GMC - Pagan Entertainment? What in the world does that mean?

Pagan Entertainment? What in the world does that mean?

by KuroKami

Despite the kowtowing to the Religious Reich that we commonly see in this day and age, there is a surprising amount of Pagan-oriented entertainment being released these days. Everything from movies such as the new release Serenity to television shows like both Stargate programs to the music of groups such as Emerald Rose and Brigit's Fire, to computer games such as Dark Age of Camelot and World of Warcraft.

Not Pagan, you say? Well, just look at the content.

The new movie Serenity carries the theme of supporting those around us, questioning authority, and of not sacrificing what you believe in in the name of safety. Of not accepting the "think like everyone else does" mentality that pervades much nonPagan thinking.

The Stargate television programs, developed from an idea suggested in the theatrical release Stargate, starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, and brought to us by the same folks who brought us Independence Day and Godzilla, introduce us to new and different civilizations. In some cases, we may not agree with what they do and think, but they show us that everyone is indeed different. The long running theme of the main show for many many years was the fight against and eventual defeat of the massive Goa'uld threat. The Goa'uld were snakelike alien parasites who would take over the bodies and minds of humanoids and force them to do their bidding.

The current storyline on Stargate SG-1 has a theme of religious fanatics forcing their beliefs on entire civilizations, and destroying those who will not acquiesce. The Ori (pronounced oar-eye) are a threat that at this point appear to be invincible, but, as those who watch the show know, the people beneath Cheyenne Mountain won't stop in their fight to remove this threat to the civilizations across the Stargate multiverse. This theme echoes on this planet of many people's fight to prevent one religion from overtaking the entire world, whatever that religion might be.

In the past couple seasons, a new program has emerged, Stargate: Atlantis, spun off from the original series, which takes us to an entirely new area of space which is threatened by the life-sucking Wraith, a humanoid species of (get this) insectoid origins!

And, of course, in the past, we have had programs such as Hercules, the Legendary Journeys, Xena, Warrior Princess, Roar, the multiple StarTrek series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Charmed and more. When some of these series have faced an ignominious end, fans have surged forward to demand they remain. Actions such as this have kept the StarTrek mythos alive and well.

Games like Mythic's Dark Age of Camelot, with its three realms, Albion, Midgard and Hibernia, goes everywhere from Arthurian myth to Norse mythology (and their Gods) to Celtic Paganism. You can play anything from an Avalonian to a Celt, Elf, Frostalf, Troll, the tree-like Sylvans, to great huge Firbolgs.

Dark Age of Camelot is one of the more enduring massively multi-user online role-playing games, having been around since October 2001, and about to release its sixth expansion, Darkness Rising. They have twice annual Camelot Roundtable gatherings, and in fact just had one in Las Vegas Nevada. Some 300 plus people attended, with nearly a third being women of all ages, from youngsters to seniors. Is there violence in this game? Yes, there is cross-realm fighting involved on most servers in the battleground zones, but, if you'd rather work cooperatively, there is even a server called Gaheris. Otherwise, the game can be played strictly on a Player versus Environment (PvE) basis, which can be just as rewarding as you complete quests and battle monsters to rise in status.

Blizzard's World of Warcraft, released in November 2004, is more realm versus realm on a constant basis, though, unless you reside on designated RvR servers, you're safe against other realm attack (unless you flag yourself otherwise).

Now the question arises. Is there a Pagan-oriented bit of entertainment upon which you'd like to expound? Is there a show in danger of cancellation upon which you'd like to get a letter writing campaign started? If there is, send us your article, and we'll post it here in our new Entertainment section.