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The earliest Greek philosophers focused their attention upon the origin and nature of the physical world; later philosophers have theorized about the nature of knowledge, truth, good and evil, love, friendship, and much more. Thus, philosophy involves a methodical assessment of any and all aspects of human existence and experience. The realms of philosophy and religion have sometimes intersected in conducting inquiries such as these. As with philosophy, the study of religion underscores how humankind has long speculated about its origins. The possibility of a higher being (or beings) to which livings things owe their existence has long captived human thought. Many religions also offer their own views on the nature of good and evil, and they may prescribe guidelines and judgment on different kinds of human behavior.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/95/180595-050-EDF2CA3A.jpg","altText":"Philosophy & Religion","fullUrl":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/95/180595-050-EDF2CA3A.jpg"}},{"id":9000,"title":"Politics, Law & Government","urlTitle":"Politics-Law-Government","description":"The world today is divided territorially into more than 190 countries, each of which possesses a national government that claims to exercise sovereignty and seeks to compel obedience to its will by its citizens. Governments can be classified in any number of ways. For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy). Governments can also be classified by mode of succession; for example, ascension to governmental leadership may follow the rules of hereditary succession, or it may be determined through elections or by force. Governments also vary in terms of the laws and rules of conduct that each political entity follows.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/22/99622-050-E70BCD0A/Parthenon-Athens.jpg","altText":"Politics, Law & Government","fullUrl":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/22/99622-050-E70BCD0A/Parthenon-Athens.jpg"}},{"id":1000,"title":"Science","urlTitle":"Science","description":"How can the sky be blue one day and stormy the next? Why do heavy objects tend to fall downwards when dropped? How are birds able to fly (and why can’t I do the same?)? Human beings have long been curious about the world in which we live, striving to identify connections among the phenomenons we witness and to understand how it all works. The field of science has developed over many centuries as a way of studying and understanding the world, beginning with the primitive stage of simply noting important regularities in nature and continuing through the rise of modern science. The modern-day sciences cover a vast range of fields, including biology, chemistry, meteorology, astronomy, physics, and much more.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg","altText":"Science","fullUrl":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg"}},{"id":4000,"title":"Sports & Recreation","urlTitle":"Sports-Recreation","description":"Physical contests and recreational games have long played a part in human society. In both team and solo sports, the human body has been pushed to its limits in the name of improving athletic performance and to break record upon record. The ancient Olympic Games are an early example of the contests in which humans have engaged to showcase physical prowess. In modern times, sports and games have evolved into a lucrative and competitive industry, while other leisure activities, such as card and video games, can be competitive or can just be a way to unwind or socialize.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/13/170713-131-8D6B0AF7.jpg","altText":"Sports & Recreation","fullUrl":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/13/170713-131-8D6B0AF7.jpg"}},{"id":2000,"title":"Technology","urlTitle":"Technology","description":"Humankind has long striven to improve its living conditions through the development of tools, instruments, and transportation and communications systems, all with the goal of making our lives easier, more productive and—why not—more fun, too! Thanks to human curiosity and technological research, many significant inventions have been made throughout history that in turn made a difference in our daily lives.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/84/203584-131-357FBE7D/speed-internet-technology-background.jpg","altText":"Technology","fullUrl":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/84/203584-131-357FBE7D/speed-internet-technology-background.jpg"}},{"id":11000,"title":"Visual Arts","urlTitle":"Visual-Arts","description":"These are the arts that meet the eye and evoke an emotion through an expression of skill and imagination. They include the most ancient forms, such as painting and drawing, and the arts that were born thanks to the development of technology, like sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installation art, the latter a combination of multiple creative expressions. Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, different eras in art history have had their own principles to define beauty, from the richly ornamented taste of the Baroque to the simple, utilitarian style of the Prairie School.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/45/24345-050-78FAA104.jpg","altText":"Visual Arts","fullUrl":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/45/24345-050-78FAA104.jpg"}},{"id":6000,"title":"World History","urlTitle":"World-History","description":"Does history really repeat itself, or can we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us? History provides a chronological, statistical, and cultural record of the events, people, and movements that have made an impact on humankind and the world at large throughout the ages. Investigating the causes and results of past events is critically important in gaining a full understanding and perspective of present-day issues.