Ancient Druids: The lives, rituals, and mystical practices of the Celtic priests

Druids were a class of people in ancient Celtic cultures known for their great wisdom and knowledge of traditions. In addition to being the priests in charge of all religious rituals such as sacrifices (including human sacrifices), Druids could provide practical help by interpreting events in nature, predicting the future, and brewing healing potions, especially from sacred plants such as mistletoe. Priests were the keepers of the community's history, and they could also be called upon to impose taboos (or, less accurately, spells) on people to enforce community norms. The Druids and Celtic religion fell into decline after persecution by the Romans in the first century AD and the arrival of Christianity in Europe.

Who are the Druids?

The word druid comes from ‘druides’/‘druidae’ in Latin, ‘druad’ in Old Irish and ‘dryw’ in Welsh. Few scholars today agree with the traditional view that the name comes from a combination of two or more Celtic words meaning ‘knowledge’, ‘oak’ or ‘oak knowledge’ (dru-vid-en). As custodians of the community's accumulated knowledge (passed on orally from elders to novices), druids had a high status in Celtic societies.

They paid no taxes and were not required to perform military service. It is likely that some druids advised rulers on religious matters and presided over court cases such as criminal cases, inheritance disputes, and boundary disputes. Druids also supervised warriors' oaths to demonstrate their loyalty to the chief. The priests emphasised their independent status with long white robes as well as an unusual headdress. This type of headdress consisted of bronze parts in the form of leaves, cones or discs, sometimes with horn or antler attachments.

It is not known whether the Druids had their own internal hierarchy, beyond the distinction between experienced and novices, but in Gaul, the chief Druid was elected and held office for life. The novices spent about 20 years learning oral knowledge from their master druids. There were also women among the Druids, but there is no clear evidence of their existence, except in later sources, and that, as a rule, only in Gaul and Ireland.

The role of the Druids in the community

Druids were considered intermediaries between the gods, so their offerings and sacrifices could make these powerful deities happy and thus reduce the trials they regularly inflicted on people. The power of the Druids and their monopoly on religious ceremonies meant that anyone who did not follow the rules risked being excluded from the rituals, essentially making the person unclean and an outsider to the community. A druid could place taboos or prohibitions on a person, known as ‘geis’ in Ireland or simply ‘spells’ elsewhere (although this term may not be ideal due to its connotation with magic). Such prohibitions could be mundane, such as not eating a certain type of meat, but if they were not observed, it was believed that death or disgrace would soon befall the transgressor and his relatives.

Druids were also asked to explain and control supernatural forces and amazing natural phenomena. In this capacity, Druids also claimed to foresee the future, so they had to interpret omens correctly. For this reason, the Druids were great astronomers and experts in the use of calendars. Roman authors sometimes attribute divination functions to another class of people, the seers.

Another function of the Druids was to prepare potions with which to reinforce their taboos and spells. Using items to cast spells or curses on enemies was a fairly common practice throughout antiquity in many cultures. However, the association of Druids with magic most likely comes from the demonisation of pagan practices. A far more likely skill is knowledge of natural medicines and remedies for common ailments, the Druids collected plants such as mistletoe and often did so at night. Mistletoe was particularly important to the Druids as it was a traditional symbol of life and fertility, for it is evergreen and retains its leaves even when the host tree loses all its foliage for the winter.

Rituals, sacrifices, and burials

Druids presided over all kinds of religious ceremonies in Celtic communities. Offerings were made at significant natural sites such as rivers, springs, lakes, and marshes. Rituals were also performed on hilltops and in sacred groves, especially oak groves. All these places were considered meeting points between the physical and supernatural worlds. Food, weapons and precious items were the subject of prayers and ritual offerings to the gods.

After battle, captured enemy warriors were sometimes sacrificed to the gods. Animals and humans were sacrificed as a great gift to appease the many Celtic deities. The victims, both animal and human, were watched closely as they died, and the Druids tried to interpret their death throes, the trickles of blood, or even the way they fell to the ground to shed light on the future.

Druids performed more peaceful funeral ceremonies as well. There is archaeological evidence that the Celts believed in an afterlife, and the Druids, spread the idea that the soul leaves the body to reappear in another after death (although this belief may have been perpetuated by rulers wishing to give their warriors courage in battle). In burials, such as those of great warriors and rulers, people were buried with their daily belongings, weapons and precious objects such as gold jewellery. Alternatives to burial were cremation and exhumation, in which the corpse was left in the open air for some time and the bones were buried or preserved for future religious ceremonies.

Decline of Druid culture

The Druids went into decline during the height of the Roman Empire, perhaps because they were crucial as a unifying force for cultures that the Romans were trying to displace. Another reason was the Roman aversion to human sacrifice, despite their love of blood sports and visual executions. A third reason was an ideological clash, as Rome was a materialistic and hierarchical culture and the Druids were spiritual and moral, with a belief in collective ownership. Several emperors tried to eradicate the Druids, and in 59 AD the Druid centre at Anglesey was systematically attacked by the Roman army.

The next and most extensive threat to the Druids was the Christianisation of Western and Central Europe from late antiquity to the medieval period. Druidism has been revived since the 17th century, although the degree of overlap between the ancient Druids and their more modern counterparts is a controversial issue that is not given much consideration by scholars of the Ancient Celts. At the same time, the study of Druids and Celts began, leading to some often bizarre but persistent claims, such as the idea that megalithic monuments across Europe were Druid temples, although they did not appear in historical records until thousands of years later.

Conclusion

Ancient Druids held an important place in Celtic society, combining the roles of priests, healers, astronomers, and lawmakers. They were not only religious leaders, but also guardians of knowledge and cultural traditions that were passed down from generation to generation. Today, the legacy of the Druids continues to excite the minds of historians, archaeologists, and mythology buffs. Their mysterious rituals, knowledge of nature and magical practices remain the subject of much research and speculation. Despite the destruction and loss caused by conquest and religious paradigm shifts, the Druids have left their mark on history, reminding us of the richness and depth of ancient Celtic cultures.

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