Jenny and Erin

Two weeks ago we started a series, Exploring Pagan America, with the intent of a tongue-in-cheek exploration of pagan practices and beliefs in the United States. It would be really easy to focus solely on the garnish animal statues that dot rural America’s highways (and trust me we will) and write them off as funny tourist attractions, rather than outpourings of faith. This quick dismissal will become harder once you begin to observe undercurrents of American’s pagan spirituality popping up in unexpected places and see how closely linked they are to Europe’s pre-Christian beliefs. Well, we’ve got to start somewhere, so…

The small, rural town of Olivia, Minnesota has an economy largely built on agriculture and is home to an ear of corn. Well, not just any old ear of corn. While not as imposing as the “world’s largest Holstein cow”, the “world’s largest ear of corn” does have the distinction of being located in an elevated position in town, as well as the honor of an annual festival celebrating the corn harvest (and some might say it).

Both people native to the Americas and our immigrant ancestors from the “old” country had deep beliefs rooted in an earth-based spirituality tied to the vegetative cycles. A successful harvest was cause for celebratory worship to the local gods, such as the Aztec goddess Chicomecoatl who was know as the goddess of corn and fertility. Or the New Year celebration of the Seminole Indians – so important was the corn that their new year did not begin until the first harvest and a shared feast in June. Corn goddesses are represented in the major pre-Christian religions found in Europe – ranging from Sif, the Nordic beauty, a goddess of corn and crops who sported long hair the color of corn and bright blue eyes (a hottie even by today’s standards!) or Cerridwen, a Celtic corn and fertility goddess.

Olivia, home of the aforementioned “world’s largest ear of corn”, was founded by immigrants linked to the pre-Christian beliefs in Europe. Every summer the town hosts a celebration called Corn Capital Days in true pagan fashion. Held over three days in July the festival features a rated PG theme – fun for the whole family. All of this fun isn’t limited to Olivia – no - indeed there are tons of cities and towns across America that have annual corn festivals. Here are some others you should be sure not to miss!

• Mendota Sweet Corn Festival (Marion, Ohio)
• Millersport Lions Sweet Corn Festival (Millersport, Ohio)
• Olathe Sweet Corn Festival (Colorado)
• Shippensburg Corn Festival (Pennsylvania)
• West Point Sweet Corn Festival (Iowa)

So, as I sit back in my chair pondering the abundance of statues (of cows, corn, fish, and deer to name just a few) found across America. After barely scratching the surface I see signs that seem to indicate how interwoven these “symbols” are to the lives and economy of the people who live there, such as annual corn festivals, the big-build up to hunting season, the dependence of rural communities on the cow. Can you blame me for wondering if it is possible to be a practicing pagan and not even know it?

Related Posts:
Exploring Pagan America
Pagan America category

Is it possible to be a practicing pagan and not even know it? Can you be a religious Catholic or Lutheran and still worship the gods of your ancestors? Could your immigrant ancestors have done such a great job hiding their worship from others that it was passed down without you, your parents or maybe even your grandparents being aware of the spiritual significance? Or are these outpourings of “faith” just part of our genetic make-up as human beings?

On first glance these questions seem absurd; but once you start traveling the United States, especially rural America, the doubts begin to creep in. Consider:

• A statue of corn erected in a rural Minnesota town whose economy is largely based on agriculture celebrates in true pagan fashion with a yearly summer festival called Corn Capital Days. Mythology and annual celebrations of corn are nothing new - they are embedded throughout the mythologies of the Americas and Europe - such Sif (the wife of Thor) who was a Nordic corn goddess - and continue all they way back to the ancient Egyptians;
• A massive statue of a cow atop a large hill in rural North Dakota farming country - with a population of second and third generation German-Russians and Norwegians - whose pre-Christian beliefs in the “old” country included the worship of a cow as part of their creation myth. This rural town hosts rodeos every summer at the base of the hill where the statue sits;
• The incredible popularity and staying power of the symbols of pagan worship in our culture, such as the abundance of cow merchandise available ranging from potholders to car seat covers. It’s hard to explain the popularity of Holstein cow car seat covers or salt and pepper shakers if not through their spiritual pull on the purchaser.

This series, Pagan America, will examine some of these statues, festivals and communities in a spirit of fun and adventure rather like archaeologists three hundred years from now trying to piece together a picture of religion in America.

Related Posts:
The World’s Largest Ear of Corn
Salem Sue, a Genesis Story
Pagan America category