SESIUNEA DE COMUNICĂRI ŞTIINŢIFICE ŞI
REFERATE A ELEVILOR
-Limba Engleză-
THE DRUIDS:THEN AND NOW
Îndrumător:
Prof. Crăciun Mirela Elena
Autori:
Mateş Bogdan Robert
Ştefan Valentin-Florin
Colegiul Naţional „Avram Iancu” , Brad
May , 2011
Table of Contents
Argument....................................................................................1
I. Then.........................................................................................2
1. Role in Society......................................................................2
2.Beliefs and values...................................................................3
3. Sacrifices and Magic.............................................................4
II. NOW......................................................................................6
1. Druid Revival and Neo-Druidism.........................................6
2. Influence in Video Games.....................................................8
3. Influence in Music and Films................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................10
Argument
Having been born in an Eastern European country that has a mostly-Latin heritage and is
situated quite far away from France or Britain, one hasn’t heard too many tales about the ancient
priests that roamed the western part of our continent ages ago. In fact, many of the interesting
aspects of history are left aside by teachers, because of one reason or another, and unless one’s
curiosity is stimulated by an external source, these aspects end up easily ignored.
The main reason that pushed us into researching and writing about the Druids was a piece
of news that was broadcasted on TV. That particular piece of news stated, that, in Britain,
Druidry became a religion that was officially recognized by the British state, after a five year
long struggle by Druid Network, order lead by Phil Ryder, to make it so. It meant that Druidry
would have the same rights as the Anglican Church, thing which was no small feat! Moreover,
finding out that plenty of Druidic orders had been established within the UK and that the pagan
ideology had somewhere around 10,000 followers also contributed in raising our curiosity
towards the subject.
Another reason why we picked the Druids as the subject of this paper was stumbling
across a particularly interesting piece of information while surfing around the internet. Inis
Mona, known today as the Isle of Anglesey (or Ynys Môn , in Welsh) was an island, situated
somewhere in the north of Wales (the isle also had the village with the longest place name in
Britain, which is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch). There, the
most important Druid College of the Celtic world had been established, in times past, and Celtic
tribes from all over Europe sent their youth to that place in order for it to receive the highest
druidic education. The entire process of becoming a Druid, took no less than 20 years!
Furthermore , the same source states that being a Druid was one of the most important,
honorable, responsible, esteemed and maybe also most difficult professions in the Celtic culture,
being actually much more than just a profession, rather to be described as a lifestyle, a vocation,
a destiny.
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I. Then
1. Role in Society
The Druids were an ancient order of Celtic priests in the societies of Western Europe,
Britain and Ireland. The Celtic Druids served their communities by combining the duties of seer,
priest, poet, philosopher, historian, scholar, teacher, doctor, astronomer and astrologer. The
Druid priests and priestesses also acted as mediums through which the spirits could be
summoned and heard. Rituals throughout the history of the Celtic Druids were enacted in sacred
groves of oak trees and circles of standing stones. The Celtic Druids were advisers to the rulers
of that time, acted as judges in the event of disputes, supervised executions and even controlled
the legal system. They were held in such respect that if they intervened between two armies they
could stop the battle.
In his description, Julius Caesar claimed that they were one of the two most important
social groups in the region, alongside the equites, or nobles, responsible for organizing worship
and sacrifices, divination and judicial procedure in British and Gaulish society. He also claimed
that they were exempt from military service and from the payment of taxes, and that they had the
power to excommunicate people from religious festivals, making them social outcasts.
Pomponius Mela is the first author who says that the Druids' instruction was secret, and
was carried on in caves and forests. Druidic lore consisted of a large number of verses learned by
heart, and Caesar remarked that it could take up to twenty years to complete the course of study.
What was taught to Druid novices anywhere is mere speculation: of the Druids' oral literature,
not a single certifiably ancient verse is known to have survived, even in translation. All
instruction was communicated orally, but for ordinary purposes, Caesar reports, the Gauls had a
written language in which they used Greek characters. In this he probably draws on earlier
writers; by the time of Caesar, Gaulish inscriptions had moved from the Greek script to the Latin
script.
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Classical texts refer to Druids only in Gaul and Britain, so one could assume they existed
only there. However, the same texts do not mention their existence in Ireland, and we do know
that the Druids were there. As Druids were the intellectual members of the Celts, we could
probably safely surmise where ever you found Celts, a Druid was sure to be, underground or
otherwise.
