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[[File:Human artifacts at CMNH - 37.JPG|thumb|Egyptian gods in the [[Carnegie Museum of Natural History]]]]
{{Mythology}}
'''Polytheism''' is the worship of or belief in multiple [[deity|deities]] usually assembled into a [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]] of [[god]]s and [[goddess]]es, along with their own [[religion]]s and [[ritual]]s.

Polytheism is a religious construct and a type of [[theism]]. Within theism, it  contrasts with [[monotheism]], the belief in a  [[God|singular God]]. Polytheists do not always worship all the gods equally, but can be [[Henotheism|henotheists]], specializing in the worship of one particular deity. Other polytheists can be [[Kathenotheism|kathenotheists]], worshiping different deities at different times.

Polytheism was the typical form of religion during the [[Bronze Age]] and [[Iron Age]], up to the [[Axial Age]] and the gradual development of [[monotheism]] or [[pantheism]], and [[atheism]]. It is well documented in historical religions of [[Classical antiquity]], especially [[Greek polytheism]] and [[Roman polytheism]], and after the [[decline of Greco-Roman polytheism]] in tribal religions such as [[Germanic paganism]] or [[Slavic mythology]]. There are various polytheistic religions practiced today, for example [[Shintoism]], [[Germanic neopaganism|Ásatrú]], [[Chinese folk religion]], [[Neo-Druidism|Druidry]], [[Taoism]], [[Thelema]], [[Wicca]], and [[Candomble]].  [[Hinduism]] is sometimes included in this listing; but despite the presence of polytheistic elements it contains [[pantheism|pantheistic]] and [[monotheism|monotheistic]] ones as well and has been classed as a "pantheism with polytheistic elements"<ref>[http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/beliefs/theism.htm Is Hinduism Polytheistic?]. ReligionFacts. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.</ref>

==Terminology==
The term comes from the Greek ''poly'' ("many") and ''theoi'' ("gods") and was first invented by the Jewish writer [[Philo of Alexandria]] to argue with the Greeks.  When Christianity spread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, non-Christians were just called [[Gentiles]] (a term originally used by Jews to refer to non-Jews) or pagans (locals) or, in a clearly pejorative idolaters (worshiping "false" gods).  The modern usage of the term is first revived in French through [[Jean Bodin]] in 1580, followed by [[Samuel Purchas]]'s usage in English in 1614.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Inconceivable Polytheism: Studies in Religious Historiography |last= Schmidt|first= Francis |year=1987 |publisher= Gordon & Breach Science Publishers |location=New York |isbn= 978-3718603671 |page=10}}</ref>

==Gods and divinity==
{{Wikiquote|gods}}

{{Main|Deity|God (male deity)|Goddess}}
The deities of polytheism are often portrayed as complex personages of greater or lesser status, with individual skills, needs, desires and histories; in many ways similar to humans ([[anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]]) in their [[Wiktionary:personality|personality]] traits, but with additional individual powers, abilities, knowledge or perceptions.
Polytheism cannot be cleanly separated from the [[animism|animist]] beliefs prevalent in most [[folk religion]]s. The gods of polytheism are in many cases the highest order of a continuum of [[Non-physical entity|supernatural beings]] or [[spirits]], which may include [[ancestors]], [[demon]]s, [[wights]] and others.  In some cases these spirits are divided into [[heaven|celestial]] or [[chthonic]] classes, and belief in the existence of all these beings does not imply that all are worshipped.

==Types of deities==
{{Further|List of deities}}
Types of deities often found in polytheism may include
*[[Creator deity]]
*[[Culture hero]]
*[[Death deity]] ([[chthonic]])
*[[Life-death-rebirth deity]]
*[[List of love and lust deities|Love goddess]]
*[[Mother goddess]]
*Political deity (such as a king or emperor)
*[[Sky deity]] ([[heaven|celestial]])
*[[Solar deity]]
*[[Trickster|Trickster deity]]
*[[Water deity]]
*Gods of music, arts, science, farming or other endeavors.

==Mythology and religion==
{{Main|Mythology and religion}}
In the Classical era, [[Sallustius]] (4th century CE) categorised mythology into five types:

#Theological
#Physical
#Psychological
#Material
#Mixed

The theological are those myths which use no bodily form but contemplate the very essence of the gods: e.g., [[Cronus|Kronos]] swallowing his children. Since divinity is intellectual, and all intellect returns into itself, this myth expresses in allegory the essence of divinity.

