What was the Anglo-Saxon Religion?

The Anglo-Saxon religion is what most people would call
"paganism" or "heathenism." This is meant to reflect the localized nature of their
beliefs.  In England, the Anglo-Saxon's form of paganism would persevere as the dominant
religion until the time that Christianity made it to the island in about 700
AD.

In short, the Anglo-Saxon religion was similar to the
type of paganism found in much of the Germanic areas of northern Europe.  It was
polytheistic, which refers to the fact that it contained many
different gods.  These gods, together, were known as the e'se. The
most important of these was one named Woden, which is why the religion is sometimes
known as Wodenism.

The Anglo-Saxon
beliefs centered around reoccurring rituals meant to win favor with the gods through
ceremony and the sacrifice of both objects and animals.  These ceremonies, generally
occurring yearly, are thought to have included elements of ritualized "magic." Funerals
involved either burial or cremation, the former often occurring with a cache of funerary
objects.

Anglo-Saxon religion is similar to other "folk"
religions in that it was thought that supernatural creatures such as Elves and dragons
influenced the environment and that spirits could shape a person's
destiny.

Not a whole lot is known about the specifics of
Anglo-Saxon religion, but much of the mystique and practices survived in folk stories.
 One quirk most people don't think about is the fact that most of the days of the week
are derived from this religion.  Most telling is Wednesday, which means "Woden's
Day."