In the Celtic Religion Celtic religion refers the pre-Christian religious beliefs and practices of the Celtic speaking peoples. Strictly speaking it cannot be called a religion, as there were several different nations which fall under the term and may or may not have regarded their religious beliefs as being the same... Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient Druid can refer to: a priest of the religion of the ancient Celts, see Druidry. a rank within the Gorsedd of Bards. Neo-druidism, a modern Neo-pagan religious practice. in role-playing games, a druid is a character that represents a magic-user, often with the ability to transform... druids, the priestly class in ancient This article is about the European people. For the tool, see celt (tool). For other uses see Celtic (disambiguation). In ancient times, the Celts were a number of interrelated peoples in central Europe sharing a branch of Indo-European languages indicative of a common origin. Today, Celtic is often used... Celtic societies through much of Western Europe is distinguished from Central Europe and Eastern Europe by differences of history and culture rather than by geography. However, these boundaries of Europe are subject to considerable overlap and fluctuation, which makes differentiation difficult. Thus the concept of Western Europe is associated with liberal democracy; and its countries... Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles is also an old name for the Great Britain, Great Britain Ireland The Isle of Man The Isle of Wight The Northern Isles, including Orkney, Shetland and Fair Isle The Hebrides, including the Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides and Small Isles Rockall The islands of the lower Firth of... British Isles. Druidic practices were part of the culture of all the tribal peoples called Keltoi and Galatai by Greeks and Celtae and Galli by Romans, which evolved into modern English "Celtic" and " Gallia (in English Gaul) is the Latin name for the region of western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. (Gallia is also the Modern Greek name of France.) In English the... Gaulish".

Modern attempts at reconstructing practising druidism are called Neo-druidism is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient religion of druidism. Contents // Neo-druidism in America The Mother Grove of the RDNA The founding of the first congregation of the Reformed Druids of North America, or RDNA, at Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, in 1963 marked the start of at... Neo-druidism.

From what little we know of late druidic practice it appears deeply traditional, and conservative in the sense that the druids were conserving repositories of culture and lore. It is impossible now to judge whether this continuity had deep historical roots and originated in the social transformations of late This article or section should be merged with La Tene culture La Tène is a village near the Neuenburger See, also called Lac du Neuchâtel, a lake in Switzerland. It is both an archaeological site and the eponymous site for the late Iron Age La Tène culture... La Tene time, or whether there had been a discontinuity and a druidic religious innovation. The Etymology is the study of the origins of words. Some words have been derived from other languages, possibly in a changed form (the source words are called etymons). Through old texts and comparisons with other languages, etymologists try to reconstruct the history of words — when they entered a language... etymological origins of the word druid are varied and doubtful enough that the word may be The Pre-Indo-European population of Europe included an unknown number of ethnic groups in Europe before the coming of the speakers of Indo-European languages. It is difficult to ascertain if and how those groups were related to each other. Some scholars state that these Pre-Indo-European languages... pre-Indo-European. The most widespread view is that "druid" derives from the Celtic word for an oak tree (doire in Irish Goidelic is one of two major divisions of modern-day Celtic languages (the other being Brythonic). It is also known as Q-Celtic, because of the way that words in Brythonic that begin with B or P begin with C or K in Goidelic languages. This grouping is also sometimes... Gaelic), a word whose root also meant "wisdom."

Their influence was as much social as religious. Druids used not only to take the part that modern Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. Priests have been known since the earliest times and in the simplest societies (see shaman and oracle). There are priests... priests would, but were often the A philosopher is a person devoted to studying and producing results in philosophy. The word, philosopher, literally means lover of wisdom. Popular Western philosophers in (approximate) historical order Not listed above: (some of) The Presocratics -- Epicurus place after Aristotle --Hellenistic Philosophers -- Cicero -- Avicenna -- Sir Thomas Browne -- Francis Bacon -- Thomas Reid... philosophers, A scientist is a person who is expert in an area of science and who uses scientific methods in research. Traditionally mathematics has been grouped with the sciences, but in modern times people tend not to regard mathematicians as scientists. Mathematical discoveries generally appear to be arrived at differently than... scientists, lore-masters, In education, teachers are those who teach students or pupils, often a course of study or a practical skill. There are many different ways to teach and help students learn. When deciding what teaching method to use, a teacher will need to consider students background knowledge, environment, and their learning... teachers, A judge or justice is an appointed or elected official who presides over a court. The powers, functions, and training of judges varies widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. A judge can also be simply a qualified person who evaluates and passes judgement on anything; for example, a judge at a... judges and A councillor is a member of a council (such as a city council), particularly in the U.K. and its former colonies. The US equivalent is councilman or councilwoman. It is not the same as a counselor, who provides counsel or advice. English Councillors In the United Kingdom, Councillors are... councillors to the This article treats the generic title monarch. For the origins of the word king and its English use, see Germanic king. For other meanings of the word, see Monarch (disambiguation) A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state. The word derives from Greek monos archein, meaning one... kings. The Druids linked the Celtic peoples with their numerous gods, the lunar calendar and the sacred natural order. With the arrival of Christianity in each area, all these roles were assumed by the Bishop (disambiguation). A bishop is an ordained priest who holds a specific position of authority in any of a number of Christian churches. Bishops in the New Testament The bishops role is typically called the episcopacy, because the word bishop is derived ultimately from the Greek word episkopos (ε... bishop and the An abbot (from the Hebrew ab, a father, through the Syriac abba, Latin abbas (genitive form, abbatis), Old English abbad, ; German Abt; French abb ) is the head and chief governor of a community of monks, called also in the East hegumenos or archimandrite. The English version for a female... abbot, who were never the same individual, however, and might find themselves in direct competition.

