• The Celtic Druids

  • Jul 8 2024
  • Length: 13 mins
  • Podcast

The Celtic Druids

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  • Summary

  • The Druids, the high priests of a largely enigmatic religion, occupied the pinnacle of Celtic society. They were considered custodians of ancient wisdom rooted in natural magic. But what do we truly know about them? What traces have they left behind?Historians have identified possible Druidic ritual sacrifices in the necropolises of pre-Roman Gaul, practices long associated with Druidic rituals. Others point to astronomical references, like those found on the Coligny calendar, as evidence of Druidic connection to the stars. However, these remain hypotheses. To date, no archaeological sources directly document the Druids. Our knowledge comes solely from Greek and Roman chronicles of the time, as the Celts themselves left behind no written record.

    Posidonius of Apamea, writing in the 1st century BCE, is among the first to mention the Druids. He describes Gallic society as having three revered classes: the bards, the seers (prophets), and the Druids. Bards were composers of hymns and poems. Seers held religious positions, officiated at sacred ceremonies, and studied nature. Druids, however, were considered the most just. They served as judges in public and private disputes, influenced warfare, and even participated in battles. They preached the immortality of the soul and the universe, prophesying "that a time will come when fire and water will prevail over everything else."

    At the end of this brief description, however, another aspect of the druidic profession is mentioned. This aspect has unleashed the imagination of chroniclers since its first appearance in the sources. Over the centuries, these chroniclers have embellished the story with increasingly macabre and bloody details. I am, of course, referring to the celebration of ritual sacrifices.
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