Welcome to Gaia! ::

Also the tree fates, the three brothers in most folk tales, the three sisters in most folk tales, the three axes (golden, silver and bronze), the three heads of a dragon, the three paths at a crossroad.

3 is a fairy tale number - as it's called here. It's very common and can be found pretty much everywhere.

Though I am still young at wicca, I honestly believe that you are all correct in some way. Wicca probably started around the 1950s, by Gardner. However, it was most likely just 'reborn' for the public and/or smaller groups, causing the census to rise. The wicca traditions and beliefs probably came before christianity but under a different name. I hear/read wicca is also known as The Old Religion for being older than christianity.

Ah. My mistake. Books are only so reliable. Thank you for the correction.

That's not entirely true. I do not know when he became "Satan", but the idea that "Lucifer" was his name is debatable. I did some background research a while back, and the bible only references "Lucifer, the fallen son of morning" a single time--I think in Psalms, but it could be Proverbs--and that the subject of the sentence has been debated for a long time.

Some, as you have suggested, say that Lucifer was Satan's angelic name. In fact, some even say that he was a Seraph, the highest tier of angels, and that he was, ironically, the original Devil's Advocate. This is backed by a Jewish story that claims he was the "Angel of Truth", in a little known Creation story, which would help to explain the name.

Others say that there was a Middle-Eastern king at the time, who could also fit the single verse in which Lucifer is mentioned. It is only the sheerest irony that Lucifer was a common name for Latin poets, and perhaps it is only coincidence, but this might suggest that there was a relation to a supposed king....

I say that if the subject was not clarified, then it may very well be that the writer did not distinguish the name on purpose, either because it was well-known at the time, and he didn't look ahead (two), or he thought it would be time tested and didn't bother (one). In any case, I suppose that the lack of clarification may very well doom the truth to be buried behind interpretation forever.

Of course, now, Satan is more like a scapegoat than anything--a representation of the evil of going against "god's will" and the punishment for it.
~Leavaros

Lucifer means "bringer of light" coming from the Latin words lux meaning "light" and ferre meaning "to bring" or "to carry". Oddly enough, it was a name many Roman poets took.
-LD

The one thing that I can't understand is why people have to fight over which is the "right" religion. No one knows if one religion is right or not. It seems pointless to argue over something that you will not be sure on till you die. I believe that as long as your not hurting anyone (including yourself), it shouldn't matter what you worship. neutral

I absolutely agree. whee