Our historical knowledge of the druids is very limited. Druidic lore consisted of a large number of verses learned by heart, and we are told that sometimes twenty years were required to complete the course of study. There may have been a Druidic teaching center on [The Isle of] Anglesey or Anglesea ( Welsh: [Ynys] Môn, pronounced as Uh-niss Mawn, in IPA), is an island and county at the Western extremity of North Wales. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow stretch of water called the Menai Strait. It is connected to... Anglesey (Ynys Môn) centred on magical lakes, but what was taught, whether poetry, astronomy or whether possibly even the Greek language, is conjecture. Of their oral literature of sacred songs, formulas for prayers and incantations, rules of divination and magic, not one verse has survived, even in translation, nor is there even a legend that we can call purely druidic, without a Christian overlay or interpretation.

Much traditional rural religious practice can still be discerned beneath Christian interpretation, nevertheless, and survives in practices like A jack-o-lantern Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31, usually by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. It is celebrated in much of the Western world, though most commonly in the United States, Ireland, Scotland and Canada. Irish, Scots... Halloween observances, Corn dollies are a form of straw work associated with harvest customs. The Druids believed that the corn spirit lived amongst the crop, and the harvest made it effectively homeless. Therefore, they fashioned hollow shapes from the last sheaf of wheat or other cereal crop. The corn spirit would then... corn dollies and other harvest rituals, the myths of Puck is a mischievous pre-Christian nature spirit, a woodwose in the archetype of the Horned God. The pagan trickster was reimagined in Old English puca (cf. Old Norse puki, Christianized as devil) as a kind of half-tamed woodland sprite, leading folk astray with echoes and lights in nighttime... Puck, Woodwoses support coats of arms in the side panels of a portrait by Albrecht Dürer, 1499 (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) The Woodwose or hairy wildman of the woods was the Sasquatch figure of pre-Christian Gaul, in Anglo-Saxon a wuduwasa. Woodwoses appear in the carved and painted bosses where... woodwoses, "lucky" and "unlucky" plants and animals and the like. Orally-transmitted material may have exaggerated deep origins in antiquity, however, and is constantly subject to influence from surrounding culture.

Roman sources

We find in This article is about Julius Caesar the Roman dictator. For alternative meanings: Julius Caesar (disambiguation). Bust of Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (Latin: C·IVLIVS·C·F·C·N·CAESAR¹) (July 13, 100 BC–March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader whose conquest of Gallia... Caesar's About the Gallic War (De Bello Gallico), sometimes The Conquest of Gaul, is an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul. In it Caesar vividly describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies that opposed... Gallic Wars the first and fullest account of the Druids. Caesar notes that all men of any rank and dignity in Gaul were included either among the Druids or among the nobles, two separate classes. The Druids constituted the learned priestly class, and they were guardians of the unwritten ancient customary law and had the power of executing judgment, of which excommunication from society was the most dreaded. Druids were not a hereditary caste, though they enjoyed exemption from service in the field as well as from payment of taxes. The course of training to which a novice had to submit was protracted. All instruction was communicated orally, but for ordinary purposes, Caesar reports, the Gauls had a written language in which they used the Greek characters. No druidic documents have survived. "The principal point of their doctrine", says Caesar, "is that the soul does not die and that after death it passes from one body into another" (see Reincarnation, also called metempsychosis or transmigration of souls, is the rebirth in another body (after physical death), of some critical part of a persons personality or spirit. Its occurrence is a central tenet of Hinduism, Jainism, some African religions, as well as various other religions and philosophies. Most modern... metempsychosis). This led several ancient writers to the unlikely conclusion that the druids must have been influenced by the teachings of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras (582 BC – 496 BC, Greek: Πυθαγόρας) was an Ionian mathematician and philosopher, known best for formulating the Pythagorean theorem. Bust of Pythagoras Known as the father of numbers, he made influential contributions to Greek philosophy and religious teaching in the... Pythagoras. Caesar also notes the druidic sense of the guardian spirit of the tribe, whom he translated as Dispater, with a general sense of Father For the French nuclear ballistic missile system, see Hades (missile). Hades (Greek: ‘Άιδης - Háidēs or ‘Άδης - Hadēs) (unseen) means both the ancient Greek abode of the dead and the god of that Underworld. Haidou was the... Hades.

