Pagan Tama
Top stories in Paganism and Shinto this week:
- US: 16,000 sign petition for removal of Disney cartoon featuring witchcraft
- UK: Stonehenge petition signed by 50,000 to stop road expansion presented to government
- Japan: Shotgun-toting Shinto priest preparing to take aim at Olympic gold medal
Read more below…
Pagan News
US: Augustus Sol Invictus remains in custody after Anne Invictus’s statement
The Wild Hunt
In late December, Augustus Sol Invictus, a white nationalist who also identifies as Pagan, was charged and arrested in Florida for kidnapping, “high and aggravated” domestic violence, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence…
UK: YouTube witch has ‘more followers than the Church of England’
Daily Star
Harmony Nice, 22, boasts more than one million followers on YouTube and Instagram combined, compared to the church’s 335,000…
US: The Witches of Manitou Springs: History, hysteria and wand-waving Wiccans behind a stubborn urban myth
Colorado Sun
Manitou Springs, a picturesque mountain town nestled in the shadow of Pikes Peak, is full of whispers of witches and witchcraft…
Paganism in 21st-century Europe – what’s the attraction?
Mercartornet
Some Europeans have turned to ancient pagan religion to fill the spiritual vacuum created by today’s materialistic world – with a bit of tweaking here and there…
Shinto News
Shotgun-toting Shinto priest preparing to take aim at Olympic gold medal
The Japan Times
The 45-year-old shooter, who has all but booked her spot at this year’s Tokyo Games, has chosen a career path that allows her to chase both spiritual and athletic nirvana, yet her life as a Shinto priest is one that appears incongruent with her Olympic aspirations…
Thousands of men wearing only loincloths and socks fought over a stick at Japan’s annual ‘naked festival’
Business Insider
About 10,000 men came together for the annual “naked festival” at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, on the island of Honshu in Japan on February 15…
Demon legend connects manga and its fans with shrine in Beppu
The Asahi Shimbun
Hachiman Kamado Jinja shrine, locally known as a site for praying soccer players, is now attracting hordes of manga fans partly because of its association with human-devouring demons…
US: Austin Peay State University professor selected for Japanese fellowship to study Ise Grand Shrine
Clarksville Now
An Austin Peay State University professor is one of 13 scholars from around the world – and one of only three in the United States – chosen for an in-depth three-week fellowship in Ise, Japan…
More than 1,800 ‘hina’ dolls on display in Saitama
NHK World
More than 1,800 traditional dolls are on display in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, ahead of the annual festival known as Hinamatsuri on March 3…
For Hina Matsuri, Shizuoka’s Doll Displays Return
Forbes
Each year on March 3, Hina Matsuri recognizes their significance in Japanese culture, as temples, shrines and other locations throughout Japan present grand displays of Hina dolls…
Inclusive Tokyo: Josh checks out upgrades to 100-year-old Meiji Shrine
The Asahi Shimbun
For the past six years, the shrine, which will mark its centennial this year, has worked to make its facilities more barrier-free…
The Japanese folklore behind Studio Ghibli’s most magical movies
The Telegraph
A sublime mixture of Shinto, the Japanese religion that believes that animals and other living things are imbued with spirits, Japanese folklore and cultural tradition inform his fictional creations, leading to some characters and plot points that can seem unfamiliar to Western viewers…
Daijousai Offerings
Mimusubi
The central ritual of the Daijōsai, the food offering, is performed in the Daijōkyū by the new Tennō and the Haizen Unëmë, the highest of the female attendants…
Other News
US: Disney cartoon The Owl House branded ‘demonic and evil’ by Christian group as 16,000 sign petition for its removal
Metro
‘Mummy’ Christian activist group One Million Moms has branded new Disney cartoon The Owl House ‘demonic’ for depicting a child wanting to learn to become a witch…
UK: Stonehenge petition signed by 50,000 to stop damage from road expansion presented to government
Sky News
A petition signed by 50,000 people to protest against government plans to expand roads near Stonehenge has been handed into Downing Street…
UK: Harrowing story of executed ‘witches’ sells for £7,000
Eastern Daily Press
A rare book which details how two innocent women were found guilty of witchcraft at a Suffolk court has sold at auction for £7,020…
Japan: Dance by Japan’s indigenous people dropped from Olympics opening ceremony
The Guardian
Japan’s commitment to the rights of its indigenous people has been questioned after organisers of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics dropped a performance by members of the Ainu ethnic minority from the Games’ opening ceremony…
UK: Government says it won’t return Elgin Marbles as part of EU trade negotiations
Metro
The government says it will not be discussing the return of the ‘Parthenon marbles to Greece’ as part of any future trade negotiations with the EU…
Nigeria: Group begins campaign to end witch persecution by 2030
TheGuardian.ng
Dr. Leo Igwe has unveiled the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) to end witch hunting and witch persecution in the country and Africa by the year 2030…
Israel: Archaeologists discover 3,200-year-old Canaanite temple with statues of ‘smiting gods’
Mail Online
An ancient 3,200-year-old Canaanite temple has been discovered in Israel which was part of a biblical city destroyed by Joshua…
Australia: Volcanic evidence suggests Aboriginal story may be Earth’s oldest tale
IFL Science
A story told for generations by the Gunditjmara people of southern Australia is thought to describe a volcanic eruption. Now, dating of lava produced by a volcano thought to feature in the tale shows the account is 37,000 years old, quite likely making it the oldest tale on Earth…
Egypt: Hidden Egyptian burial chamber could be Nefertiti, King Tutankhamun’s step‑mummy
The Times
A new radar survey of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings has revived theories that it could conceal the burial place of ancient Egypt’s mysterious Queen Nefertiti…
Egypt: Dozens of ancient Egyptian graves found with rare clay coffins
Live Science
Archaeologists have discovered 83 graves from ancient Egypt, but the human remains weren’t interred in sarcophagi, as is often the case…
Egypt: Ancient game board could be a missing link tied to the Book of the Dead
Live Science
A game board that dates back to before the reign of the pharaoh Hatshepsut may represent the transformation of the game senet from fun pastime to religious symbol…
Italy: Sarcophagus dedicated to Romulus discovered
Fox News
A shrine dedicated to the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus, has been discovered after archaeologists excavated the Roman Forum and stumbled upon the discovery…
Iraq: The remains of the Temple of the White Eagle found
The Wild Hunt
Excavations from 2016 to 2019 in Iraq have found the remains of a legendary Sumerian temple, that of The White Eagle…
How Gaelic legends have inspired great Celtic artists
The National
Thethree major cycles of early Celtic stories and songs have been the source of many retellings, both solemn and subversive…
India: Odisha tribal killed by neighbour over witchcraft suspicion
Hindustan Times
A tribal in Malkangiri district of Odisha was killed by his neighbour on Monday allegedly for practising black magic, according to the police…
Zimbabwe: Man crushes father’s head with huge rock after accusing him of witchcraft
Chronicle
An 83 year old man from Bulawayo died yesterday morning after he was bludgeoned with huge boulders by his son who accused him of withcraft following an argument over tenants’ rentals…
UK: Woman paid witch doctor £5,000 to cast spell on sister before stabbing her 68 times
The Mirror
A woman murdered her own sister after sleeping with her husband and paying a witch doctor more than £5,000 to cast a spell on her…
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