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Proto-Indo-European Religion
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The Proto-Indo-European
Religion is reconstructed on the basis of linguistic analysis of the languages
used by Indo-European-speaking people. This website gives scholarly information
on what is known about traditional Paganism, the polytheistic religion of the Indo-European-speaking people and the status of research in the field. Particular emphasis is placed on the oldest sources in each language group, but
folklore, customs and even christianized versions of Proto-Indo-European
Goddesses, myths and rituals have been used. In India, the religion continues as
it has for millennia, so information from recent or modern sources is relevant
to the study. For an explanation of the whole concept, see the Introduction to
Proto-Indo-European Religion.
The information is organized in three main categories,
• Indo-European Languages and Pagan Religion
• Goddesses,
• Myths
and • Rituals
of the Indo-Europeans and
• Festivals, Food and Farming which are organized by the months of the year.
In addition, there are other pages that give information about important
resources, including the Early English Text Society and a list of Book References, because it is often very difficult to find good or even
bad sources of information about the Indo-European religion.
Newly Updated Festivals,
current or coming up
Apple Tree Wassails
Wassailing the Apple Trees is done sometime between Christmas and January 17, but properly in January. The custom includes cider and cakes shared with the trees, singing them songs, dancing and noisemaking. This page describes the customs and gives several beautiful songs.
Plow Songs in EnglishThese
are traditional Plow Songs as well as invocations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon ritual for Blessing the Seed for the time of plowing and planting. Traditionally performed in January in England, they may be more suitable to March in some areas.
Easter, a Germanic Goddess
and the festival of Easter
Easter or Ostara is a Goddess honored among
Germanic-speaking people and she gives her name to the holiday of
Easter at the Spring Equinox. Easter Eggs are dyed bright colors and given as gifts at the spring holiday
all over Europe from the earliest times; they probably represent the Sun at the
Spring Equinox, and are a suitable offering to the Goddess Easter.
May Day Revels
May Day Revels are celebrated on the first of May or Beltaine, for the Goddess Freya. May Day Songs are sung when visiting and giving gifts of hawthorn flowers. The May Day Revels, Part 2 includes Maypole Dancing and Morris Dancing.
Harvest Songs
The major harvest festival in European countries is set to August 1st, though the actual date varies according to the weather and time of ripening of the grain. It is called Lammas and Harvest Home in English and Lughnasy in old Celtic-speaking areas. Here are some Songs to Celebrate the Harvest with links to the words and music and many links to places where you can hear the songs being sung. Also here are the Harvest Song Lyrics which can be printed out for singing.
Songs for Halloween and Samhain
These Songs for Halloween and Samhain have been put together to provide traditional
songs for the celebration that now falls on October 31 and November 1st. The Halloween Song
Lyrics, almost all in English, though some are for Celtic holidays, are included on a separate page to help with singing. These songs are rather spooky but very beautiful.
Yule Songs
Yule Songs include traditional English songs about Holly and Ivy, Wassailing and Boar's
Head Carols, with links to places where they can be listened to for free. An additional page gives the Yule Song Lyrics so that they can be printed out for caroling. An additional page shows how to make traditional Yule decorations.
Hunting the Wren
The section on Wren King Songs has been completely rewritten and two new sections added for Breton and Welsh Wren King songs.
Hunting the Wren is a Celtic tradition at the Winter Solstice; this page gives some background for the custom. Burying the Wren is the final element of the Wren Day festivities, and we have a song and a traditional recipe for that. The ancient myth which provides the basis for this custom is the story of How Lleu Llaw Gyffes Got His Name, retold here from the Mabinogion.
© 2010, last updated 3/4/2015, piereligion.org/index.html
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