Writers like Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian, born at Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira, in the province of Enna). Jerome dates Diodorus floruit to 49 BC (Chronica, s.a. Abraham 1968), which is supported by Diodorus own statements. The earliest date Diodorus mentions is his visit to Egypt in the... Diodorus and Strabo (squinty) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called Pompeius Strabo. A native of Sicily so clear sighted that he could see things at great distance as if they were nearby was also called Strabo. Strabo... Strabo with less firsthand experience than Caesar, were of the opinion that this class included Druids, bards and soothsayers.

Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest Roman geographer. His little work (De situ orbis libri III.) is a mere compendium, occupying less than one hundred pages of ordinary print, dry in style and deficient in method, but of pure Latinity, and occasionally relieved by pleasing word... Pomponius Mela is the first author who says that their instruction was secret and carried on in caves and forests. We know that certain groves within forests were sacred because Romans and Christians alike cut them down and burned the wood. Human sacrifice is sometimes attributed to druidism; it was an old inheritance in Europe, (although this might be Roman propaganda). The Gauls were accustomed to offer human sacrifices, usually criminals.

Britain was a headquarters of Druidism, but once every year a general assembly of the order was held within the territories of the The Carnutes (Latin Carnuti), a powerful Celtic people in the heart of independent Gaul, dwelled in a particularly extensive territory between the Sequana (Seine) and the Liger (Loire) rivers. Their lands later corresponded to the dioceses of Chartres, Orleans and Blois, that is, the greater part of the modern departments... Carnutes in Gaul.

Cicero remarks on the existence among the Gauls of augurs or soothsayers, known by the name of Druids; he had made the acquaintance of one Divitiacus, an Aeduan. Diodorus informs us that a sacrifice acceptable to the gods must be attended by a Druid, for they are the intermediaries. Before a battle they often throw themselves between two armies to bring about peace.

Druids were seen as essentially non-Roman: a prescript of Augustus Caesar Caesar Augustus (Latin: IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS)¹ (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known earlier in his life as Gaius Octavius or Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, was the first Roman Emperor and is traditionally considered the greatest. Although he preserved the outward form of... Augustus forbade Roman citizens to practise druidical rites. In Strabo (squinty) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called Pompeius Strabo. A native of Sicily so clear sighted that he could see things at great distance as if they were nearby was also called Strabo. Strabo... Strabo we find the Druids still acting as arbiters in public and private matters, but they no longer deal with cases of murder. Under Emperor Tiberius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar (November 16, 42 BC–March 16, AD 37) was the second Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from AD 14 until his death. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian—son of Tiberius Nero and Livia—and was the adopted... Tiberius the Druids were suppressed by a decree of the Senate, but this had to be renewed by For other Romans named Claudius see Claudius (gens). Emperor Claudius Claudian letters Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Drusus (August 1, 10 BC - October 13, 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24th 41 to his death... Claudius in 54 CE. In Pliny their activity is limited to the practice of medicine and sorcery. According to him, the Druids held the mistletoe in the highest veneration. Groves of oak were their chosen retreat. When thus found, the mistletoe was cut with a golden knife by a priest clad in a white robe, two white bulls being sacrificed on the spot.

This article is about the historian Tacitus. For the Emperor Tacitus, see Marcus Claudius Tacitus. Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (c. 55–c. 117), Roman orator, lawyer, and senator, is considered one of antiquitys greatest historians. His major works—the Annals and the Histories... Tacitus, in describing the attack made on the island of Mona ( [The Isle of] Anglesey or Anglesea ( Welsh: [Ynys] Môn, pronounced as Uh-niss Mawn, in IPA), is an island and county at the Western extremity of North Wales. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow stretch of water called the Menai Strait. It is connected to... Anglesey or Ynys Mon in Welsh) by the Romans under Suetonius Paulinus, represents the legionaries as being awestruck on landing by the appearance of a band of Druids, who, with hands uplifted towards heaven, poured forth terrible imprecations on the heads of the invaders. The courage of the Romans, however, soon overcame such fears; the Britons were put to flight; and the sacred groves of Mona were cut down.

After the 1st century CE, the continental Druids disappeared entirely, and were only referred to on very rare occasions. Ausonius, for instance, apostrophizes the rhetorician Attius Patera as sprung from a race of Druids.

