"Pagan" names a family of religions. This page introduces the branches of that family you are most likely to meet, and explains two words, eclectic and reconstructionist, that describe how Pagans approach their sources.
The descriptions below are short and general. Each tradition contains more variety than a few paragraphs can show, and individuals always speak best for themselves.
Two Approaches to the Past
Reconstructionist Pagans seek to practice the religion of a particular ancient culture as faithfully as modern life allows. They rely on archaeology, surviving texts, and historical scholarship, and they are careful to say what is attested and what is modern.
Eclectic Pagans draw on several sources and on their own experience to build a practice that is meaningful to them. They value creativity and personal fit over historical exactness.
Most Pagans stand somewhere between the two. Neither approach is more "real" than the other.
Major Families of Tradition
Wicca
A religion honoring a Goddess and a God, celebrated in a ritual circle at eight seasonal festivals and at the full moon. Wicca includes initiatory traditions organized in covens and a large number of solitary practitioners. See What Is Wicca?
Witchcraft Outside Wicca
Many people who call themselves Witches are not Wiccan. Some follow regional traditions of folk magic and charm work. Others practice a modern craft centered on herbs, the home, the land, and the seasons. Some treat witchcraft as a religion, others as a skill that can sit alongside any religion or none.
Druidry
Modern Druidry takes its inspiration from the Druids, the learned class of the ancient Celtic peoples. It emphasizes reverence for the natural world, especially trees and sacred places, together with poetry, music, and learning. Druids often gather in groups called groves and many celebrate the eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year. Some Druid orders teach in three stages, often named for bards, ovates, and druids. Druidry may be practiced as a religion or as a philosophy alongside another faith.
Heathenry
Heathenry is the modern practice of the pre-Christian religion of the Germanic peoples, including the Norse and the Anglo-Saxons. Heathens honor gods and goddesses such as Odin, Frigg, Thor, Freyja, and Tyr, along with ancestors and the spirits of the land. Their principal rites are the blot, an offering to the gods, and the sumbel, a ritual round of toasts. Local groups are often called kindreds or hearths, and clergy may be called gothi or gythia. Heathen ethics stress honesty, hospitality, courage, and loyalty.
A Necessary Clarification
A small number of extremists have tried to attach racist ideas to Heathen symbols and names. The great majority of Heathens reject this entirely and hold that their religion is open to anyone called to it. Pagan EdNet works only with inclusive groups. See our Statement on Diversity and Inclusion.
Hellenic Polytheism
The worship of the gods of ancient Greece, including Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, Hermes, and Dionysos. Practice centers on household worship, offerings, hymns, and festivals drawn from ancient calendars. Reciprocity between worshipers and the gods, hospitality, and moderation are central values.
Roman Polytheism
The practice of the traditional religion of ancient Rome, with its household shrine, its careful attention to correct ritual, and its calendar of public and family observances.
Kemetic Religion
Kemetic practitioners honor the gods of ancient Egypt, such as Isis, Osiris, Horus, Hathor, Thoth, and Anubis. The name comes from Kemet, an ancient name for Egypt. A guiding idea is Ma'at: truth, balance, and right order, which each person is expected to uphold.
Celtic Polytheism
Distinct from Druidry, Celtic reconstructionist practice seeks to honor the deities of the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Gaulish peoples in ways grounded in the languages, literature, and living customs of the Celtic nations.
Slavic and Baltic Traditions
Revivals of the pre-Christian religions of the Slavic and Baltic peoples, some of which draw on folk customs that continued in rural life into modern times. They are practiced both in their homelands and by people of every background elsewhere.
Goddess Spirituality
A movement, with roots in the 1970s, centered on the divine as feminine. It includes women's circles, traditions devoted to particular goddesses, and groups open to people of every gender. It has had a large influence on Pagan ritual, music, and ethics.
Eclectic Paganism
Probably the largest group of all. Eclectic Pagans may celebrate the Wheel of the Year, honor deities from more than one culture, and practice alone or with friends, without belonging to any named tradition.
Nature Spirituality and Animism
Some people describe their path simply as Earth-centered. Their practice may involve no named deities at all: its heart is relationship with a particular landscape and its plants, animals, waters, and weather, understood as a community of persons to whom respect is owed.
Pagans Within Other Communities
Some Pagans practice within congregations of liberal religious bodies that welcome Earth-centered spirituality, or combine Pagan practice with another tradition. They are a regular and valued presence in interfaith work.
What These Traditions Have in Common
| Tradition | Typical local group | Common term for clergy | Main festival calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wicca | Coven | Priestess, priest | Wheel of the Year; full moons |
| Druidry | Grove | Druid | Wheel of the Year |
| Heathenry | Kindred, hearth | Gothi, gythia | Yule, Midsummer, and seasonal blots |
| Hellenic polytheism | Household; local community | Priest, priestess | Lunar months and ancient festivals |
| Kemetic religion | Household; temple | Priest, priestess | Festivals of the Egyptian year |
| Eclectic Paganism | Circle, or none | Varies, or none | Usually the Wheel of the Year |
A Word About Respect Between Traditions
Pagans do not always agree with one another, and some do not use the word Pagan for themselves at all. A Heathen may not wish to be called Wiccan, and a reconstructionist may not wish to be assumed to celebrate the Wheel of the Year. The simplest courtesy is also the most reliable: ask people what they call their religion, and use that name.
Pagan EdNet does not describe the religions of Indigenous peoples or African diasporic religions, which are not part of contemporary Paganism and are best described by their own communities.
This page was last reviewed by the Education Review Committee in September 2026.