Modern Druidism is one of the Neo-Pagan family of religions, which includes Wicca and
recreations of Egyptian, Greek, Norse, Roman and other ancient Pagan religions. Druidism is
a reconstruction of the beliefs and practices of the ancient Celtic priesthood-professional
class.
Druidism and other Neo-Pagan religions are currently experiencing a rapid growth. Many
people are attempting to rediscover their roots, their ancestral heritage. For many people
in North America, their ancestors can be traced back to Celtic countries.
Many academics believe that the ancestors of the Celts were the Proto-Indo European culture
who lived near the Black Sea circa 4000 BCE. Some migrated in a South-Westerly direction to
create the cultures of Thrace and Greece; others moved North-West to form the Baltic,
Celtic, Germanic and Slavic cultures.
Evidence of a Proto-Celtic Unetice or Urnfield culture has been found in what is now
Slovakia circa 1000 BCE. This evolved into a group of loosely linked tribes which formed the
Celtic culture circa 800 BCE. By 450 BCE they had expanded into Spain; by 400 BCE they were
in Northern Italy, and by 270 BCE, they had migrated into Galatia (central Turkey). By 200
BCE, they had occupied the British Isles, Brittany, much of modern France, Netherlands,
Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, North West Spain, and their isolated Galatia settlement in
Turkey.
Although the Celts had a written language, it was rarely used. Their religious and
philosophical beliefs were preserved in an oral tradition. Little of their early history
remains. Most of our information comes from Greek and Roman writers, who may well have been
heavily biased (the Celts invaded Rome in 390 BCE and Greece in 279 BCE). Other data comes
from the codification (and modification) of Celtic myth cycles by Christian monks.
The latter included the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle, the Cycle of Kings, the Invasion
Races Cycle from Ireland, and The Mabinogion from Wales. Unfortunately, much Celtic history
and religion has been lost or distorted by an overlay of Christianity.
After the invasions by Rome, the Druids were converted to Christianity, through persuasion
or genocide. The descendants of the Druids maintained Christian and ancient Roman and Greek
knowledge intact while the rest of Europe descended into the Dark Ages. The Christian Church
adsorbed much of Celtic religion:
Pagan Gods and Goddesses became Christian saints; sacred springs and wells were preserved
and associated with saints; many temple sites became the location of cathedrals. By the 7th
Century CE, Druidism itself was destroyed or continued deeply underground throughout most of
the formerly Celtic lands. There is some evidence that Pagan religion did survive in
isolated areas of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into the 20th Century.
MODERN DRUIDISM
Modern interest in Druidism can be traced to an amateur antiquarian, John Aubrey (1676-1697), who delved into the classical Druid texts and suggested that the Druids had worshiped at the old stone monuments in Wiltshire. His work began the association of Druidism and Stonehenge. A modern Druidism emerged into public notice in the next century when, in 1717, Deist writer John Toland (1670-1722) was elected the chief of the first modern Druid order, An Tigh Geatha Gairdeachas. Reportedly Druids from previously existing groups from across England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and Brittany attended the inaugural meeting in London. Toland spent the last years of his life working on a history of the Druids, excerpts of which were posthumously published.
Building on Aubrey's work, the physician William Stukeley (1687-1765) did extensive observations in Wiltshire and brought the monumental structures to public attention. He published a book on Stonehenge in 1740 and on Avebury three years later. He described Druidism as the aboriginal patriarchal religion and reputedly succeeded Toland as the second chief of the modern Druid order. Stukeley was himself reputedly succeeded by the likes of poet William Blake and writer Geoffrey Higgins.
Interest in Druidism as the traditional pre-Christian religion of the British Isles led to the formation of several Druid organizations through the eighteenth century. The most important was the Ancient Order of Druids founded in London in 1781 by Henry Hurle. It is the largest Druid body in England with some 3000 members. Of interest, the order is primarily a male group, with women not permitted entrance to the majority of their lodges. There are some all-female lodges. Also founded at the end of the eighteenth century was a uniquely Welsh Druid tradition centered in the channeled material of Edward Williams, better known by his Druid name Iolo Morganwg. A controversial figure, Williams offered his channeled material as genuine remnants of ancient Druid wisdom, and they were so accepted by some who did not understand their origin. When their origin was discovered, many dismissed Morganwg as a fraud; however, his group, the Bardi/Druidic Eistedfoddau, still exists.