Early Druids in Britain

The story of Vortigern was a fifth century warlord, traditionally said to have invited the Anglo-Saxons to settle in Britain as mercenaries, who later revolted and established their own kingdoms. The details of his story have varied over the years as his story was retold. The Tales of Vortigern Gildas The first... Vortigern as reported by Nennius, or Nemnivus, is the name of two shadowy personages traditionally associated with the history of Wales. The better known of the two is Nennius, the student of Elvodugus. Elvodugus is commonly identified with the bishop Elfoddw of Gwynedd, who convinced the rest of the Welsh portion of Celtic Christianity... Nennius is one of the very few glimpses of Druidic survival in Britain after the Roman conquest. After being excommunicated by This is not the 6th century bishop of Paris, canonized as Saint Germain of Paris, who founded an abbey in the fields near Paris, now the church of Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Germanus of Auxerre, known in France and elsewhere as Germain of Auxerre (c. AD 378 - 31 July 448... Germanus, the British leader invites twelve Druids to assist him. In Irish literature, however, the Druids are frequently mentioned, and their functions in the island seem to correspond fairly well to those of Gaul. The functions of Druids we here find distributed amongst Druids, bards and poets, but even in very early times the poet has usurped many of the duties of the Druid (at least to judge from poetry) and finally supplants him with the spread of Christianity.

The most important Irish documents are contained in manuscripts of the 12th century, but the texts themselves go back in large measure to about 700. In the heroic cycles the Druids do not appear to have formed any corporation, nor do they seem to have been exempt from military service. Cathbu ( Cathbad is the chief druid in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. In his younger days he was a warrior, leading a landless band of twenty-seven men. Once he led a raid on the house where the Ulster princess Ness was brought... Cathbad), the Druid connected with Conchobar, king of Ulster, in the older cycle is accompanied by a number of youths (100 according to the oldest version) who are desirous of learning his art. The Druids are represented as being able to foretell the future: before setting out on the great expedition against For other places and things named Ulster, see Ulster (disambiguation). Ulster (Irish: Uladh) is a province of Ireland. It has a population of just under 2 million people and an area of 24,481 square kilometres (8,952 square miles). Its capital and biggest city is Belfast (Béal Feirste... Ulster, In Irish mythology Medb (Medhbh, Maeve) is queen of Connacht during the events of the Ulster Cycle. Her father was Eochaid Feidlech, the High King of Ireland. Her husband is Ailill, athough she had several husbands before him, all of whom were kings of Connacht while they were married to... Medb, queen of Connaught, goes to consult her Druid, and just before the famous heroine Derdriu (Deirdre) is born, Cathbu prophesies what sort of a woman she will be. Druids also have magical skills: the hero Young Cúchulainn, 1912 illustration by Stephen Reid. In Irish mythology Cúchulainn (also spelled Cú Chulainn) is the pre-eminent hero of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle. His mother was Deichtine, sister of king Conchobar mac Nessa; his father was either the god Lugh, or Deichtines mortal husband... Cuchulainn has returned from the land of the fairies after having been enticed thither by a fairywoman named Fand, whom he is now unable to forget. He is given a potion by some Druids, which banishes all memory of his recent adventures and which also rids his wife Emer of the pangs of jealousy. More remarkable still is the story of Etain. This lady, now the wife of Eochaid Arem, high-king of Ireland, was in a former existence the beloved of the god Mider, who again seeks her love and carries her off. The king has recourse to his Druid Dalgn, who requires a whole year to discover the haunt of the couple. This he accomplished by means of four wands of yew inscribed with ogam characters. The following description of the band of Cathbus Druids occurs in the epic tale, the The Táin Bó Cúailnge, or Cattle Raid of Cooley, is the central tale in the Ulster Cycle, one of the four great cycles that make up the surviving corpus of Irish mythology. It is recorded in the Old Irish language, and is written mainly in... Táin bó Cuailnge: The attendant raises his eyes towards heaven and observes the clouds and answers the band around him. They all raise their eyes towards heaven, observe the clouds, and hurl spells against the elements, so that they arouse strife amongst them and clouds of fire are driven towards the camp of the men of Ireland. We are further told that at the court of Conchobar no one had the right to speak before the Druids had spoken. In other texts the Druids are able to produce insanity.

Druidic sites

Sites associated with druidry include:

• The Isle of Anglesey or Anglesea (Welsh: Ynys Môn pronounced Uh-niss Mawn), is an island and county in north-west Wales. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow stretch of water called the Menai Strait. It is connected to the mainland by two bridges, the original Menai Suspension Bridge... Ynys Mon
• Wistman's Wood on Dartmoor is a National Park in the centre of the English county of Devon. It covers 368 square miles (953 km²). Introduction High Willhays, the highest point on Dartmoor and southern England at 621m (2037ft) above sea level, with Yes Tor beyond. The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period... Dartmoor

