Like the word "witch," "druid" signifies many things to various individuals, each of whom may fervently think that their meaning is the only one that is right.
Perhaps unintentionally, “druid” has been used as a synonym for “witch,” “wizard,” “sorcerer,” or “magician” in the past.
Druids were used in the nineteenth century to refer to any kind of magical practitioner, including individuals who had no connection to ancient Druidry; some people still use the term in this way today.
According to Pliny the Elder's writings from the first century CE, the term "druid" is said to stem from the Indo-European root "dru" meaning oak. In their Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom (Element Books, 1994), modern Celtic academics Caitlin and John Matthews claim that the term druid comes from a Sanskrit root word that means "to see" or "to know."
- Druid was a designation given to a career, spiritual vocation, and/or sociological class in the ancient Celtic society.
- Druids acted as royal counselors, protectors of the oral heritage, and mediators between humans and spirits. There were both female and male Druids.
- Druidry has a complicated and enigmatic past. The Druids depended only on oral transmission of knowledge; there are no written documents from their point of view.
BOOKS: Druid Books from the Library of the Lost.
The only sources of knowledge on the Druids are outside observers who were largely antagonistic to them, such as Julius Caesar and Pliny the Elder, both of whom are historically significant Roman sources.
- “The Druids—how that's they refer to their sorcerers...” (Natural History XVI, 95, Pliny).
- Druids presided over spiritual ceremonies, oversaw religious sacrifices, and acted as spiritual arbiters, making judgements and judgements on religious matters, according to Julius Caesar.
- Druids studied for 20 years before being deemed masters of their disciplines, according to him.
Druids are significant in Irish and Welsh mythology, yet these ancient Pagan legends were initially written down by Christian monks who could not be considered impartial (albeit these scribes may have been Druids' ancestors).
• The Ulster Cycle, which was written between the seventh and twelfth centuries but is thought to mirror older oral traditions
• Saint Patrick's Chronicles, in which the Druids are his foes
• The Fenian Cycle, which dates from the 12th century. Finn is raised by two heavenly foster moms, one of which is a "wise lady" and the other a "Druidess."
The Druids were magicians, but they were not minor people hiding in society's shadows.
- Rather, Druids were prominent, prominent, influential, and politically powerful individuals who were held in high regard by the general populace.
- A Druid's "honor price" (necessary restitution for damage or insult) was equivalent to a king's.
- Druids are often referred to as "magicians" in ancient texts.
- These allusions, on the other hand, came from Romans who had unfavorable views about magic and felt that in order to defeat the Celts, strong opponents, they needed to first cripple and remove the Druids.
- Druids led an active resistance effort against the Roman conquerors of Britain.
Druidry was outlawed in Britain after the Roman conquest, and the Druid stronghold at Anglesey, an island off the coast of northern Wales, was destroyed.
“Black-robed ladies with unkempt hair, carrying torches,” Tacitus described the sight. Nearby, Druids raised their palms to heaven and screamed terrible curses.” (Annals XIV 30. Tacitus.)
Druidesses served as fortune-tellers for Emperors Severus Alexander and Diocletian in the third century, despite the fact that Druidism was outlawed and Druids were punished by Rome throughout the first century CE.
- Diocletian's reverence for the Druids is explained by folklore.
- Diocletian was chastised for leaving a low tip by a Druidess who saw him paying his tab at a bar while still in the Roman army.
- When Diocletian became emperor, he joked that he'd be more charitable. The Druidess chastised him for being sarcastic, but then foretold that he would become Emperor "after he killed the boar." Her prophesy came true: Diocletian became Emperor after assassinating Aper, the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, whose name meant "boar" in Latin.
Even when Christianity became a prominent power in Ireland in the fifth century, Druidic rituals persisted.
- Druids are commonly depicted in Christian scriptures as being anti-Christian.
- A protracted fight between Saint Berach and local Druids determined not to be displaced by Christianity or dispossessed of their territories is chronicled in the seventh-century Life of Saint Berach.
- Berach invokes Satanism when he says to a Druid, "Your father, Satan, having been driven out of heavenly inheritance... you are consequently not suitable to occupy this territory entrusted to God."
- King's must fulfill the admonition not to listen to Druids, augurs, or sorceresses' beliefs, according to early eighth-century Irish canons.
Druidry's spirit is being revived and preserved by a number of current Neo-Pagan traditions.
The Druids left no monuments, preferring to teach in forests and caverns, where they also performed ceremonies. Chartres' cathedral was erected on top of a holy Druid site.
DIVINE WITCH: Dahut.
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