Yentl Schattevoet

In this article it is argued that the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ is more useful for understanding the relationships that Dutch contemporary Pagans have with nature than conventional terms used within Religious Studies, because the concept does not assume a distinction between physical reality and the spiritual world. Based on in-depth interviews with Dutch Pagans, eight refinements of the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ are developed within the context of contemporary Paganism, namely 1) that other-than-human persons are immanent in nature; 2) that other-than-human persons suggest a polytheistic worldview; 3) that other-than-human persons can be better understood in the light of ‘nature,’ ‘energy,’ ‘(nature) spirits’ and ‘deity;’ 4) that all persons consist of energy which suggests interconnectedness; 5) that other-than-human persons can be experienced through intuitive feelings; 6) that other-than-human persons can be experienced during rituals, although this is not a prerequisite; 7) that other-than-human persons guide human persons towards the common goal of living environmentally friendly so that life can flourish; and 8) that other-than-human persons and human persons are in a reciprocal relationship of mutual respect or mutual gratefulness. It is concluded that, for the Dutch Pagan respondents, nature is sacred due to the immanence of other-than-human persons. The relationship between Pagans and other-than-human persons is based on mutual respect, whereby honouring other-than-human persons is exchanged for their guidance, which is the legitimisation for living an environmentally friendly life.

In this article, the religious views of Steve Sic and Jenny Evans van der Harten (together called Stenny) of the Dutch Neo-Celtic Pagan Folk band Omnia are examined as a casestudy on contemporary Paganism in the Netherlands. By qualitatively analysing a wide range of multimedia sources published by Stenny, light is shed on what it means to self-define as a Pagan.

Item does not contain fulltextIn this article, the religious views of Steve Sic and Jenny Evans van der Harten (together called Stenny) of the Dutch Neo-Celtic Pagan Folk band Omnia are examined as a casestudy of contemporary Paganism in the Netherlands. By qualitatively analysing a wide range of multimedia sources published by Stenny, light is shed on what it means to self-define as a Pagan

Item does not contain fulltextIn this article, the religious views of Steve Sic and Jenny Evans van der Harten (together called Stenny) of the Dutch Neo-Celtic Pagan Folk band Omnia are examined as a casestudy of contemporary Paganism in the Netherlands. By qualitatively analysing a wide range of multimedia sources published by Stenny, light is shed on what it means to self-define as a Pagan

In this article it is argued that the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ is more useful for understanding the relationships that Dutch contemporary Pagans have with nature than conventional terms used within Religious Studies, because the concept does not assume a distinction between physical reality and the spiritual world. Based on in-depth interviews with Dutch Pagans, eight refinements of the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ are developed within the context of contemporary Paganism, namely 1) that other-than-human persons are immanent in nature; 2) that other-than-human persons suggest a polytheistic worldview; 3) that other-than-human persons can be better understood in the light of ‘nature,’ ‘energy,’ ‘(nature) spirits’ and ‘deity;’ 4) that all persons consist of energy which suggests interconnectedness; 5) that other-than-human persons can be experienced through intuitive feelings; 6) that other-than-human persons can be experienced during rituals, although this is not a prerequisite; 7) that other-than-human persons guide human persons towards the common goal of living environmentally friendly so that life can flourish; and 8) that other-than-human persons and human persons are in a reciprocal relationship of mutual respect or mutual gratefulness. It is concluded that, for the Dutch Pagan respondents, nature is sacred due to the immanence of other-than-human persons. The relationship between Pagans and other-than-human persons is based on mutual respect, whereby honouring other-than-human persons is exchanged for their guidance, which is the legitimisation for living an environmentally friendly life.

My guest blog for Keltfacts, the blog series of Keltfest, a major Celtic festival in the Netherlands. In my article, I tell more about the Scottish bagpipes, how the instrument works, Scottish bagpipe music, and pipe band life. I also provide a history of the bagpipes, and I shed light on the commonly asked question: "Why do we associate the bagpipes with the Celts?" The aim of the blog post is to give a general introduction to the Great Highland Bagpipes for a broad audience interested in Celtic culture.
- Dutch version: https://keltfest.nl/nl/blog/keltfacts-doedelzak
- English version: https://keltfest.nl/en/blog/keltfacts-doedelzak

In the public mind, the Inquisition is seen as a dark chapter of history, and it has been an inspiration for many artists. In the movie Goya’s Ghosts, director Miloš Forman (1932-2018) portrays it as a terrifying totalitarian system. Set in Madrid in the year 1792, the viewer is introduced to the turbulent times when the Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834) clashed with the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. We see the Holy Office of the Inquisition having a heated discussion about a series of satirical etches titled Los Caprichos (The Caprices, 1799). It was the famous Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco Goya (1746-1828) who created the etches to express his critique on what he saw as the madness of Spanish society, including the Inquisition.
Full text: https://www.ru.nl/theology/society/imagining-the-inquisition/inquisition-film/goya-ghosts/

Abstract:

Gaining insight into the relationships that Dutch Pagans have with ‘other-than-human persons’ is the aim of this thesis whereby advocating for, and refining the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ are central. In the first chapter, I argue that the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ is more adequate for understanding contemporary Paganism than conventional terms, because, in accordance with a Pagan worldview, the former does not assume a distinction between material and spiritual beings or worlds. I summarise the status quaestionis of research on Paganism in the Netherlands in chapter two, whereby it is concluded that this research is scanty. Subsequently, the systematic analysis of seven interviews with Dutch solitary and eclectic Pagans is presented in chapter three, discussing the notion of ‘freedom’ and using the categories ‘nature,’ ‘energy,’ ‘(nature) spirits’ and ‘deity’ as subdivisions for understanding the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ in the context of contemporary Paganism in the Netherlands. These categories have emerged from the data. Chapter four is a synthesis of both the literature studies presented in chapters one and two, and the qualitative study in chapter three, whereby first the use of concepts is discussed and then the religious views, practices and experiences of Pagans with other-than-human persons. The refinements of the concept ‘other-than-human persons’ based on the interviews with seven Dutch Pagans are 1) that other-than-human persons are immanent in nature; 2) that other-than-human persons suggest a polytheistic worldview; 3) that other-than-human persons can be better understood in the light of ‘nature,’ ‘energy,’ ‘(nature) spirits’ and ‘deity;’ 4) that other-than-human persons and human persons consist of energy which suggests interconnectedness; 5) that other-than-human persons can be experienced through feelings; 6) that other-than-human persons can be experienced in ritual, though this is not a prerequisite; 7) that other-than-human persons guide human persons towards the common goal of living environmentally friendly so that life can flourish; and 8) that other-than-human persons and human persons are in a relationship of mutual respect or mutual gratefulness. In conclusion, I argue that, for my Dutch Pagan respondents, nature is sacred due to the immanence of other-than-human persons, whereby respectful relationships with other-than-human persons are maintained which function as legitimisation for an environmentally conscious lifestyle.