In Christian literature

In the lives of saints, martyrs and missionaries, the Druids are represented as magicians and diviners opposing the Christian missionaries, though we find two of them acting as tutors to the daughters of Lóegaire (Loeguire, Láegaire, Laoghaire, sometimes anglicised as Leary), son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Lóegaire was a semi-legendary High King of Ireland and succeded his father Niall Noigíallach. Four years into this reign St. Patrick appeared in Ireland. He is... Lóegaire mac Néill, the The office of High King of Ireland (Irish: Ard Rí Érenn) was in origin a pseudohistorial construct of the eighth century that placed a king of all Ireland atop the fragmented pyramid of kingship that actually existed at that time. This notion of a high kingship acted as a spur... High King, at the coming of Statue of Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (died March 17, 462, 492, or 493), is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born somewhere along the west coast of Britain in the little settlement or village of Bannavem of Taburnia (vico banavem taburniae in his Confession), which has never been securely... Saint Patrick. They are represented as endeavouring to prevent the progress of Patrick and Saint Columba by raising clouds and mist. Before the battle of Culdremne (561) a Druid made an airbe drtiad (fence of protection?) round one of the armies, but what is precisely meant by the phrase is obscure. The Irish Druids seem to have had a peculiar tonsure. The word drtu is always used to render the Latin magus, and in one passage St Columba speaks of Christ as his Druid.

This account partly depends on information from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911 and the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1908.

External link

• Encyclopedia of the Celts: "Druids" (http://celt.net/Celtic/celtopedia/d.html)
• John Patrick Parle, "Story of the Celts" (http://realmagick.com/articles/05/1305.html) A simple introduction.

Late Druidic survivals in Flanders

The people of Flanders and the Low Countries remained pagan as late as the 7th century CE, when Signature of St. Eloy (Eligius), Financier and Minister to Dagobert I.; from the Charter of Foundation of the Abbey of Solignac (Mabillon, Da Re Diplomatica). Saint Eligius (French St. Eloi) (ca. 588-590 - December 1, 659 or 660) is the Catholic patron saint of goldsmiths and other metalworkers. Eligius was... Saint Eligius travelled from Antwerp to Friesland, preaching and converting them to Christianity. One of the best glimpses of late Druidic practices comes from the Vita of Eligius written by Ouen, his contemporary and companion. Ouen drew together the familiar admonitions of Eligius to the pagans in Flanders. "It does not represent anything he said in a particular day in order" Ouen cautioned, "but is a digest of the precepts which he taught the people at all times."

Eligius in his sermons denounced "sacrilegious pagan customs." The following excerpted quotes from Ouen's Vita of Eligius are instructive, for the negative description they offer of some late druidic practices in Flanders:

"For no cause or infirmity should you consult magicians, diviners, sorcerers or incantators, or presume to question them."

"Do not observe The Augur was a priest or official in ancient Rome. His main role was take auspices: interpreting the will of the gods by studying the flight of the birds. The position as augur was a very central one, as the Romans rarely did anything important without the consensus of the... auguries or violent sneezing or pay attention to any little birds singing along the road. If you are distracted on the road or at any other work, make the sign of the cross and say your Sunday prayers with faith and devotion and nothing inimical can hurt you."

"No Christian should be concerned about which day he leaves home or which day he returns, because God has made all days. No influence attaches to the first work of the day or the [phase of the] moon; nothing is ominous or ridiculous about the The Kalends ( Latin k/calendæ, -arum), (or calends) correspond to the first days of each month of the Roman calendar. This term can be traced back to the Etruscans, which could explain the appearance of the letter k, a letter less favoured by Latin than the letter c (the... Calends of January [what we would call This article is about January 1st in the Gregorian calendar. For all other New Year celebrations, see New Year. New Years Day is the first day of the year, in the Gregorian calendar. In modern times, it is January 1. In most countries, it is a holiday. It is... ].

"[Do not] make vetulas, (little figures of the Old Woman), little deer or iotticos or set tables [for the house-elf, compare Puck is a mischievous pre-Christian nature spirit, a woodwose in the archetype of the Horned God. The pagan trickster was reimagined in Old English puca (cf. Old Norse puki, Christianized as devil) as a kind of half-tamed woodland sprite, leading folk astray with echoes and lights in nighttime... Puck] at night or exchange New Years' gifts or supply superfluous drinks [a Yule is the winter solstice Blót (celebration) in Asatru, the pagan practices of the Germanic peoples prior to the arrival of Christianity. Today, it is also one of the eight solar holidays, or sabbats, of Neopaganism. In modern neopaganism, Yule is celebrated on the winter solstice: in the northern... Yule custom]."

"No Christian gives credence to impurity or sits in incantation, because the work is diabolic. No Christian on the Midsummer celebration, Åmmeberg, Sweden Midsummer is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice. In the old Germanic calendar, it was referred to as Litha, a term still in use today but seemingly limited to modern Pagans (called neopagans). Midsummer-related holidays, traditions and celebrations, most of which are... feast of Saint John* or the solemnity of any other saint performs solestitia [summer solstice rites] or dancing or leaping or diabolical chants."