2. Beliefs and values
As history tells us, the Celts had developed a highly sophisticated religious system, with
three divisions of Druids: the lowest division, the Ovates, was the healers and seers, the second
division, the Bards, who memorized the songs, poems, and stories of the tribe and the Druids,
who taught moral philosophy and were experts in the workings of natural science. This may also
be connected to the symbolism of the number 3, so important to them. They recognized the
authority of a single leader, or Archdruid, who would rule till their death, when a successor
would be chosen by vote or through conflict.
For their rituals and sacrifices, Druids are known to round around a Druid’s Circle, which
is a popular name for circles of standing stones such as Stonehenge, perhaps the most famous
example. Great mounds of earth were also built where the practice of seeking rebirth within the
Earth was performed (in which initiates would sit in darkness awaiting the time of their rebirth).
The best example of this is found at New Grange in Ireland, where a shaft is oriented to the
Winter Solstice sunrise, so that the dawn rays can bathe the initiate in sunlight after his or her
vigil through the night.
Druids were animists, believing that gods and goddesses inhabited every natural being,
feature and phenomenon. Lugus (thus named for the light months on the calendar) was the god
of light, Maponis the god of darkness, Nemetoma was the goddess of the sacred grove, and
Mantosuelta was the goddess of the winding brooks. Druids did believe in an afterlife. They
believed that men's souls as well as the universe were indestructible, although fire and water may
temporarily prevail at times.
They believed that when you died you moved onto the Otherworld, and there was a
continual exchange between worlds, the borders were fluid. A murderer was killed not out of
revenge but for nature’s balance in that if a human life is not given for a human life, the ruling
gods cannot be appeased. Likewise, a birth meant the death of someone in the Otherworld and
included mourning for the soul that left the Otherworld. Evidentially they made loans to others
with the repayment to take place in the Otherworld or next life. For Druids, being so close to
nature made the woods, forests and groves sacred areas, places of power and danger that played
major roles in Celtic religion. Also, regarding the nature element of the religion, the oak and
mistletoe were most sacred, no ritual being held without them. Mistletoe had to be grown on oak,
which was rare. Geese were, as well, sacred.
3
And as mentioned earlier the number 3 had an important role in their beliefs, appearing
regularly. Deities had three names, three aspects, three faces, three heads. The Celts saw the
human as body, soul and spirit. The world was divided into earth, sea and air. The divisions of
nature were animal, vegetable and mineral. The cardinal colours were red, yellow and blue.
Druids had a major role in the Christianization of the Celtic nation. Early Christian Celtic
saints were Druids or the children of Druids. When Christianity took over, the Druids, being the
intellects, were the first Celts to adopt the new beliefs, and combined both thoughts to form what
we now call the Celtic Church. Thus, Druids slowly began to vanish.
3. Sacrifices and Magic
As the Celts do appear to have performed human sacrifices as a part of the religious
rituals, it is almost sure that Druids, given their role in society as a religious/priestly/scholar
class, have participated and performed the sacrificial rituals themselves. That being said, there
are three sorts of data regarding Celtic and Druid human sacrifices.
a) Historical documents:
“The Romans put a stop both to these customs and to the ones connected with sacrifice
and divination, as they were in conflict with our own ways: for example, they would
strike a man who had been consecrated for sacrifice in the back with a sword, and make
prophecies based on his death-spasms; and they would not sacrifice without the presence
of the Druids. Other kinds of human sacrifices have been reported as well: some men
they would shoot dead with arrows and impale in the temples; or they would construct a
huge figure of straw and wood, and having thrown cattle and all manner of wild animals
and humans into it, they would make a burnt offering of the whole thing.”
(Strabo in his Geography)
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“All the people of Gaul are completely devoted to religion, and for this reason those
who are greatly affected by diseases and in the dangers of battle either sacrifice human
victims or vow to do so using the Druids as administrators to these sacrifices, since it is
judged that unless for a man's life a man's life is given back, the will of the immortal gods
cannot be placated. In public affairs they have instituted the same kind of sacrifice.
Others have effigies of great size interwoven with twigs, the limbs of which are filled up
with living people which are set on fire from below, and the people are deprived of life
surrounded by flames. It is judged that the punishment of those who participated in theft
or brigandage or other crimes are more pleasing to the immortal gods; but when the
supplies of this kind fail, they even go so low as to inflict punishment on the innocent.”