Myths may be regarded physically when they express the activities of gods in the world.

The psychological way is to regard (myths as allegories of) the activities of the soul itself and or the soul's acts of thought.

The material is to regard material objects to actually be gods, for example: to call the earth Gaia, ocean Okeanos, or heat Typhon.

The mixed kind of myth may be seen in many instances: for example they say that in a banquet of the gods, [[Eris (mythology)|Eris]] threw down a [[golden apple]]; the goddesses contended for it, and were sent by [[Zeus]] to [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]] to be judged. Paris saw [[Aphrodite]] to be beautiful and gave her the apple. Here the banquet signifies the hypercosmic powers of the gods; that is why they are all together. The golden apple is the world, which being formed out of opposites, is naturally said to be "thrown by Eris" (or Discord). The different gods bestow different gifts upon the world, and are thus said to 'contend for the apple'. And the soul which lives according to sense – for that is what Paris is – not seeing the other powers in the world but only beauty, declares that the apple belongs to [[Aphrodite]].

==Historical polytheism==
Some well-known historical polytheistic pantheons include the [[Mesopotamian mythology|Sumerian]] gods and the [[Egyptian mythology|Egyptian]] gods, and the classical-attested pantheon which includes the [[ancient Greek religion]] and [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]]. Post-classical polytheistic religions include [[Norse mythology|Norse]] Æsir and Vanir, the [[Yoruba mythology|Yoruba]] Orisha, the [[Aztec mythology|Aztec]] gods, and many others. Today, most historical polytheistic religions are pejoratively referred to as "mythology",{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} though the stories cultures tell about their gods should be distinguished from their worship or religious practice. For instance deities portrayed in conflict in mythology would still be worshipped sometimes in the same temple side by side, illustrating the distinction in the devotees mind between the myth and the reality. It is speculated{{by whom|date=May 2012}} that there was once a [[Proto-Indo-European religion]], from which the religions of the various [[Proto-Indo-Europeans|Indo-European peoples]] derive, and that this religion was an essentially naturalist numenistic religion. An example of a religious notion from this shared past is the concept of ''[[Dyeus|*dyēus]]'', which is attested in several distinct religious systems.

In many civilizations, pantheons tended to grow over time. Deities first worshipped as the patrons of cities or places came to be collected together as empires extended over larger territories. Conquests could lead to the subordination of the elder culture's pantheon to a newer one, as in the Greek [[Titanomachia]], and possibly also the case of the [[Æsir]] and [[Vanir]] in the [[Norse mythology|Norse mythos]]. Cultural exchange could lead to "the same" deity being renowned in two places under different names, as with the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, and also to the introduction of elements of a "foreign" religion into a local cult, as with Egyptian [[Osiris]] worship brought to [[ancient Greece]].

Most ancient belief systems held that gods influenced human lives. However, the Greek philosopher [[Epicurus]] held that the gods were living, incorruptible, blissful beings who did not trouble themselves with the affairs of mortals, but who could be perceived by the mind, especially during sleep. Epicurus believed that these gods were material, human-like, and that they inhabited the empty spaces between worlds.

[[Hellenistic religion]] may still be regarded as polytheistic, but with strong monistic components, and monotheism finally emerges from Hellenistic traditions in [[Late Antiquity]] in the form of [[Neoplatonism]] and [[Christian theology]].

;[[Neolithic|Neolithic Era]]
*[[Serer religion]]<ref name="Serer religion"/>

;[[Bronze Age]] to [[Classical antiquity|Classical Antiquity]]
*[[Religions of the Ancient Near East]]
**[[Ancient Egyptian religion]]
**[[Ancient Semitic religion]]
*[[Historical Vedic religion]]
*[[Ancient Greek religion]]
*[[Ancient Roman religion]]
*[[Celtic polytheism]]

;[[Late Antiquity]] to [[High Middle Ages]]
*[[Germanic paganism]]
*[[Slavic paganism]]
*[[Baltic paganism]]
*[[Finnish paganism]]