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/05/84505-050-8BB58BE6/cave-art-Ennedi-Plateau-Chad.jpg","altText":"World History","fullUrl":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/05/84505-050-8BB58BE6/cave-art-Ennedi-Plateau-Chad.jpg"}}],"featuredTopic":{"title":"Material culture","url":"/topic/material-culture","description":"Article / Lifestyles & Social Issues","image":{"id":162080,"url":"/24/147924-050-E6D433E5/Columns-Toltec-warriors-Tula-Mexico.jpg","altText":"Columns depicting Toltec warriors, Tula, Mexico.","credit":"Photos.com/Thinkstock","width":1600,"height":1068,"fullUrl":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/24/147924-050-E6D433E5/Columns-Toltec-warriors-Tula-Mexico.jpg"}},"videoChannelsLinks":[{"title":"Britannica Classics","url":"/videos/britannica-classics","description":"Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives."},{"title":"Britannica Explains","url":"/videos/explains","description":"In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions."},{"title":"This Time in History","url":"/videos/this-week-in-history","description":"In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history."},{"title":"#WTFact Videos","url":"/videos/wtfact","description":"In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find."},{"title":"Demystified Videos","url":"/videos/demystified","description":"In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions."}],"newLinks":[{"title":"Student Portal","url":"/study/","description":"Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.","newTab":true},{"title":"COVID-19 Portal","url":"/explore/savingearth/covid-19/","description":"While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.","newTab":true},{"title":"100 Women","url":"/explore/100women/","description":"Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.","newTab":true},{"title":"Britannica Beyond","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://beyond.britannica.com","description":"We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning. 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infinite-pagination"> <article class="article-content content md-expanded" data-topic-id="469156"> <div class="pl728 toolbar-ad"></div> <div class="family-bar topic-toolbar sticky-toolbar border-bottom d-flex align-items-center font-14 bg-white shadow"> <a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism" class="title d-none d-lg-block label px-20 text-truncate text-black link-blue lh-lg">Polytheism</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 tabs"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container text-nowrap overflow-hidden d-flex "> <span class="tab active">Article</span> <a class="tab" href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/images-videos">Media</a> <a class="tab" href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/additional-info">Additional Info</a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-sm btn-unstyled mx-10 shadow bg-white text-blue"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-sm btn-unstyled mx-10 shadow bg-white text-blue"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col-auto"> <div class="md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right bg-gray-50 open"> <div class="drawer py-25 open"> <div class="label mb-10">Article Contents</div> <ul class="list-unstyled pb-100" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism">Introduction</a></li><li data-target="#ref38132"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism#ref38132">The nature of polytheism</a></li><li data-target="#ref38133"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Forms-of-polytheistic-powers-gods-and-demons">Forms of polytheistic powers, gods, and demons</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38134"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Forms-of-polytheistic-powers-gods-and-demons#ref38134">Natural forces and objects</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38135"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Forms-of-polytheistic-powers-gods-and-demons#ref38135">Vegetation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38136"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Animal-and-human-forms">Animal and human forms</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38137"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Animal-and-human-forms#ref38137">Functional deities</a></li></ul></li><li data-target="#ref38138"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Types-of-polytheism">Types of polytheism</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38139"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Types-of-polytheism#ref38139">Greco-Roman religion</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38140"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Types-of-polytheism#ref38140">Germanic, Scandinavian, Celtic, and Slavic mythologies</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38141"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Types-of-polytheism#ref38141">Egypt and the Middle East</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38142"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Types-of-polytheism#ref38142">Early Indo-Iranian religions</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38143"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Types-of-polytheism#ref38143">Classical and modern Hinduism</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38144"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Buddhism">Buddhism</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38145"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Buddhism#ref38145">East Asian religions</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38146"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Buddhism#ref38146">Religions of ancient Mesoamerica</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref38147"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism/Buddhism#ref38147">Modern ethnic religions in Africa and elsewhere</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div> <button class="drawerToggle btn position-sticky btn-blue btn-circle " type="button" aria-label="Toggle Drawer"> <em class="material-icons " data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="infinite-pagination-button grid gx-0"> <div class="col"> <div class="d-flex justify-content-center"> <button class="js-load-previous btn btn-blue d-flex flex-column text-uppercase pt-0 mt-30"> <em class="material-icons md-36" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_up"></em> Load Previous Page </button> <em class="material-icons js-loading-spinner ui-spin d-flex align-items-center align-self-center justify-content-center text-blue font-36 d-none mt-30" data-icon="brightness_low"></em> </div> </div> <div class="col-lg-da-300"></div> </div> <div class="infinite-pagination-container container pt-40 p-sm-40"> <div class="grid"> <script class="topic-json" type="application/json"> { "469156": { "url": "/topic/polytheism", "shareUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism", "title": "Polytheism - Buddhism", "documentGroup": "TOPIC PAGINATED LARGE" } } </script> <div class="topic-content col-sm pr-lg-60"> <span class="marker before-article"></span><section id="ref" data-level="1"><section id="ref38144" data-level="2"> <h1 class="h2"><span id="ref420595"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism" class="md-crosslink">Buddhism</a></h1> <p class="topic-paragraph">Buddhism’s tolerance of popular cults, provided that the main essentials of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/faith" class="md-crosslink autoxref">faith</a> are maintained, means that in most Buddhist <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultures" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="cultures">cultures</a> several gods are worshipped. In <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mahayana" class="md-crosslink">Mahayana Buddhism</a>, increased devotion to the Buddha became elaborated as a belief in many celestial beings—notably <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amitabha-Buddhism" class="md-crosslink">Amitabha</a>, the buddha of light, and <span id="ref1171494"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Avalokiteshvara" class="md-crosslink">Avalokiteshvara</a> (feminized and known as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Guanyin-1694188" class="md-crosslink">Guanyin</a> in China and Kannon in Japan), the bodhisattva (buddha-to-be) of compassion—who were, however, in essence all unified in the absolute (<em>shunya</em>, the void). In Tibet a synthesis between the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigenous" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="indigenous">indigenous</a> religion and Buddhism was established. The most notable feature of this form of Buddhism, known as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vajrayana" class="md-crosslink">Vajrayana</a> (“Vehicle of the Thunderbolt”), was the use of divine forms to symbolize the various factors of existence, such as the different elements making up human personality.</p><span class="marker p1"></span><div class="assemblies"><figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="149429"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"><div class="image-wrapper mg"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/71/136371-050-6676AE5D/Guanyin-wood-sculpture-Northern-Song-dynasty-China.jpg" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/469156/149429"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/71/136371-050-6676AE5D/Guanyin-wood-sculpture-Northern-Song-dynasty-China.jpg" alt="Guanyin" data-width="501" data-height="708"></a></div></div><figcaption><strong class="md-assembly-title">Guanyin</strong><div class="md-assembly-caption">Guanyin, painted wood sculpture from China, Northern Song dynasty, c. 1025; in the Honolulu Academy of Arts.</div><cite class="d-block mb-10">Photograph by global-hawaii. Honolulu Academy of Arts, purchase, 1927 (2400)</cite></figcaption></figure></div><span class="marker AM1 am-inline"></span><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span> </section> <section id="ref38145" data-level="2"> <h2 class="h2">East Asian religions</h2> <p class="topic-paragraph">In ancient China the cult of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/heaven" class="md-crosslink autoxref">heaven</a> and ancestor <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/worship" class="md-crosslink autoxref">worship</a> were elements woven into the system of <span id="ref420596"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Confucianism" class="md-crosslink">Confucianism</a>. Numerous lesser deities were worshipped in popular Chinese practice, and the dividing lines between Confucianism, religious <span id="ref420597"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Daoism" class="md-crosslink">Daoism</a>, and Buddhism were hard to draw. In Daoism an elaborate pantheon was evolved, modelled in part on the imperial <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bureaucracy" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="bureaucracy">bureaucracy</a>, and was presided over by the Jade Emperor (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yudi" class="md-crosslink">Yudi</a>). Other deities included atmospheric gods, gods of locality, and functional gods (of wealth, literature, agriculture, and so on). The Daoist gods were in part a response to the richness of Mahayana <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myth" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="myth">myth</a>, with its cults of celestial buddhas and bodhisattvas.</p><span class="marker p2"></span><span class="marker AM2 am-inline"></span><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">The religions practiced in China influenced Japanese <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="culture">culture</a>, which took over some main elements of Confucianism and Buddhism, that interacted with the indigenous polytheistic religion, <span id="ref420598"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shinto" class="md-crosslink">Shintō</a> (Way of the Gods). The divinities of Shintō tend to be connected with natural forces and localities; the most important deity is Amaterasu, who is the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/sun-worship" class="md-crosslink autoxref">sun goddess</a> and divine ancestress of the emperor.