(Julius Caesar in De Bello Gallico , V6)
b) A few medieval Irish texts and Mythological tales
c) Archaeological data: The most important source of info is the body of the man placed
in Lindow bog, also known as “Lindow Man”, in the first or second century C.E. The
body was so well preserved that scientists were able to analyze his stomach contents
to discover his last meal (a partially scorched grain cake). Lindow man was almost
certainly a ritual sacrifice; he was strangled, hit on the head, and had his throat cut, in
quick order, then surrendered to the bog. This pattern fits the "three-fold" death
referred to in medieval Irish tales. What's more, the man seems to have been of high
social rank, and a willing victim.
Another interesting fact about the human sacrifices performed by the Druids would be
that more than 2,000 years ago, in the area we know now as Ireland, England, Scotland and
Wales, Druid priests held the belief that evil spirits were responsible for bringing about the
advent of cold weather and shorter hours of daylight. To placate the spirits, the priests initiated a
festival honoring Samhain, the lord of the dead, or Halloween as it’s known today. The festival
took place on Oct. 31, the day before the beginning of the Celtic New Year.
Now, about Druid magic. It observes nature, dances and works with it, rather than
attempting to do things out of the natural order. Druid magic is for self-growth, for the
development of abilities, and raising consciousness. The life of nature was their life, and they
were a part of its larger community. Ancient Druids had a vast knowledge of herbal cures and
knew the magical properties of nature. They knew the value of Mother Nature's natural remedies
to cure physical and psychological illnesses. The rituals they used included the use of candles,
stones, earth, herbs, and incense to strengthen the value of their spells. This is where they got
renowned for their ability as healers.
A curious fact about their foretelling skills is that they were based on the flight and cries
of birds, and in particular the raven. Even today the association of the raven with prophecy and
protection is openly fostered in the heart of London at the Tower. Another fact is that women
were not isolated from those practices, having an important role in the Celtic pantheon. The
female deity in the Celtic belief system is considered more important and more powerful. The
only day of the week named after a female deity is Friday – Freya (the goddess of war). Danu
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(Mother Nature or the Great Mother) held the highest position within their belief system.
Priestesses were not only revered and highly honored; they were also head of the household.
II. NOW
1. Druid Revival and Neo-Druidism
"Grant O Goddess, thy protection
and in protection, strength
and in strength, understanding
and in understanding, knowledge
and in knowledge, the knowledge of justice
and in the knowledge of justice, the love of it
and in the love of it, the love of all existences
and in the love of all existences, the love of Goddess and all Goodness"
-The Druid’s Prayer
In the 18th century, England and Wales experienced a Druid revival, inspired by people
such as John Aubrey, John Toland and William Stukely. Aubrey was the first modern writer to
connect Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments with Druidry, connections which are
considered by some to be a misconception that shaped ideas of Druidry during much of the 19th
century.
Modern Druidic groups have their roots in this revival, and some claim that Aubrey was
an Archdruid in possession of an uninterrupted tradition of Druidic knowledge. John Toland was
fascinated by Aubrey's Stonehenge theories, and wrote his own book, without crediting Aubrey.
He has also been claimed as an Archdruid. The Ancient Druid Order claim that Toland held a
gathering of Druids from all over Britain and Ireland in a London tavern, the Appletree, in 1717.
The Ancient Order of Druids itself was founded in 1781, led by Henry Hurle. Another central
figure of the Druidic revival is Edward Williams, known as Iolo Morganwg. His writings,
published after his death as “The Iolo Manuscripts”, in 1848, and “Barddas” in 1862, remain
influential in the contemporary Druidic movements. He was also one of the first people to
organize Druidic rituals in his time.
Neo-Druidism or Neo-Druidry, commonly referred to as Druidism or Druidry by its
followers, is a form of modern spirituality or religion that generally promotes harmony and
worship of nature, and respect for all beings, including the environment. Many forms of modern
Druidry are Neopagan religions, whereas others are instead seen as philosophies that are not
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necessarily religious in nature. Originating in Britain during the 18th century, it was, initially, a
cultural movement, only gaining religious or spiritual connotations in the 19th century.