===Ancient Greece===
{{Main|Religion in ancient Greece}}

The classical scheme in Ancient Greece of the [[Twelve Olympians]] (the Canonical Twelve of art and poetry) were:<ref name="EnAm1993">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Greek mythology |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Americana]] |year=1993 |volume=13 |page=431}}</ref><ref name="EnPLB2007">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Dodekatheon |trans_title=Twelve Olympians |encyclopedia=[[Papyrus Larousse Britannica]] |year=2007 |language=Greek}}</ref> [[Zeus]], [[Hera]], [[Poseidon]], [[Athena]], [[Ares]], [[Demeter]], [[Apollo]], [[Artemis]], [[Hephaestus]], [[Aphrodite]], [[Hermes]], and [[Hestia]].  Though it is suggested that Hestia stepped down when [[Dionysus]] was invited to [[Mount Olympus]], this is a matter of controversy.  Robert Graves' ''The Greek Myths'' cites two sources<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+3.5.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+2.31.2&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160}}</ref> that obviously do not suggest Hestia surrendered her seat, though he suggests she did.  [[Hades]]<ref name="EnAm1919">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Encyclopedia Americana Vol. 13 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PWYMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA408 |vol=13 |year=1919 |editor=George Edward Rines |publisher=Americana Corp |pages=408–411}}</ref> was often excluded because he dwelt in the underworld.  All of the gods had a power. There was, however, a great deal of fluidity as to whom was counted among their number in antiquity.<ref name="Stoll1852">{{Cite book|author=Stoll, Heinrich Wilhelm (R.B. Paul trans.) |title=Handbook of the religion and mythology of the Greeks |publisher=Francis and John Rivington |year=1852 |page=8 |quote=The limitation [of the number of Olympians] to twelve seems to have been a comparatively modern idea}}</ref> Different cities often worshipped the same deities, sometimes with [[epithet]]s that distinguished them and specified their local nature.

The [[Religion in Ancient Greece|Hellenic Polytheism]] extended beyond mainland Greece, to the islands and coasts of [[Ionia]] in [[Asia Minor]], to [[Magna Graecia]] (Sicily and southern Italy), and to scattered Greek colonies in the Western Mediterranean, such as [[Massalia]] (Marseille). Greek religion tempered [[Etruscan mythology|Etruscan cult and belief]] to form much of the later [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]].

==Folk religion==
{{Main|Folk religion}}
{{Further|Saint|Angel|Folk Catholicism|Shamanism}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2010}}
The [[animism|animistic]] nature of folk beliefs is an anthropological [[cultural universal]]. The belief in [[ghost]]s and [[spirit]]s animating the natural world and the practice of [[ancestor worship]] is universally present in the world's cultures and re-emerges in monotheistic or materialistic societies as "[[superstition]]", belief in [[demon]]s, [[tutelary saint]]s, [[fairies]] or [[UFOs|extraterrestrials]].

The presence of a full polytheistic religion, complete with a ritual cult conducted by a priestly caste, requires a higher level of organization and is not present in every culture. In Eurasia, the [[Kalasha (religion)|Kalash]] are one of very few instances of surviving polytheism. Also, a large number of polytheistic folk traditions are subsumed in contemporary [[Hinduism]], although Hinduism is doctrinally dominated by monist or monotheist theology ([[Bhakti]], [[Advaita]]). Historical Vedic polytheist ritualism survives as a minor current in Hinduism, known as [[Shrauta]]. More widespread is [[folk Hinduism]], with rituals dedicated to various local or regional deities.

==Contemporary world religions==

===Buddhism and Shinto===
{{further2|[[God in Buddhism]], [[Deva (Buddhism)#Devas vs. gods|Devas vs. Gods]], and [[Nontheism#Buddhism|Nontheism in Buddhism]]}}

In [[Buddhism]], there are higher beings commonly designed (or designated) as gods, [[Deva (Buddhism)|Devas]]; however, Buddhism, at its core (the original Pali canon), does not teach the notion of praying nor worship to the Devas or any god(s).

However, in Buddhism, the core leader 'Buddha', who pioneered the path to enlightenment is not worshiped in meditation, but simply reflected upon. Statues or images of the Buddha (Buddharupas) are worshiped in front of to reflect and contemplate on qualities that the particular position of that rupa represents. In Buddhism, there is no creator and the Buddha rejected the idea that a permanent, personal, fixed, omniscient deity can exist, linking into the core concept of impermanence (anicca).