</p><span class="marker p3"></span><div class="assemblies"><figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="141303"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"><div class="image-wrapper mg"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/84/133484-050-F31B7BD9/deity-Shinto-wood-sculpture-Heian-Japan-Honolulu.jpg" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/469156/141303"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/84/133484-050-F31B7BD9/deity-Shinto-wood-sculpture-Heian-Japan-Honolulu.jpg" alt="Shintō deity" data-width="701" data-height="1186"></a></div></div><figcaption><strong class="md-assembly-title">Shintō deity</strong><div class="md-assembly-caption">Shintō deity, wood sculpture, Japan, Heian period, 12th century; in the Honolulu Academy of Arts.</div><cite class="d-block mb-10">Photograph by Christopher Hu. Honolulu Academy of Arts, gift of Mrs. Theodore A. Cooke & Miss Renee Halbedl, 1961 (2829.1)</cite></figcaption></figure></div><span class="marker AM3 am-inline"></span><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> </section> <section id="ref38146" data-level="2"> <h2 class="h2">Religions of ancient Mesoamerica</h2> <p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref420599"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aztec-religion" class="md-crosslink">Aztec</a> culture, successor of earlier civilizations, together with the associated <span id="ref420600"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mayan-religion" class="md-crosslink">Maya</a> culture, laid great emphasis on astronomical observation and on a complex religious calendar. Important were the high god <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ometecuhtli" class="md-crosslink">Ometecuhtli</a>, the morning star <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Quetzalcoatl" class="md-crosslink">Quetzalcóatl</a>, and the various <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legends" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="legends">legends</a> woven round <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tezcatlipoca" class="md-crosslink">Tezcatlipoca</a>, patron of warriors, who in the form of Huit-zilopochtli was patron of the Aztec nation. <span id="ref420601"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Inca-religion" class="md-crosslink">Inca religion</a> also possessed a high god, <span id="ref420602"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Viracocha" class="md-crosslink">Viracocha</a>; a number of the most important deities were associated with celestial bodies, notably the sun, patron of the Incas. In both Central and South America the fertility aspects of deities were also emphasized.</p><span class="marker p4"></span><div class="assemblies"><figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="162092"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"><div class="image-wrapper mg"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://cdn.britannica.com/30/147930-050-808C1DE8/Quetzalcoatl-stone-carving.jpg" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/469156/162092"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/30/147930-050-808C1DE8/Quetzalcoatl-stone-carving.jpg" alt="Quetzalcóatl" data-width="1117" data-height="1600"></a></div></div><figcaption><strong class="md-assembly-title">Quetzalcóatl</strong><div class="md-assembly-caption">Quetzalcóatl, stone carving.</div><cite class="d-block mb-10">Photos.com/Thinkstock</cite></figcaption></figure></div><span class="marker AM4 am-inline"></span><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> </section> <section id="ref38147" data-level="2"> <h2 class="h2">Modern ethnic religions in <span id="ref420603"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/African-religions" class="md-crosslink">Africa</a> and elsewhere</h2> <p class="topic-paragraph">In some areas, such as much of Africa and Oceania, the indigenous religions are ethnic or tribal; each group has its own particular tradition. These traditions have been affected considerably by the impact of Christian missions and Western technology. Clearly there is no single pattern of belief, though certain patterns do recur in some of the cultures, such as belief in a high god, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/totemism-religion" class="md-crosslink">totemism</a> (characterized by recognition of a relationship between certain human groups and particular classes of animals, plants, or inanimate objects in nature), <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/possession-religion" class="md-crosslink autoxref">spirit possession</a>, and so on. In various respects there are matches between myth and social organization that are likewise quite varied. Anthropologists, however, are far from a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consensus" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="consensus">consensus</a> on the role and origin of the gods.</p><span class="marker p5"></span><span class="marker AM5 am-inline"></span><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/contributor/Ninian-Smart/2757">Ninian Smart</a></span> </section> </section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><div class="md-learn-more extra-content" data-module="learn-more" data-value="learn-more"> <h2 class="h4">Learn More <span>in these related Britannica articles:</span></h2> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="entry"> <a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/dualism-religion/Themes-of-religious-dualism#ref420813"> <div class="image-wrapper text-center"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:180x120,c:crop/96/93396-050-732C1205/deities-Egyptian-Osiris-Isis.jpg" alt="The Egyptian deities Osiris (left) and Isis."