Its art shows how the light of civilization flickered in monasteries and on Europe’s fringes: Christian Byzantium, Moorish Spain, and pagan Vikings. Then, around A.D. 1000, Europe rebounded.

After Rome’s fall, Europe’s Christians kept culture ... stand as proud testaments to the Norse culture and its art. Carvings evoke the pagan roots of these early Norwegian Christians.

The result of that interaction led to years of work for Fréger, documenting the enduring pagan celebrations of rural Europe. “I found myself in front of something very radical, no face ...

A beastlike creature that is part of the pagan folklore of Alpine countries ... is a representation of what you can find generally in Europe.” The concept of a “Wild Man” is steeped in ...

Whether it’s torchlit processions, folk dances or modernised pagan rituals, these events take you far off the beaten path ...

As a folklorist, I’m aware of the origins of the long and interesting journey this mythical figure has taken from European prehistory ... in literature and art. For example, the Virgin Mary ...