Devas, in general, are beings who have had more positive [[karma]] in their [[Reincarnation|past lives]] than humans. Their lifespan eventually ends. When their lives end, they will be reborn as devas or as other beings. When they accumulate negative karma, they are reborn as either human or any of the other lower beings. Humans and other beings could also be reborn as a deva in their next [[Rebirth (Buddhism)|rebirth]], if they accumulate enough positive [[Karma in Buddhism|karma]]; however, it is not recommended.<!--By whom? POV?-->

Buddhism flourished in different countries, and some of those countries have polytheistic [[folk religion]]s. Buddhism [[syncretism|syncretizes]] easily with other religions. Thus, Buddhism has mixed with the folk religions and emerged in polytheistic variants as well as nontheistic variants. For example, in [[Japan]], Buddhism, mixed with [[Shinto]], which worships deities called [[kami]], created a tradition which prays to the deities of Shinto as a form of Buddha. Thus, there may be elements of worship of gods in some forms of later Buddhism.

The concepts of [[Adi-Buddha]] and [[Dharmakaya]] are the closest to monotheism any form of Buddhism comes. All famous sages and Bodhisattvas being considered as reflections of it.
Adi-Buddha is not said to be the creator, but the originator of all things, being a deity in an Emanationist sense.

===Christianity===
{{off-topic|Trinity|Nontrinitarianism|date=May 2013}}{{Attributes of God}}
Historically, most Christian churches have taught that the nature of God is a ''[[Sacred mysteries|mystery]]'', in the original, technical meaning; something that must be revealed by [[special revelation]] rather than deduced through [[general revelation]]. Among [[early Christians]] there was considerable debate over the nature of [[Godhead (Christianity)|Godhead]], with some factions arguing for the deity of Jesus and others calling for an [[Arianism|Arian]] conception of God. These issues of [[Christology]] were to form one of the main subjects of contention at the [[First Council of Nicaea]].

The First Council of Nicaea, held in [[Nicaea]] in [[Bithynia]] (in present-day [[Turkey]]), convoked by the [[Roman Emperors|Roman Emperor]] [[Constantine I (emperor)|Constantine I]] in 325, was the first (or second, if one counts the apostolic [[Council of Jerusalem]]) [[ecumenical council|ecumenical]]<ref>''Ecumenical'', from [[Koine Greek]] [[Oikoumene|oikoumenikos]], literally meaning worldwide but generally assumed to be limited to the Roman Empire as in Augustus's claim to be ruler of the ''oikoumene'' (world); the earliest extant uses of the term for a council are in Eusebius's ''Life of Constantine'' 3.6 [http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/books/eusebius/vc/gr/index.htm] around 338 "{{lang|grc|σύνοδον οἰκουμενικὴν συνεκρότει}}" (he convoked an Ecumenical council), Athanasius's Ad Afros Epistola Synodica in 369 [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2819.htm], and the Letter in 382 to [[Pope Damasus I]] and the Latin bishops from the [[First Council of Constantinople]][http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-14/Npnf2-14-63.htm#TopOfPage]</ref> council of [[bishop]]s of the [[Roman Empire]], and most significantly resulted in the first uniform Christian [[doctrine]], called the [[Nicene Creed]]. With the creation of the creed, a precedent was established for subsequent 'general ([[ecumenical]]) councils of bishops' ([[synod]]s) to create statements of belief and [[Canon law|canons]] of doctrinal [[orthodoxy]]&mdash; the intent being to define unity of beliefs for the [[State church of the Roman Empire]] and eradicate [[heresy|heretical]] ideas.

The purpose of the council was to resolve disagreements in the [[Early centers of Christianity#Alexandria|Church of Alexandria]] over the nature of [[Jesus]] in relationship to the Father; in particular, whether Jesus was of the [[Homoousia|same substance]] as [[God the Father]] or merely of [[Homoiousia|similar substance]]. [[St. Alexander of Alexandria]] and [[Athanasius]] took the first position; the popular [[presbyter]] [[Arius]], from whom the term [[Arianism|Arian controversy]] comes, took the second. The council decided against the Arians overwhelmingly. (Of the estimated 250-318 attendees, all but 2 [[voting|voted]] against Arius).

