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reviewed Pagan religions in five minutes by Angela Puca (Religion in five minutes)

Angela Puca, Suzanne Owen: Pagan religions in five minutes (Paperback, Equinox) 5 stars

Pagan ​Religions in Five Minutes provides an accessible set of essays on questions relating to …

A good introduction both for beginner pagans and researchers

5 stars

It is a quick and concise read. It lives up to its premise, and approaches 70 questions about Paganism with short, readable chapters - but also with academic attention to detail (including cited sources). Some questions are common from the wider public ("Is Satanism and Paganism the same?") while others are unexpected yet intriguing ("How do Pagans use fiction and film?"). It can be equally good for beginner Pagans, and beginner academics who want to study Paganism. For the former, it is a good review of the larger picture and some specific branches of Paganism (and related traditions that reject that label). For the latter, it offers a good starting selection and overview of scholarship, with more sources to explore. There were quite a few chapters that intrigued me. I enjoyed the overview of Romuva from Lithuania, and this tradition's struggle for official recognition. The chapter on Hellenic polytheists rejectig the term "Pagan" was also a fascinating addition to the whole. I also appreciated very contemporary topics such as WitchTok, cultural appropriation within Paganism, or the role of Pagans in the Ukraine war.