In the nineteenth century, the Druid movement spread across Europe and through the British Empire, though the groups that formed remained small and ephemeral. It was only in the context of the emergence of a larger Neo-Pagan movement, spearheaded by the new Witchcraft created by the British witch Gerald B. Gardner, that Druidism has found a friend-ly environment in which to grow and proliferate. Among the important groups to emerge in England in the post-Gardnerian context are the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids founded in 1864 by Ross Nichols and the Golden Section Order founded in 1975 by Colin Murray. Recently, a Council of British Druid Orders has emerged to provide fellowship among the many independent Druid groups.
In America, a new and separate Druid tradition was initiated in 1963 by students at Carlton College in Northfield, Minnesota, as part of a protest of compulsory chapel at the church-related school. In order to gain permission not to attend chapel, the students fashioned a separate religion based upon their reading of books on ancient religion. Once the rules on compulsory chapel were dropped, the Druids discovered that they liked what they had created. Thus was born the Reformed Druids of North America that spread through the Neo-Pagan sub-culture. In Berkeley, California, the movement found a new leader in the person of Isaac Bonewits, who emerged as the most visible spokesperson of Druidism in North America. In 1983 he left the loosely organized Reformed Druid coalition to found Ar nDraiocht Fein, currently the largest Druid group in North America. It has in turn given birth to additional groups such as the Henge of Keltria.
Myths about Druids
Ritual Killing
Many historians believed that the ancient Druids performed human sacrifices. All of these
references can be traced back to the writings of one individual, Julius Caesar. He may well
have been prejudiced against the Celts because of their continual warfare with the Romans
(in warfare, the enemy is routinely demonized).
Some remains of executions have been found in the archeological record, but it is not
obvious whether the victims were killed during religious rituals or to carry out the
sentence of a court.
There is one reference to human sacrifice in Celtic literature, but it appears to be a
Christian forgery. The ancient Celts might have engaged in ritual killing; certainly other
contemporary societies did. Modern Druids, of course, do not.
Stonehenge e.o
Many people believe that the Druids constructed Stonehenge, the complex of standing stones
in South Central England. Stonehenge I ("Old Stonehenge), which was composed of the 56
"Aubrey" holes, was constructed circa 3500 BCE. The current formation was completed circa
1500 BCE. This was almost a millennium before the start of Celtic civilization. It can be
safely concluded that the Druids did not construct Stonehenge.
However, they may well have performed rituals there, and understood its astronomical
meanings and uses. But Celtic sacred spaces were normally associated with groves and
streams; Stonehenge is in the middle of a plain.
In Ireland and Great Britain, there are many ancient "Druid" altars, beds, rings, stones,
stone circles and temples. However, radio-carbon analyses assign dates such as 1380 BCE
(Wilsford Shaft) to 3330 BCE (Hembury). Again, ancient Druids may have used these megalithic
monuments, but they did not build them.
Ireland has countless wells and springs dedicated to the Christian Saint Bridget. She was
obviously descendent from the Celtic Goddess Brigid; and the sacred ownership of the site
simply translated from Goddess Brigid to St. Bridget. Recently, St. Bridget has been de-
canonized; it was determined that no such woman existed in Christendom. She was simply a
copy of the Pagan Goddess.
Celtic God Samhain
This non-existent God is often mentioned at Halloween time. He is supposed to be the Celtic
God of the Dead. No such God existed. Samhain is, in reality, the name of a Druidic fire
festival. It can be loosely translated as "end of the warm season".
Monotheistic Druids
Some writers have promoted the concept that Druids were basically monotheistic, following a
sort of pre-Christian belief system. There is essentially no evidence of this. Druids
worshipped a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses.
Beliefs and Practices
Beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts are being pieced together by modern Druids.