Christian orthodox traditions (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical) follow this decision, which was codified in 381 and reached its full development through the work of the [[Cappadocian Fathers]]. They consider God to be a triune entity, called the [[Trinity]], comprising the three "Persons" [[God the Father]], [[God the Son]], and [[God the Holy Spirit]], the three of this unity are described as being "of the same substance" ({{lang|grc|[[Homoousian|ὁμοούσιος]]}}). The true nature of an infinite God, however, is asserted to be beyond definition, and "the word 'person' is but an imperfect expression of the idea, and is not biblical. In common parlance it denotes a separate rational and moral individual, possessed of self-consciousness, and conscious of his identity amid all changes. Experience teaches that where you have a person, you also have a distinct individual essence. Every person is a distinct and separate individual, in whom human nature is individualized. But in God there are no three individuals alongside of, and separate from, one another, but only personal self distinctions within the divine essence, which is not only generically, but also numerically, one."<ref>Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, page 87</ref>

Some critics, especially among [[Jews]] and [[Muslims]],{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} contend that because of the adoption of a Triune conception of deity, Christianity is actually a form of [[Tritheism]] or Polytheism, for example see [[Shituf]]. This concept dates from the teachings of the Alexandrian Church, which claimed that Jesus, having appeared later in the Bible than his "Father," had to be a secondary, lesser, and therefore "distinct" God. This controversy led to the convention of the [[First Council of Nicaea|Nicaean council]] in 325 CE. Christians overwhelmingly assert that monotheism is central to the Christian faith, as the Nicene Creed (and others), which gives the orthodox Christian definition of the Trinity, begins: "I believe in one God".

Some Christians reject mainstream trinitarian theology; such as the [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Mormonism]], the [[Unitarianism|Unitarians]], [[Christadelphians]], [[Church of God General Conference]], [[Socinian]]; and some elements of [[Anabaptist|Anabaptism]] do not teach the doctrine of the Trinity at all. In addition [[Oneness Pentecostal]]s reject the creedal formulation of the Trinity, that there are three distinct and eternal persons in one being, instead believing that there is one God, a singular spirit who manifests himself in many different ways, including as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.{{citation needed|date=September 2010}}

[[Deism]] is a [[philosophy of religion]] which arose in the Christian tradition during the Early Modern period. It postulates that there is a God who however does not intervene in human affairs. Alvin J. Schmidt argues that since the 1700s, expressions of [[Civil Religion]] in the United States have shifted from a deistic to a polytheistic stance.<ref>[http://www.cph.org/pdf/124257.pdf Polytheism: The New Face of American Civil Religion]</ref>

[[Unitarianism]] is a Christological doctrine in contrast with Trinitarian Christianity, postulating that Jesus was a completely human [[messiah]].<ref>''[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm The dogma of the Trinity]'' at 'Catholic Encyclopedia', ed. Kevin Knight at New Advent website</ref>

[[Jordan Paper]], a Western scholar who calls himself polytheistic, considers polytheism to be the normal state in human culture. Even the Catholic Church shows polytheistic aspects with the worshipping of the saints. On the other hand, he complains, monotheistic missionaries and scholars were eager to see a proto-monotheism or at least henotheism in polytheistic religions, for example, when taking from the Chinese pair of Sky and Earth only one part and call it the ''King of Heaven'', as [[Matteo Ricci]] did.<ref>Jordan Paper: The Deities are Many. A Polytheistic Theology. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005, pp. 112 and 133.</ref>

===Hinduism===
{{Further|Hindu views on monotheism}}
Hinduism is a far from monolithic religion: many extremely varied religious traditions and practices are grouped together under this umbrella term and some modern scholars have questioned the legitimacy of unifying them artificially and suggest that one should speak of "hinduisms" in the plural.<ref>Smith, Brian. "Hinduism." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. 2005. Retrieved May 22, 2013 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3424300342.html</ref> Theistic [[Hinduism]] encompasses both monotheistic and polytheistic tendencies and variations on or mixes of both structures.