The core principle of Druidry is, like in ancient times, respect and veneration of nature. It
often involves participation in the environmental movement. Another preponderant belief
amongst modern Druids is the veneration of ancestors, especially those who belonged to
prehistoric societies. Arising from the 18th century Romanticist movement in Britain, which
glorified the ancient Celtic peoples of the Iron Age, the early Druids aimed to imitate the Iron
Age priests who were also known as Druids. At the time, little accurate information was known
about these ancient priests, and the modern Druidic movement had few connections to them,
despite some claims to the contrary made by modern Druids.
In the first half of the twentieth century, modern Druids developed fraternal organizations
modeled on Freemasonry that employed the romantic figure of the British Druids and Bards as
symbols of indigenous British spirituality. Some of these groups were purely fraternal and
cultural, creating traditions from the national imagination of Britain. Others merged with
contemporary movements such as the physical culture movement and naturism. Since the 1980s
some modern Druid groups have adopted similar methodologies to those of Celtic
Reconstructionist Paganism in an effort to create a more historically accurate practice. However,
there is still controversy over how much resemblance modern Druidism may or may not have to
the Iron Age druids.
The theology of the modern Druidic movement is inherently nature-based, equating
divinity with the natural world. However, the specifics of Druidry have changed over the
centuries, from a God-centered monotheistic tradition to a Goddess-centered polytheistic
tradition.
Phil Ryder stated that "within Druidry, Nature is considered to be unconditionally sacred
and an expression or manifestation of deity and divinity". Many Druids are animists, though
animism is sometimes misnamed by modern commentators as "nature worship." Most Druids
see the aspects of nature as imbued with spirit or soul, be it literally or metaphorically. Some
Druids consider animals and plants to be members, like the deities of the Celts, of a túath, or
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tribe and therefore honor them. Because they view the natural world as sacred, many Druids are
involved in environmentalism, thus acting to protect areas of the natural landscape that are under
threat from development or pollution.
The practices of modern Druids typically take place outside, in the daylight, in what is
described as "the eye of the sun". In some cases, they perform their rites indoors, or during the
night. Most Druids perform ceremonies within a circle around an altar or central fire. Neo-Druids
often meet and practice in groups called variously "groves" or "henges”. They might also meet at
stone circles and other megaliths which are pre-Celtic, but which since the romantic revival have
been associated in the popular imagination with the ancient druids. At the Summer solstice, a
Neo-Druidic ritual is notably held at Stonehenge in England. When performing rituals, some
modern Druids wear ceremonial cloaks and robes, which in some cases imitate the Iron Age style
of the Celts. In some orders, robes or tabards of different colors are used to indicate the grade of
the Druid within the order. In the case of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, the colors blue,
green, and white are respectively assigned to these grades. Some modern Druids also use ritual
staffs, a symbolic magical instrument long associated with both Druids and wizards generally.
Many modern Druids do not adopt any ceremonial garb.
2. Influence in Video Games
Amongst other areas of modern culture where Druids have been used as means of
inspiration, video games are not to be overlooked. Here, Druids tend to be devoted to nature,
treat civilization with suspicion, and be neutral and balance-seeking in their overall outlook. The
Druid class is almost always that of a nature priest who gains spells and abilities based on
wisdom, but rather than getting their spells and abilities from their deity of choice, they get their
powers from nature itself. Druids often have healing capabilities, same as their ancient real-life
counterparts, and may be able to use positive buffs and, even if there are only a handful of
Druids that can do it, resurrect others.
Druids are very often associated with races that preserve,
or, at least, do no harm to nature. In the Warcraft universe
Druids are firstly associated with Night Elves and come in two
forms, Druids of the Claw and Druids of the Talon. Later on,
Druids become part of other races as well, maintaining their
status of keepers of nature and preservers of balance. These
Druids have access to healing and curing spell as well as
movement hindering spells. There are three paths that a Druid
can follow (the number 3 being sacred to the Celtic Druids): the
path of Balance, the Feral path and the Path of Restoration.
Druids also appear in Andrzej Sapkowski’s “The Witcher” saga,
which inspired the videogame series with the same name. Here,
Druids are scholars of the forest, and their understanding of
nature's workings is deep. They take in wild animals and help
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them heal of wounds and sickness, alongside mostly anything injured or orphaned. The Druids'
grove, grown around the Tree of Life, is a sanctuary where no blood is spilled. Leaders of the
Druid circles are known as hierophants, if they are male, and flaminicas, if they are female.
These are merely two examples of videogame universes where Druids play a large part.
