Pagans, Wiccans, Asatru and Kindred Spirits: Who was the first God? What was its powe

The oldest relics that can be interpreted to be of a religious nature are the "Venus" figurines. These date back 31,000 years ago and are found in widely dispersed locations across Europe.

Two others (one in Asia, one in Africa) date back 500k-800k years.

It is significant that these finds are rare, given how frequent the various implements of various tool kits show up in the fossil record.

It is also significant that these figurines have similar characteristics in appearance, suggesting a common source and wide-spread agreement regarding a standard.

By comparing numbers and types of implements from tool kits with the number of figurines found on the same horizon, it is reasonable to infer that implements were of a personal nature, used by their creators, whereas the figurine was either such an oddity only one person created one in a dozen generations and several dozen families, or the figurines were shared communally.
Based on the information already provided, it seems more reasonable to believe the figurines were shared communally.

Whether as a cent re of worship or as a charm to be handed to whomever needs it is not clear.

But it is clear it was intended as a fertility symbol.

And it was clearly female.

Do you know of anything older?


Note: I should have said "date back 20,000 - 31,000 years ago".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_figurines for more info.

I don't know of anything older, although it is possible that Animism may out-date Mother worship, which is a little more sophisticated.

I can think of an explanation, but of course since none of us were there, take it with a grain of salt as large as you wish.

Flint tools wear out quickly, and are replaced often. In fact hunter gatherers who live in an area where flint outcroppings are common often don't bother to carry stone tools from place to place, but Knapp them as they need them. However, the "Venus" figure, having spiritual significance, and no doubt taking much longer to fashion than say, an Axe head, would be carried from place to place. Sounds reasonable to me, anyway.

The oldest being I would call a divinity would be Audhumbla. Her power was to give sustenance to the primal beings that eventually (through offspring) shaped the cosmos.
I would call her the primal life force of the universe.

We don't know that the Venus figurines were deity statues. For all we know they may simply have been artwork or pieces of sympathetic magic. Animism is the oldest form of religion, closely followed by ancestor worship, and no one is quite sure when the ancestors and spirits evolved into deities.