Hindus venerate deities in the form of  the [[Murti]], an icon. The Puja (worship) of the Murti is like a way to communicate with the formless, abstract divinity ([[Brahman]] in Hinduism) which creates, sustains and dissolves creation. {{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

Some Hindu philosophers and theologians argue for a transcendent metaphysical structure with a single divine essence.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} This divine essence is usually referred to as [[Brahman]] or [[Ātman (Hinduism)|Atman]], but the understanding of the nature of this absolute divine essence is the line which defines many Hindu philosophical traditions such as [[Vedanta]].

Among lay Hindus, some believe in different deities emanating from Brahman, while others practice more traditional polytheism and henotheism, focusing their worship on one or more personal deities, while granting the existence of others.

Academically speaking, the ancient Vedic scriptures, upon which Hinduism is derived, describe four authorized disciplic lines of teaching coming down over thousands of years. (Padma Purana).  Four of them propound that the Absolute Truth is Fully Personal, as in Judeo-Christian theology. That the Primal Original God is Personal, both transcendent and immanent throughout creation. He can be, and is often approached through worship of Murtis, called "Archa-Vigraha", which are described in the Vedas as likenesses of His various dynamic, spiritual Forms. This is the Vaisnava theology.

The fifth disciplic line of Vedic spirituality, founded by Shankaracharya,  promotes the concept that the Absolute is Brahman, without clear differentiations, without will, without thought, without intelligence.

In the [[Smarta]] denomination of Hinduism, the philosophy of [[Advaita]] expounded by [[Adi Shankara|Shankara]] allows veneration of numerous deities {{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} with the understanding that all of them are but manifestations of one impersonal divine power, [[Brahman]]. Therefore, according to various schools of Vedanta including Shankara, which is the most influential and important Hindu theological tradition, there are a great number of deities in Hinduism, such as [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva]], [[Ganesha]], [[Hanuman]], [[Lakshmi]], and [[Kali]],  but they are essentially different forms of the same "Being".{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} However, many Vedantic philosophers also argue that all individuals were united by the same impersonal, divine power in the form of the [[Ātman (Hinduism)|Atman]].

Many other Hindus, however, view polytheism as far preferable to monotheism.  [[Ram Swarup]], for example, points to the [[Vedas]] as being specifically polytheistic,<ref>{{cite book|last=Goel|first=Sita Ram|title=Defence of Hindu Society|year=1987|publisher=Voice of India|location=New Delhi, India|url=http://voi.org/books/hindusoc/ch5.htm|quote="In the Vedic approach, there is no single God. This is bad enough. But the Hindus do not have even a supreme God, a fuhrer-God who presides over a multiplicity of Gods." -- Ram Swarup}}</ref> and states that, "only some form of polytheism alone can do justice to this variety and richness."<ref>{{cite book|last=Goel|first=Sita Ram|title=Defence of Hindu Society|year=1987|publisher=Voice of India|location=New Delhi, India|url=http://voi.org/books/hindusoc/ch5.htm}}</ref> [[Sita Ram Goel]], another 20th-century Hindu historian, wrote:

{{quotation|"I had an occasion to read the typescript of a book [Ram Swarup] had finished writing in 1973. It was a profound study of Monotheism, the central dogma of both Islam and Christianity, as well as a powerful presentation of what the monotheists denounce as Hindu Polytheism. I had never read anything like it. It was a revelation to me that Monotheism was not a religious concept but an imperialist idea. I must confess that I myself had been inclined towards Monotheism till this time. I had never thought that a multiplicity of Gods was the natural and spontaneous expression of an evolved consciousness."<ref>{{cite book|last=Goel|first=Sita Ram|title=How I became a Hindu|year=1982|publisher=Voice of India|location=New Delhi, India|page=92}}</ref>}}

Some Hindus construe this notion of polytheism in the sense of polymorphism—one God with many forms or names. The [[Rig Veda]], the primary Hindu scripture, elucidates this as follows:
<blockquote><p>
They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutman. ''To what is One'', sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan. '''Book I, Hymn 164, Verse 46 Rigveda''' <ref>{{cite web|title=RigVeda|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv01164.htm|work=The Sacred Books|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> 
</blockquote>

