" or sincere as any idea that my armoured swordsmanship is a practical battlefield skill, if that makes any sense? I can understand it as an exercise in heritage, living history, experimental archaeology, even just for fun. As an actual sincere spiritual or religious practice, I just don't see it.

In some countries paganisms were only near eradicated around WW2, so in places like some rural areas in my country there were still folk in touch with parts of a tradition. If you want unbroken lineage, there are ones that exist, though I don't see them as much different from ones with generational gaps. Religious studies has taken them as seriously from their perspectives.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

But if it works for these people and it brings them closer to their gods then who am I to argue?

That's the real crux. If it makes 'em happy, in no way am I criticising. I'm just expressing a personal opinion.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

Apart from anything else, many (most?) of these extinct religions don't have enough foundational texts surviving to be "real". Reviving Norse paganism (or any traditional form of paganism, really) based on the extant information would be a bit like trying to re-establish Christianity based on 3 chapters of the Bible that were possibly apocryphal in the first place.

You're completely missing the point because you're looking at this from an Abrahamic point of view. Christianity and Judaism are based on the Bible, Islam on the Quran. It's all you've got.

Polytheism is based on experience, not scripture. We don't have "foundational texts". All you need is a basic knowledge of the names of the gods in a given tradition and of their personalities. Then you talk to them and listen. If you aren't sure you're doing it right, you ask for a sign and conduct a divination.

For some traditions, like the Hellenic and the Egyptian, the amount of material is enormous. Mikalson's Athenian popular religion (an academic work, not a confessional one) demonstrates just how much one can reconstruct from texts that don't relate directly to religion at all. As a scholar of the phenomenology of religion, I've found it easier to get information on the religion of ancient Egypt than on that of modern China!

 

[Jainarayan]

I'm all for living history and reenactment, but as I've said before, I have a hard time believing that anyone really BELIEVES any of these revival religions with no unbroken connection to their erstwhile forebears.

Followers are very serious about it. Even to the point of being fractious over what is or should be canon and what is UPG or MUS because of the broken lineages. Heathenry is notorious for this.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

Although it's always nice to see more polytheists in Europe, I'm still a bit puzzled as to why Ukrainians should practice Roman religion rather than Slavic. Of course, they might ask why I'm a Hellene!

But why do the Religio Romana lot have to dress up? Of course it's handy for a priest to be recognisable — ancient Greek priests wore splendid robes and crowns — and those in India, China, and Japan wear traditional costume. But what's a man doing there in Roman army uniform? Are people going to take you seriously if you look like a re-enactment society?

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Although it's always nice to see more polytheists in Europe, I'm still a bit puzzled as to why Ukrainians should practice Roman religion rather than Slavic. Of course, they might ask why I'm a Hellene!

But why do the Religio Romana lot have to dress up? Of course it's handy for a priest to be recognisable — ancient Greek priests wore splendid robes and crowns — and those in India, China, and Japan wear traditional costume. But what's a man doing there in Roman army uniform? Are people going to take you seriously if you look like a re-enactment society?

If they're backed by the likes of Nova Roma they're probably trying to recreate Roman culture and society; not just the worship of Roman gods. I agree though; it's less likely that people will take them seriously if they look like they're LARPing.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Yay! Ave Jupiter! I'd love to visit. The negativity in this thread is a bit of a downer, however. Can't people just be happy or be quiet? Gods...

 

[Woberts]

Can't people just be happy or be quiet?

That defeats the point of criticism.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

That defeats the point of criticism.

I was thinking more the Hellenic polytheists in this thread. Even they were nit-picking over it when this is really a win for their religion. I figured they would be happy so that was disappointing to see.