The real-life roots of the virtual druid are relatively clear, however. Besides the apparent use of
magic, they clearly share an affinity towards nature. In many games we also encounter the famed
stone circles which act as meeting places. Despite what could be an incorrect first impression,
Druids in videogames do not instigate to violence in any way. Their abilities are used in combat
only when nature itself is threatened. They also never share their knowledge with outsiders,
preferring to keep it only known to their kin. A few differences between real-life and virtual
Druids can still be found, though. Video game Druids rarely seek to intervene in political affairs
and almost never take on as many roles as the Celtic ones used to do, but the basic idea behind
them , is clearly inspired from the Gaulish and Celtic priests of old.
3. Influence in Music and Films
In modern music we find several references to Druids in different genres, mainly Celtic
music and folk metal. Those songs refer to aspects that occur in the life of a Druid, such as his or
her learning period, human sacrifices and other such things.
One example would be “Inis Mona”, a song performed by Eluveitie, a folk metal band
from Switzerland. This song deals with an old and reputable Druid in the eve of his life, looking
back and pondering over his existence and days long gone. Most of his lifetime was spent
serving as a wise counselor, lawyer, scientist, teacher, doctor, and physician. In other words: as
Druid at his clan’s chieftain’s court. Being content with that, he secretly still thinks back and
moons over the years of his youth, which he spent on Inis Mona during his education, years that
have helped in forming his life.
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Another song about Druids is “A Druid’s passing” from Cruachan, a Folk Metal band
from Dublin, Ireland. This song refers to a Druid’s sacrifice, by his own will. The place of this
sacrifice is probably Stonehenge, or at least a stone circle similar to it. It talks about the Druid
fast-forwarding through the moments of his life, and about the fact that he has known no shame
in it. Another important fact is that the Druid is shown as returning “Back to the earth from
whence he came.”, thus presenting one of the Druids’ ancient beliefs about the nature of the
human and his path before, in and after his life.
Lyrically speaking, modern artists focus more on Celtic legends which include Druids.
Their influence can also be seen in the use of certain traditional or sometimes unusual
instruments specific to the Celtic regions, instruments such as the harp and bagpipe. Also, certain
arrangements of notes and chords can give songs a Celtic sound, no matter the instrument. That
being said, some other artists who mention the Druids in their works are: Loreena McKennit,
The Chieftains, Omnia or Xera.
As for Druids in movies, there are a lot of films and TV series with and about Merlin,
who is portrayed as an eccentric, charismatic and arrogant Druid, feared by Britons and Saxons
alike, who struggles to restore the pagan ways of the pre-Roman Britain in face of the rapid
proliferation of Christianity. Furthermore, in 2007, the film “The Last Legion” portrayed Merlin
(initially called Ambrosinus) as a Druid and tutor of both the last Roman Emperor Romulus
Augustus Caesar, as well as of his son Arthur.
Conclusion
Ancient Druids were an important part of society, not only because of the multitude of
roles they could fulfill, but also thanks to their knowledge of herbs and curing methods as well as
the spiritual importance they owned. They were a rather unique element of antiquity and
knowing that a part of their image and ideology, despite the scarcity of available information,
still lives in modern times, stands out as being quite impressive. Struggling to turn Druidism into
an official religion in times when Christianity is predominant is a statement, small, but definitely
not worth ignoring, the same as evoking them in music, films and video games. It is surely
heartwarming that some people take interest into things that are easily forgotten by others, and
try to apply their values to today’s world, if not out of desire to make certain aspects of modern
life better, then simply for the sake of diversity and open-mindedness.
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Bibliography
Internet sources:
1. http://forum.eluveitie.ch/viewtopic.php?t=272
2. http://www.irishastrology.com/celtic-history-
folklore/celtic_folklore_history_druids_bards.html
3. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/172029/Druid
4. http://www.britannia.com/wonder/michell2.html
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/
Books:
1. Koch, John T. and John Carey eds. The Celtic Heroic Age. Malden, Massachusetts: Celtic
Studies Publications, 1995.
2. Piggott, Stuart. The Druids. Frederick A. Praeger: New York, 1968. Reissued Thames
and Hudson, London and New York, 1975.
3. Caesar, Julius. De Bello Gallico, tr. W.A. McDevitte and W.S. Bohn, 44 BC
4. Strabo. Geography, tr. H. L. Jones, 63/64 BC – ca. AD 24
