Its devotees have long been derided and portrayed as devil worshippers but Scotland’s pagans are finally gaining official recognition.
The ancient faith, which proclaims nature to be sacred, held sway in the British Isles for thousands of years before being displaced by the arrival of Christianity.
The growing popularity of modern versions of paganism, particularly among the young, means that it will appear — for the first time — in the 2021 census for Scotland.
Pagan chaplains operate at universities and hospitals around the country, and the faith is to be represented in the national museum of religious life, alongside Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity.
The Scottish Pagan Federation (SPF), which was formed almost 30 years ago, has seen a transformation in public opinion,