===Serer religion===
{{main|Serer religion|Timeline of Serer history|States headed by ancient Serer Lamanes}}
In [[Africa]], polytheism in [[Serer religion]] dates as far back to the [[Neolithic|Neolithic Era]] (possibly earlier) when the [[Timeline of Serer history|ancient ancestors of the Serer people]] represented their ''[[Pangool]]'' on the [[Tassili n'Ajjer]].<ref name="Serer religion">{{fr icon}} [[Henry Gravrand|Gravrand, Henry]], ''"La civilisation Sereer'' - ''Pangool"'',  Les Nouvelles Editions Africaines du Senegal, (1990), ISBN 2-7236-1055-1. pp 9, 20, 77</ref>  The supreme creator deity in Serer religion is [[Roog]]. However, there are [[Serer religion#Beliefs|many deities]]<ref name="Serer deities">{{en icon}} Kellog, Day Otis, and Smith, William Robertson, "The Encyclopædia Britannica: latest edition. A dictionary of arts, sciences and general literature", Volume 25, p 64, Werner (1902)</ref> and [[Pangool]] (singular : ''Fangool'', the interceders with the divine) in Serer religion.<ref name="Serer religion"/>  Each one has its own purpose and serves as Roog's agent on Earth.<ref name="Serer deities"/> Amongst the [[Cangin languages|Cangin speakers]], a sub-group of the [[Serer people|Serers]], Roog is known as [[Koox]].<ref>{{fr icon}} Ndiaye, Ousmane Sémou, "Diversité et unicité sérères : l’exemple de la région de Thiès", Éthiopiques, no. 54, vol. 7, 2e semestre 1991 [http://ethiopiques.refer.sn/spip.php?page=imprimer-article&id_article=1253]</ref>

==Neopaganism==
{{Refimprove section|date=June 2010}}{{Original research|section|date=September 2008}}
{{Further|Theology|Pantheon (gods)|Euhemerism|Interpretatio graeca|Demigod|Apotheosis}}
"Hard" polytheism is the belief that gods are distinct, separate, real divine beings not psychological [[archetypes]] or personifications of natural forces. Hard polytheists reject the idea that "all gods are one god."  "Hard" polytheists do not necessarily consider the gods of all cultures as being equally real, a theological position formally known as integrational polytheism or [[omnitheism]].

This is contrasted with "Soft" polytheism, which holds that gods may be aspects of only one god, psychological [[archetypes]] or personifications of natural forces.

''Soft Polytheism'' is prevalent in [[New Age]] and [[syncretism|syncretic]] currents of Neopaganism, as are  [[Psychologism|psychological]] interpretations of deities as [[archetypes]] of the human psyche. [[English people|English]] [[occultist]] [[Dion Fortune]] was a major populiser of soft polytheism. In her novel, ''[[The Sea Priestess]]'', she wrote, "All gods are one god, and all goddesses are one goddess, and there is one initiator."<ref name="FortuneKnight2003">{{Cite book|last1=Fortune |first1=Dion |authorlink1=Dion Fortune |last2=Knight |first2=Gareth |title=The Sea Priestess |url= |date=30 June 2003 |publisher=Weiser |isbn=978-1-57863-290-9 |page=169 |quote=All gods are one god, and all goddesses are one goddess, and there is one initiator.}}</ref>  This phrase is very popular among some Neopagans (notably, [[Wiccans]]) and incorrectly often believed to be just a recent work of fiction.  However, Fortune indeed quoted from an ancient source, the Latin novel [[The Golden Ass]]  of [[Apuleius]]. Fortune's soft polytheist compromise between monotheism and polytheism has been described as "pantheism" (Greek: πάν ''pan'' 'all' and θεός ''theos'' 'god').{{Who|date=November 2007}} However, "[[Pantheism]]" has a longer history of usage to refer to a view of an all-encompassing immanent divine.

[[Neopaganism]] often blends polytheism with pantheism or panentheism.

