Far from being just a New Age fad, paganism is fast becoming a major spiritual, intellectual, ecological, and political force across the globe. This study puts forward a fascinating and controversial idea—namely that it is the pagan god Odin and not Christ who is the single most important spiritual influence in western civilization. This study investigates the strange world of modern pagan cults and the beliefs that underpin important parts of modern culture, such as Lord of the Rings and the highly pagan counterculture that sprang up in the 1960s that now offers an attractive alternative spiritual vision to millions alienated from Christianity. It explains the ancient idea of the Web—a cosmic field of energies that encompasses time, space, and the hidden potentials of the human organism—and shows that this is a pagan equivalent to the eastern tradition of the Tao. Our civilization, our belief systems and attitudes, and indeed our psyche have been formed by Odin, whereas the influence of Christ has been relatively recent and shallow.