I am new to Paganism, so maybe this a very common question with an incredibly simple answer, but from my brief research I found nothing.
The numerous branches of Paganism have different beings who serve identical or very similar functions. Take thunder, for example. Celtic Pagans say that thunder’s god is Taranis. Norse Pagans believe that it’s Thor. Greek Pagans have a hunch that it’s Zeus. Roman Pagans suspect that it’s Jupiter. Slavic Pagans suggest that it’s Perun. And so on.
I am presuming that the various alternatives are never sources for heated arguments (correct me if I am wrong). So my question is, how do you reconcile a multitude of beings who all share the same job?
Not Pagan myself, but I have a Pagan friend, and his view is that all deities are aspects of a single greater deity, filtered through the limits of culture and human perception. In this framework, Thor, Zeus, &c. are all interpretations of different facets of a deeper, underlying “thunder god,” which in itself is merely one manifestation of an even greater, all-encompassing god that no human being could ever come close to fully understanding.