/> </div> <div class="title line-clamp"><strong>dualism: Polytheistic themes</strong></div> <div class="description line-clamp">Among the instances of dualistic structure in polytheistic religions are those that oppose celestial and terrestrial, male and female, actual and mythical primordial-chaotic, and diurnal and nocturnal, especially when they do so within the context of mythologies and cosmogonies belonging to the ancient…</div> </a> </li> <li class="entry"> <a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/study-of-religion/History-of-the-study-of-religion#ref420298"> <div class="image-wrapper text-center"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:180x120,c:crop/84/132384-050-A6A38C8A/Detail-Religion-mural-lunette-series-Charles-Sprague-1897.jpg" alt="Charles Sprague Pearce: Religion"/> </div> <div class="title line-clamp"><strong>study of religion: Later attempts to study religion</strong></div> <div class="description line-clamp">…theories of the genesis of polytheism was through the doctrine of the Fall of Man, in which pure monotheism was believed to have become overlaid by demonic cults of the gods. This account could help to explain some underlying similarities between the Jewish and Christian traditions on the one hand…</div> </a> </li> <li class="entry"> <a href="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/topic/nature-worship/Heaven-and-earth-as-sacred-spaces-forces-or-processes#ref421037"> <div class="image-wrapper text-center"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:180x120,c:crop/84/132384-050-A6A38C8A/Detail-Religion-mural-lunette-series-Charles-Sprague-1897.jpg" alt="Charles Sprague Pearce: Religion"/> </div> <div class="title line-clamp"><strong>nature worship: The first among equals</strong></div> <div class="description line-clamp">This occurs in polytheism (belief in many gods) in its purest form. The deities associated with him are often related to him by family ties (genealogies of gods). Occasionally, the heavenly phenomena are distributed among members of the clan of gods, the god of heaven himself thus becoming…</div> </a> </li> </ul> </div><div class="marketing-TOPIC_NEWSLETTER_MODULE marketing-content" data-marketing-id="TOPIC_NEWSLETTER_MODULE"><div class="newsletter-c odt-newsletter-form "> <div class="md-demystified-promo-slim md-alternate"> <div class="md-flag"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/newsletter-icon-white-SM.png" alt="newsletter icon"/> </div> <div class="gutter-right"> <div class="md-flag-offset pt-10"> <div class="md-heading-2 text-uppercase text-primary"> History at your fingertips </div> </div> <div class="form-container"> <div class="newsletter-form-container col-100"> <div class="my-10">Sign up here to see what happened <span class="text-600 text-purple">On This Day</span>, every day in your inbox!</div> <form class="newsletter-form grid g-15" method="post" action="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/newsletter-subscription/EB_ON_THIS_DAY"> <div class="newsletter-form-email-wrap col-100 col-sm"> <label class="sr-only" for="sign-up-email-input">Email address</label> <input id="sign-up-email-input" title="Email address" type="email" name="email" class="form-control" placeholder="Email address" pattern="[a-z0-9._%+-]+@[a-z0-9.-]+\.[a-z]{2,4}$" required> </div> <div class="newsletter-form-submit-wrap col-100 col-sm-auto"> <input type="submit" class="btn btn-blue" value="Sign Up"/> </div> <input type="hidden" name="source" value="Bio"/><input type="hidden" name="campaign" value="Mendel"/><input type="hidden" name="medium" value="box"/><div class="col-100 mt-15 font-12">By signing up, you agree to our <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://corporate.britannica.com/privacy-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Privacy Notice</a>.</div> </form> <div class="md-subscribed hidden"> <div class="my-10">Thank you for subscribing!</div> <div>Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <aside class="col-da-300" data-page="5"> <div class="rr-module rr-module-1"> <div class="marketing-RIGHT_RAIL_MODULE marketing-content" data-marketing-id="RIGHT_RAIL_MODULE"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://books.britannica.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/safeimages/BritannicaBooks_rightrail.jpg" alt="Learn More!" class="mb-30"/> </a></div></div> </aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> <div class="infinite-end p-5 text-center bg-green text-white d-none"> <em class="material-icons" data-icon="check"></em> </div></div> </div> </main> <footer id="md-footer" class="footer-wrapper hide-on-edit"> <div class="footer-bck"> <div class="marketing-FOOTER_NEWSLETTER marketing-content" data-marketing-id="FOOTER_NEWSLETTER"><div class="md-footer-newsletter-form pt-10 mb-30 mx-15 mx-sm-120"> <div class="font-18"> <strong>Inspire your inbox –</strong> Sign up for daily fun facts about this day in history, updates, and special offers. </div> <div class="p-30"> <div class="newsletter-form-container"> <form class="newsletter-form" method="post" action="/web/20201218063410/https://www.britannica.com/newsletter-subscription/EB_ON_THIS_DAY"> <div class="form-group grid d-flex justify-content-center"> <div class="col-sm-50 col-100"> <label class="sr-only" for="enter-your-email">Enter your email</label> <input id="enter-your-email" type="email" name="email" class="form-control font-18 p-10" placeholder="Enter your email" pattern="[a-z0-9._%+-]+@[a-z0-9.-]+\.[a-z]{2,4}$" required> </div> <div class="col-sm-auto col-100 mt-5 mt-sm-0"> <button type="submit" class="btn btn-outline-white" style="width: 100%; height:100%;">Subscribe</button> </div> </div> <div class="text-white pt-30 text-opacity"> By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.<br> Click here to view our <a class="link-white text-decoration-underline" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201218063410/https://corporate.britannica.com/privacy-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Privacy Notice</a>. 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