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Paper Short Abstract:

In contemporary Paganism in Hungary, a widespread movement aimed at reviving pre-Christian beliefs and practices, elements of children’s worlds such as folk tales, songs and rhymes are important sources of inspiration in the construction of religious knowledge. However, children do not seem to be key participants in the ritual activities of practitioners reconstructing shamanic practices where rituals and ritualized events are the main loci of transmission of religious knowledge for adults. Drawing on our ongoing ethnographic research on knowledge transmission in contemporary Paganism in Hungary, this presentation examines how transmission frameworks operate at the intersection of activities inspired by the institutional culture of childhood (school and leisure activities) and children’s experience and autonomous learning. We ask whether there are epistemologies of relatedness with existing beings specific to Pagan children.

Paper Abstract:

In contemporary Paganism in Hungary, a widespread movement aimed at reviving pre-Christian beliefs and practices, elements of children’s worlds such as folk tales, songs and rhymes are important sources of inspiration in the construction of religious knowledge. However, children do not seem to be key participants in the ritual activities of practitioners reconstructing shamanic practices, where most rituals are addressed to adults and may involve physically demanding elements (fasting, vigils). Accordingly, while most collective events are family-friendly, children’s participation in rituals is rather rare. They seem to remain on the periphery, helping with daily activities, playing around, coming and going, carrying out their own activities as in North American Paganism (Kermani 2013). If rituals and ritualized events are the main loci of transmission of religious knowledge for adults, how are children involved in learning about invisible beings?

Drawing on our ongoing ethnographic research on knowledge transmission in contemporary Paganism in Hungary, this presentation examines how transmission frameworks operate at the intersection of activities inspired by the institutional culture of childhood (school and leisure activities) and children’s experience and autonomous learning. Assuming that children engage with Pagan representations through objects that adults encourage them to make and/or use (such as amulets, mandalas or drums), and through comparison with contexts where children groups are not under adult supervision, we explore what components of their environment children endow with a meaning that meets or challenges adults’ representations. We ask whether there are epistemologies of relatedness with existing beings specific to Pagan children.