Pop Pentacle: Best Pagans on Television

 tv  3 Responses »
Sep 122010
 

I spend a lot of time watching television.  This either makes me lazy or makes me well educated in the broadcast art form, I am not certain which.  Either way, I have observed several characters over the years that I find intriguing for their Pagan-leanings.  So I bring you the next installment of the Pop Pentacle series. And as my fellow blogger, Scott, encourages – do tell us why you don’t think these are the top five Pagans on television, who you would rather see on the list or what things I could better do with my time.

  • Air

Lisa Simpson

Just last year, Lisa Simpson found herself studying Wicca. As Ned Flanders says, “Just as I feared.  Her Buddhism has led directly to witchcraft!” Like a lot of young girls, Lisa is empowered by her exploration of Wicca and its celebration nature and sisterhood.  I do not like the Simpsons and I personally believe that they wore out their television welcome about a decade ago.  I hate to type these words, but Lisa Simpson is an important role model.  Despite my personal dislike for the show, the Simpsons are television icons and Lisa’s honest journey into Wicca might be the tipping point that brings Paganism into the mainstream.

  • Fire

Abby O’Neil

What?  Who?  If you blinked, you might have missed her.  You’ll find her on a little sitcom from the late 90′s/early 00′s called Dharma and Greg.  She was Dharma’s free-spirited hippie mother, but she frequently referred to her love of the Goddess and her simple lifestyle.  A big part of her character was simply being a counter balance to Greg’s uptight mom.  Even though some of her new age habits were showcased for a laugh, the show was never disrespectful of her.  Truth is, we all know someone who acts just like she does.

  • Water

Lucius Vorenus

The HBO Series Rome was a beautiful dramatic retelling of the history of Rome beginning with the murder of Julius Caesar and ending with the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra.  They tell the story by creating intense stories out of two minor characters mentioned in Caesar’s writings.  There isn’t much known about the real life Vorenus, but the fictional version is intriguing.  He begins the series as a devoutly religious man who gives his entire life over to the military and some of his scenes include the honoring of Janus in the household and a trip to pay tribute to Venus at her temple.  As the story progresses, he becomes much more jaded and angry about the hand that life has dealt him and it culminates in the second season episode “Son of Hades” where he has a full on religious meltdown.  Vorenus is an intriguing character and perhaps the most authentic Pagan character on television.

  • Earth

Tara Maclay

Why not Willow, you say?  Don’t get me wrong, I love Willow as I love all the characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  But Willow, like a lot of television witches, was a caricature of a witch.  She was an imperfect, magical, supernatural and most of all fictional character.  Tara, from the moment we met her at UC Sunnydale’s student Pagan group, always struck me as much more organic. Sure, she is part of the same mythology but she just felt more down to earth, more real.  Though there is no evidence in the story, I can see Tara attending a Samhain ritual and honoring the Goddess and calling the quarters.

  • Spirit

President Laura Roslin

I would argue that you will not find a more devout polytheist on television, period.  On the series Battlestar Galactica, she risks her life as well as the lives of the entire human race, or at least what is left of them, by following the traditions of her people. She believes, without hesitation, that the Gods will bring them to redemption.  The Lords of Kobol are real and she knows that.  She feels it in her bones, and she believes in them until her dying day.  I find her story empowering, even though it is harrowing at the same time.  All this has happened before, and all this will happen again.

 Posted by Laura at 1:27 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Polytheism in Television

 culture, tv  4 Responses »
Aug 272010
 

My fellow bloggers have been doing a fantastic job covering the occurrences of Wicca on television and in the movies.  I am also grateful that these things exist because any exposure to Paganism for “The Mainstream” is a good thing, even when it is poorly represented.  That being said, where is the television for Hard Polytheists, Reconstructionists or other Non-Wiccan Pagans like myself?

There is a very rich pool when it comes to movies and anything that is pre-Christian/historical can fall   into that category.  Television is a harder sell, though, because television viewers tend to have shorter attention spans.  Many shows today are exact replicas of each other.  Once a network finds a formula that works, they exploit it.  For instance, turn on the television and just try to find something that isn’t “Law and Order” or “The Closer” or a similar show with similar themes. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

There have been some notable television offerings for the non-Wiccan. I would love to explore them all, and perhaps I will  over time.  A classic would be a little show you might remember that aired on Syfy/Sci-Fi a couple of years ago: Battlestar Galactica.  This re-imagined series (for which the term “re-imagined” was coined) was gritty, powerful and well produced. The human race were hard polytheists living on 12 planets called the 12 Colonies of Kobol.  Their religion resembled that of the ancient Greeks.  Accuracy be damned, too, because they were in another part of the galaxy and who knew what Greek Polytheism looked like in their universe. That being said, the writers seemed to care about their characters and the belief system they portrayed. The spin-off/prequel Caprica is surprisingly enjoyable and begins again in January with its second season.

There are also historical dramas, with heavy emphasis on “Drama.”   HBO’s series Rome is a prime example.  While religion wasn’t a main plot point, it was an important part of the lives of the characters so they were able to treat the subject fairly.  The history was a little sketchier but that is why it was a drama and not a documentary. The show featured a cast of phenomenal actors and characters we could really identify with, in spite of passage of time.

That brings me to another show that would be a draw for non-Wiccan Pagans that I have recently rediscovered.  It was a little show that only lasted 8 episodes in the us and 13 in Australia.  In 1997, Fox Television produced a show intended to compete with the Xena and Hercules franchises.  The show, called Roar, was produced by Shaun Cassidy (yes, THE Shaun Cassidy) and stared a very young and incredibly talented Heath Ledger. The show centered around a young Celtic prince who lost his family to a waring tribe.  The Romans, however, were knocking at the door of Ireland and he feels if the tribes don’t unite they will fall victim to the conquerors.  It is a strange mix between Paganism and Christianity and the show is set in 400 AD.  Though the historical accuracy is lacking, the characters are shown as being connected to the land.  I love the character of Fergus who constantly shows his disapproval of situations by exclaiming “Sweet Brigid!”

On top of the clearly Polytheistic shows, there are other offerings that touch on Pagan topics whether the writers know it or not.  My absolute favorite show on television right now is Fringe, which is about to enter its third season.  There is nothing specifically Pagan about the show, except the archetypes! I love Fringe for the Girls Underground theme.

These are, of course, just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  What other examples of Polytheism or non-Wiccan Paganism are out there on Television?

 Posted by Laura at 1:40 am  Tagged with: , , , , ,
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