One of the earliest known beliefs was Animism, which held the belief that everything possesses a spirit, including the wind, rivers, mountains, and animals like bears and squirrels, etc. Even abstract ideas such as leadership and hunting were thought to have spirits. This belief is reflected in ancient cave paintings featuring horned figures and small carvings. A significant spirit for early humans was the God of Hunting, often represented as a horned figure in cave art, who was honored through rituals before hunts to gain his favor. This deity, known as the Horned God, appears in various cultures under different names, such as Cernunnos, Pan, and Freyja, who is depicted with antlers.

The survival of Paleolithic hunters and gatherers relied heavily on reproduction, both of their own kind and the herds they hunted. Consequently, the Goddess of Fertility became vital, as without her, both people and animals would perish. This Mother Goddess is often represented in ancient carvings, like the Venus figures, which feature exaggerated reproductive traits. As agriculture emerged, her significance grew, and she appeared in various cultures, sometimes multiple times, as figures like Freya, Demeter, and Isis.

Humans eventually conceptualized an afterlife, particularly evident among the Gravettians, who practiced burial rituals, often using red ochre and positioning the deceased in a fetal stance, symbolizing rebirth. One theory suggests that dreams influenced this belief; when a loved one died, they appeared to be sleeping, leading people to think that death was a transition to a dream world. The God of the Hunt also evolved into a deity of Death and Rebirth, seen in figures like Woden, Cernunnos, and Osiris.

As these early religions evolved, they became more intricate, establishing hierarchies among spirits. The God of Hunting and the Mother Goddess typically occupied the highest positions, but as societies became more autocratic, the primary god often represented sovereignty and nobility, such as Odin or Jupiter, while the God of the Hunt remained associated with the wild. The Mother Goddess retained her prominence, seen in figures like Frigga and Juno. As civilizations advanced, the roles of gods grew more complex, embodying multiple aspects, with Thunor representing Protection and Harvest, and Woden encompassing Death, Wisdom, War, Poetry, and more.

At the lower end of the hierarchy, land spirits were viewed more personally, still rooted in animism, and known by names like Elves, Alfar, Dryads, Nymphs, and Fae. While not necessarily considered gods, these spirits were still regarded as divine. This belief in the divinity of all things, from higher gods to common spirits, remains a core principle of Wicca today.

The intricate spirit world led to the emergence of individuals who could better understand it, becoming priests of Nature, known as shamans, medicine men, druids, and in Saxon times, wicce (female) and wicca (male). Today, we identify as Wicca or Witches, reflecting our belief in being priests of nature. The ability to harness the divine qualities of herbs or connect with land spirits defined this priesthood, but these abilities were later turned against them during the rise of Christianity and the ensuing witch trials across Europe.