• The Christian The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the Sun in relation to the celestial equator. The summer solstice is the date with the longest day and hence with the shortest night. This date usually falls on June 21/June 22 (in the Northern hemisphere) or December... summer solstice feast of Saint John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer or John the Dipper) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. According to the Gospel of Luke, he was a relative of Jesus. That he was a prophet is asserted by the Gospels of the... John the Baptist is still celebrated with A bonfire or balefire is a large controlled outdoor fire made from bales of straw or wood. The word is believed to be a corruption of bone fire deriving from a Celtic midsummer festival where animal bones were burnt to ward off evil spirits. In Great Britain, bonfires are particularly... bonfires on June 24th, though the Precession (also called gyroscopic precession) is the phenomenon by which the axis of a spinning object (e.g. a part of a gyroscope) wobbles when a torque is applied to it. The phenomenon is commonly seen in a spinning toy top, but all rotating objects can undergo precession. As a... precession of the equinoxes has shifted the actual equinox forward in the calendar. See entry Midsummer celebration, Åmmeberg, Sweden Midsummer is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice. In the old Germanic calendar, it was referred to as Litha, a term still in use today but seemingly limited to modern Pagans (called neopagans). Midsummer-related holidays, traditions and celebrations, most of which are... Midsummer.

"No Christian should presume to invoke the name of a demon, not Neptune or In Roman mythology, Orcus was a god of the underworld, punisher of broken oaths, more equivalent to Pluto than to the Greek Hades. The origins of Orcus may have lain in Etruscan religion. Orcus was a name used by Roman writers to identify a Gaulish god of the underworld. The... Orcus* or Diana or Minerva or Geniscus or believe in these inept beings in any way. No one should observe Jove's day in idleness without holy festivities not in May or any other time, not days of Larvae are the plural of larva, juvenile form of animals with indirect development. See larva In Roman mythology, the Larvae were the spectres or spirits of the dead; they were the malignant version of the Lares. Some Roman writers describe Lemures as the common name for all the spirits of... larvae** or mice or any day but Sunday. No Christian should make or render any devotion to the gods of the trivium, where three roads meet [cf. In later Greek mythology, Hecate (or Hekate; Greek Ἑκάτη Hekátē) was scarcely more than the goddess of witchcraft and sorcery. She was not usually portrayed at all, though she was described as having three heads: one dog, one serpent and one horse. She had... ], to the fanes or the rocks, or springs or groves or corners."

• Orcus, a chthonic Etruscan/Roman god of the underworld, who enforced the sacredness of oaths and avenged the broken word. (An essay on Hades/Orcus. (http://paganinstitute.org/p-hades_essay.html))
• Larvae ("malignant spirits") in this Latin text more specifically refer to the Roman In Roman religion, the Feast of the Lemures, called the Lemuralia or Lemuria was a feast during which the ancient Romans performed rites to exorcise the malevolent and fearful ghosts of the dead from their homes. The unwholesome and malevolent sprectres of the restless dead (lemures) were propitiated with offerings... Feast of the Lemures, propitiating the dead, rather than to the Celtic propitiation, which was at Samhain (pron: sow-Ain) is the winter season of the ancient Celts. The name is also used for one of the sabbats in the Neo-Pagan wheel of the year. Celts According to the Celtic calendar, the year was divided into two halves, the dark half, consisting of Samhain (winter... Samhain.

"None should presume to hang any phylacteries* from the neck of man nor beast, even if they are made by priests and it is said that they contain holy things and divine scripture, because there is no remedy of Christ in these things but only the devil's poison."

• Gregory of Tours (c. 538 - November 17, 594?) was a Gallo-Roman historian and bishop of Tours, which made him the leading prelate of Gaul. He wrote in a clumsy, ungrammatical and barbarized late Latin attempt at a literary style, which is full of vitality nevertheless and many Frankish and... Gregory of Tours set great store by phylacteries.

"None should presume to make lustrations or incantations with herbs, or to pass cattle through a hollow tree or ditch because this is to consecrate them to the devil. No woman should presume to hang AMBER (an acronym for Assisted Model Building and Energy Refinement) is a force field for molecular dynamics developed by Peter Kollmans group in the University of California, San Francisco. AMBER is also the name for the molecular dynamics simulation package associated with this force field. A notable use of... amber from her neck or call upon Minerva or other ill-starred beings in their weaving or dyeing but in all works give thanks only to Christ and confide in the power of his name with all your hearts. None should presume to shout when the moon is obscured, for by God's order eclipses happen at certain times. Nor should they fear the new moon or abandon work because of it. For God made the moon for this, to mark time and temper the darkness of night, not impede work nor make men mad as the foolish imagine, who believe lunatics are invaded by demons from the moon. None should call the sun or moon lord or swear by them because they are God's creatures and they serve the needs of men by God's order."

