page_title: Mythology in France
section_title: Pre-Christian Paganism
hierarchical_section_title: Mythology in France / Frank Myth / Pre-Christian Paganism
context_page_description: The mythologies in present-day France encompass the mythology of the Gauls, Franks, Normans, Bretons, and other peoples living in France, those ancient stories about divine or heroic beings that these particular cultures believed to be true and that often use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. French myth has been primarily influenced by the myths and legends of the Gauls and the Bretons as they migrated to the French region from modern day England and Ireland. Other smaller influences on the development of French mythology came from the from Franks.
context_section_description: The Frank people are a group of Germanic migrants who find their mythological and spiritual origins in pre-Christian Germanic Paganism. The Franks invaded the Gallo-Roman land in the 5ᵗʰ century, and became the dominant force in the region of present-day France and Western Germany. In 358 CE, Rome was forced to relinquish some of the Gallic land they held, allowing the Franks to expand their territory into the land of Gaul. By 480 CE, the Franks held firmly to the western part of France.
  Early Frank mythology found its roots in Germanic paganism, and the Franks would have probably worshiped gods from a German pantheon, but may have placed emphasis on the fertility gods. The German pantheon is likely to have had three central figures; Thor, the most powerful god who rules the air and sea, Wodan, god of war, and Fricco god of peace. The Frankish people probably worshiped the deities of the German pantheon through the construction of altars and practicing of nature-based rituals in forest glens or beside lakes. It is believed that the Franks took a deeply tribal approach to religious practice. Apart from the most central figures of the German pantheon, some gods borrowed from the Nordic pantheon, or the “Allfadir,” a central, all-knowing deity, the many Frankish tribes worshiped separate gods. These tribalistic gods were not worshiped or feared outside their tribes. Cults of Wodan (sometimes referred to Ođinn), and Cults of Nerthus were common among the central Frankish tribes, while Cults of Yngvi were common among tribes along the North Sea.
caption: Approximate location of the Frankish tribes in the 3rd century.