===Wicca===
[[Wicca]] is a [[Duotheism|duotheistic]] faith created by Gerald Gardner that allows for polytheism.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gardner|first=Gerald|title=The Meaning of Witchcraft|year=1982|publisher=Llewellyn Pubns|isbn=0939708027|pages=165–166|url=}}</ref><ref name="Hutton 2003">{{cite book|last=Hutton|first=Ronald|title=The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft|year=2003|publisher=Oxford Paperbacks|isbn=0192854496|url=}}</ref><ref name="Lamond 2005">{{cite book|last=Lamond|first=Frederic|title=Fifty Years of Wicca|year=2005|publisher=Green Magic|isbn=0954723015|url=}}</ref> Wiccans specifically worship the Lord and Lady of the Isles (their names are oathbound).<ref name="Hutton 2003"/><ref name="Lamond 2005"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Bracelin|first=J|title=Gerald Gardner: Witch|year=1999|publisher=Pentacle Enterprises|isbn=1872189083|page=199|url=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Gardner|first=Gerald|title=The Meaning of Witchcraft|year=1982|publisher=Llewellyn Pubns|isbn=0939708027|pages=260–261|url=}}</ref> It is an orthopraxic mystery religion that requires initiation to the priesthood in order to consider oneself Wiccan.<ref name="Hutton 2003"/><ref name="Lamond 2005"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Gardner|first=Gerald|title=The Meaning of Witchcraft|year=1982|publisher=Llewellyn Pubns|isbn=0939708027|pages=21–22, 28–29, 69, 116|url=}}</ref> Wicca emphasizes duality and the cycle of nature.<ref name="Hutton 2003"/><ref name="Lamond 2005"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Gardner|first=Gerald|title=The Meaning of Witchcraft|year=1982|publisher=Llewellyn Pubns|isbn=0939708027|url=}}</ref>

===Reconstructionism===

[[Polytheistic reconstructionism|Reconstructionists]] are Neopagans who apply scholarly disciplines such as [[history]], [[etymology]], [[archaeology]], [[linguistics]] and others to a traditional religion that has been destroyed such as [[Norse Paganism]], [[Greek Paganism]], [[Celtic paganism]] and others. After researching his or her path a reconstructionist or "recon" for short will apply the customs, morals and worldview to the modern day. Although many describe themselves as "hard" polytheists, others claim that this is not the only historically accurate polytheist theology.<ref>Drew Jacob, [http://celtic-polytheism.tumblr.com/post/39759597150/polytheism-is-theology-inclusive] "Polytheism is Theology-Inclusive," Celtic Polytheism (2013)</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Mythology}}
*[[Apotheosis]]
*[[Henotheism]]
*[[Judgement of Paris]]
*[[Monotheism]]
*[[Mythology]]
*[[Paganism]]
*[[Pantheism]]
*[[Polytheistic reconstructionism]]
*[[Shirk (polytheism)]]
*[[Theism]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
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==Further reading==
*Assmann, Jan, 'Monotheism and Polytheism' in: Sarah Iles Johnston (ed.), ''Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide'',  Harvard University Press (2004), ISBN 0-674-01517-7, pp.&nbsp;17&ndash;31.
*[[Walter Burkert|Burkert, Walter]], ''Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical'', Blackwell (1985), ISBN 0-631-15624-0. <!-- esp. ch. V, pp. 216&ndash;275-->
* Greer, John Michael; ''A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry Into Polytheism'', ADF Publishing (2005), ISBN 0-9765681-0-1
* Iles Johnston, Sarah; ''Ancient Religions'', Belknap Press (September 15, 2007), ISBN 0-674-02548-2
* Marbaniang, Domenic [http://books.google.co.in/books?id=fL-dAqxShiwC&pg=PP1&dq=Epistemics+of+Divine+Reality ''Epistemics of Divine Reality'' Google Books] (See Chapter 3 Empirical Epistemics of Divine Reality for philosophical analysis of polytheism)
* Paper, Jordan; ''The Deities are Many: A Polytheistic Theology'', State University of New York Press (March 3, 2005), ISBN 978-0-7914-6387-1
*Penchansky, David, ''Twilight of the Gods: Polytheism in the Hebrew Bible'' (2005), ISBN 0-664-22885-2.

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* [http://www.manygods.org.uk/ The Association of Polytheist Traditions] - APT, a UK-based community of Polytheists.
* [http://www.monochrom.at/polytheism International Year Of Polytheism] Philosophical project promoting polytheism by group [[monochrom]]
* [http://www.polytheism.org.uk/wordpress/ Integrational Polytheism]

{{Theism}}
{{Paganism}}
{{Philosophy topics}}
{{Philosophy of religion}}
{{Theology}}

[[Category:Polytheism| ]]