"No one should tell fate or fortune or horoscopes by them as those do who believe that a person must be what he was born to be."

"Above all, should any infirmity occur, do not seek incantators or diviners or sorcerers or magicians, do not use diabolic phylacteries through springs and groves or crossroads. But let the invalid confide solely in the mercy of God and take the body and blood of Christ with faith and devotion and ask the church faithfully for blessing and oil, with which he might anoint his body in the name of Christ and, according to the apostle, "the prayer of faith will save the infirm and the Lord will relieve him."

"Diabolical games and dancing or chants of the gentiles will be forbidden. No Christian will do them because he thus makes himself pagan. Nor is it right that diabolical canticles should proceed from a Christian mouth where the sacrament of Christ is placed, which it becomes always to praise God. Therefore, brothers, spurn all inventions of the enemy with all your heart and flee these sacrileges with all horror. Venerate no creature beyond God and his saints. Shun springs and arbors which they call sacred. You are forbidden to make the crook which they place on the crossroads and wherever you find one you should burn it with fire. For you must believe that you can be saved by no other art than the invocation and cross of Christ. For how will it be if groves where these miserable men make their devotions, are felled and the wood from them given to the furnace? See how foolish man is, to offer honor to insensible, dead trees and despise the precepts of God almighty. Do not believe that the sky or the stars or the earth or any creature should be adored beyond God for he created and disposes of them all."

Revival

In the (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. Historians will sometimes specifically refer to the 18th century as 1715-1789, denoting the period of time between the death... 18th century, England and Wales experienced a Druid revival, inspired by e. g. John Aubrey (March 12, 1626 - June, 1697) was an English antiquary and writer, best known as the author of a work usually referred to as Brief Lives. He was born at Maston Pierse or Percy, near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, of a wealthy and famous family of the border region. He was... John Aubrey, John Toland is also the name of an American author who was famous for his biography of Adolf Hitler. John Toland (November 30, 1670 - March 11, 1722) was the illegitimate son of a Catholic priest born in the village of Ardagh, Donegal, Ireland. His book Christianity Not Mysterious (1696) was... John Toland and William Stukely. There is strong evidence to suggest that William Blake (November 28, 1757- August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker, or Author & Printer, as he signed many of his books. Early career Blake was born at 28 Broad Street, Golden Square, London into a middle-class family. His artistic talent was noticed and encouraged... William Blake was involved in the Druid revival and may have been an Archdruid. Aubrey was the first modern writer to connect Stonehenge Stonehenge is a Neolithic and Bronze Age monument located near Amesbury in Wiltshire, England, about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury. It is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones, known as megaliths. There is some debate about the age of the stone circle... Stonehenge and other Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany A megalith is a large stone which has been used to construct a structure or monument either alone or with other stones. Megalithic means made of such stones, but without the use of mortar or cement. The word megalith comes from the Ancient Greek megas... megalithic monuments with Druidry, 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, though Aubrey, an uninhibited collector of lore and gossip, never entered a corroborating word in his voluminous surviving notebooks. 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 Events January 4 — The Britain & France sign Triple Alliance March 2 — Dancer John Weaver performs in the first ballet in Britain shown in Drury Lane The Loves of Mars and Venus March 31 - Bishop Benjamin Hoadly, acting on the advice of King George begins the Bangorian Controversy... 1717. The Ancient Order of Druids itself was founded in Events January 5 - American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold. January 30 - Articles of Confederation ratified by 13th state, Maryland. January - William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister, enters Parliament. March 1 - American Continental Congress implements the Articles of Confederation. March 13... 1781, led by Henry Hurle and apparently incorporating American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. Its members are joined together by shared ideals of both a moral and metaphysical nature, and, in most of its branches, by a common belief in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry is an esoteric art, in that certain aspects of its... Masonic ideas. A central figure of the Druidic revival is Edward Williams, better known as Iolo Morganwg (or Morgannwg in modern spelling) was the bardic name of Edward Williams (Llancarfan, Glamorgan, Wales 1747-1826). The name is Welsh for Ned of Glamorgan. Edward Williams spent his working life as a stonemason. It is as Iolo Morganwg that he is remembered, chiefly for his role in... Iolo Morganwg. His writings, published posthumously as The Iolo Manuscripts ( 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). Events Monument for the leaders of the 1848 Matale rebellion, Sri Lanka The Revolution of 1848 (qv.), a series of widespread but failed struggles for more liberal governments, from Brazil to Hungary. January 24 - California gold... 1848), and Barddas ( Events January-March January 10 - End of term for John Gately Downey, 7th Governor of California. He is succeeded by Amasa Leland Stanford. January 30 - The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor is launched. February 1 - Julia Ward Howes Battle Hymn of the Republic is published for the... 1862), remain influential in the contemporary Druidic movements. Williams claimed to have collected ancient knowledge in a " A gorsedd (SAMPA /gO:rsED/), occasionally spelled gorseth, plural gorseddau, is a community of bards. The word means throne in Welsh. When the term is used without qualification, it usually means the national gorsedd of Wales, Gorsedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain (Welsh: the Gorsedd of Bards of the Island of Britain... Gorsedd of Bards of the Isles of Britain" he had organized, but in the 1970s, draft manuscripts of the texts were discovered among Williams' papers, exposing the texts as his own compositions.

Druidism today

For more complete details, see Neo-druidism is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient religion of druidism. Contents // Neo-druidism in America The Mother Grove of the RDNA The founding of the first congregation of the Reformed Druids of North America, or RDNA, at Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, in 1963 marked the start of at... Neo-druidism.

Modern Druidism (a.k.a. Modern Druidry) is a continuation of the 18th-century revival and is thus thought to have some, though not many, connections to the Ancient Religion. Modern Druidism has two strands, the cultural and the religious. Cultural Druids hold a competition of poetry, literature and music known as the The Eisteddfod (literally sitting) is a Welsh festival of literature, music, and song. The tradition of such a meeting of Welsh artists dates back to at least the 12th century, but with the decline of the bardic tradition fell into abeyance. The present-day format owes much to an eighteenth... Eisteddfod amongst the Celtic peoples (Welsh, Irish, Cornish, Breton, etc). Modern religious Druidry is a form of Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. As such it is considered a subcategory of Paganism. The term is used by academics and many adherents to denote those Pagan traditions which are largely modern... Neopaganism built largely around writings produced in the 18th century and later, plus the relatively sparse Roman and early medieval sources.

It is not always easy to distinguish between the two strands, because religiously-oriented Druid orders may welcome members of any or no religious background while culturally-oriented orders may not inquire about the religious beliefs of members. Both types of Druid order, then, may contain both religiously-oriented and non-religiously oriented members. Many notable Britons have been initiated into Druidic orders, including The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, FRS ( November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. At various times an author, soldier, journalist, and politician, Churchill is generally regarded as... Winston Churchill. Churchill's case illustrates the difficulty of distinguishing between the two strands, because historians are not even certain which order he joined, the Ancient Order of Druids or the Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids, let alone for what purpose he joined.

Fragments of a The Celtic calendar was and remains a way to reconcile lunar and solar years, for purposes of ritual. The oldest material Celtic calendar is the fragmented Coligny calendar, which was discovered in Coligny, France, in 1897. It dates to the 1st century BCE, a time when the Celts coexisted with... Druidic Lunar Calendar engraved on a copper sheet were discovered in Coligny in France in 1897. The "Coligny calendar" has provoked interest ever since. (See link below.)

See also

• Like other Iron Age Europeans, the Celts were a polytheistic people prior to their conversion to (Celtic) Christianity. Few of their myths have survived intact, but Celtic mythology has nevertheless influenced modern European civilisation. Celtic mythology can be divided into three main subgroups of related beliefs. Goidelic - Irish, Manx and... Celtic mythology
• Although many of the manuscripts containing texts relating to Irish mythology have failed to survive, and much more material was probably never committed to writing, there is enough remaining to enable the identification of four distinct, if overlapping, cycles: the Mythological Cycle, The Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the... Irish mythology
• In Britain, the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century AD in non-Romanised parts. Attempts to understand the human behaviour of the period have traditionally focused on Britains geographic position and its landscape along with the channels... British Iron Age
• Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The existence of similarities among the gods and religious practices of the Indo-European peoples suggests that whatever population they actually formed had some form of polytheistic religion. This theoretical religion therefore, would have been the ancestor of the majority of the polytheistic religions... Indo-European religion
• Neo-druidism is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient religion of druidism. Contents // Neo-druidism in America The Mother Grove of the RDNA The founding of the first congregation of the Reformed Druids of North America, or RDNA, at Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, in 1963 marked the start of at... Neo-Druidism

External links

• A Little History of Druidry (http://www.druidorder.demon.co.uk/druid_history.htm) by Greywolf
• The Religion of the Ancient Celts (http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/rac/index.htm) by J. A. MacCulloch (1911)
• Irish Druids And Old Irish Religions (http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/idr/index.htm) by James Bonwick (1894)
• The Veil of Isis; Or, Mysteries of the Druids (http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/motd/motd.htm) by W. Winwood Reade (1861)
• Welsh Eisteddfod (http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/)
• The Coligny Calendar (http://www.roman-britain.org/coligny.htm)
• The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (http://www.druidry.org/) The oldest and largest Druid order in the world, based in England
• Ár nDraíocht Féin (http://www.adf.org/core/) The largest American Druid order