Because so much information has been lost, this is not an easy task. Some findings are:
Goddesses and Gods
The Celts did not form a single religious or political unity. They were organized into
tribes spread across what is now several countries. As a result, of the 374 Celtic deities
which have been found, over 300 occur only once in the archeological record; they are
believed to be local deities. There is some evidence that their main pantheon of Gods and
Goddesses might have totaled about 3 dozen - perhaps precisely 33 (a frequently occurring
magical number in Celtic literature). Some of the more famous are: Arawn, Brigid, Cernunnos,
Cerridwen, Danu, Herne, Lugh, Rhiannon and Taranis. Many Celtic deities were worshipped in
triune (triple aspect) form. Triple Goddesses were often sisters.
Afterlife
The dead were transported to the Otherworld by the God Bile (AKA Bel, Belenus). Life
continued in this location much as it had before death. The Druids believed that the soul
was immortal. After the person died in the Otherworld, their soul lives again in another
human body. At every birth, the Celts mourned the death of a person in the Otherworld which
made the new birth possible.
Creation Myth
No Druidic creation story appears to have survived, although there are numerous accounts of
the supernatural creation of islands, mountains, etc.
Baptism
There is some evidence that the Celts had a baptism initiation ceremony similar to those
found in Buddhist, Christian, Essene, Hindu, Islamic, and Jainist sacred texts. Other
researchers dismiss baptism as a forgery by Christian scribes as they transferred Celtic
material to written form.
Divination
Druids used many techniques to foretell the future: meditation, study of the flight of
birds, interpreting dreams, and interpreting the pattern of sticks thrown to the ground.
Awen symbol
This is a symbol drawn in the form of three pillars, in which the outer two are sloped
towards the center pillar, as in /|. The symbol has been in use since the 17th century; it
recalls the Druidic fascination with the number three.
Triskele symbol
This is an ancient Druidic symbol consisting of three curved branches, bent legs or arms
radiating from the center of the symbol. The flag of the Isle of Man contains a triskele.
Seasonal Days of Celebration
Druids, past and present, celebrate a series of fire-festivals, on the first of each of four
months. Each would start at sunset and last for three days. Great bonfires would be built on
the hilltops. Cattle would be driven between two bonfires to assure their fertility; couples
would jump over a bonfire or run between two bonfires as well. The festivals are:
Samhain
(or Samhuinn) Literally the "end of warm season". November 1 marked the combined Feast of
the Dead and New Year's Day for the Celtic calendar.
It is a time when the veil between our reality and that of the Otherworld is most easily
penetrated. This fire festival was later adopted by Christians as All Soul's Eve, and later
became the secular holiday Halloween.
Imbolc (or Brighid) Literally "in the belly". February 1 marked The Return of Light. This is
the date when the first stirrings of life were noticeable and when the land might first be
plowable. This has been secularized as Groundhog Day.
Beltaine
(or Bealteinne). May 1 was the celebration of The Fires of Bel.
This was the peak of blossom season, when domesticated animals bear their young. This is
still celebrated today as May Day. Youths dance around the May pole in what is obviously a
reconstruction of an earlier fertility ritual.
Lughnasad
(or Lughnasadh, Lammas). August 1 was The Feast of Lugh, named after the God of Light. A
time for celebration and the harvest.
There were occasional references in ancient literature to:
Winter solstice
typically December 21, when the night is longest.
Spring equinox
typically March 21, when the day and night are equal the summer solstice, typically June 21,
when the night is shortest.
Fall equinox
typically September 21, when day and night are equal.
However, these do not appear to be major seasonal days of celebration for the ancient
Modern Druidic Movements
Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD)
There are two beliefs concerning the development of this group. One traces their origin to
the Ancient Order of Druids (AOD) by Henry Hurle in England in 1781.
This group repeatedly split due to internal dissension into many separate organizations.
By 1918, there were five groups attempting to perform solstice ceremonies at Stonehenge; all
were breakaway groups from the original Ancient Order of Druids. By 1955, all had
disappeared except for the British Circle of Universal Bond which subsequently split in 1963
to form the OBOD.
The other lineage is claimed by the OBOD who trace their ancestry back through the AOD to a
group founded in England in 1717 by John Toland. He is said to have combined local groups of
Druids (called groves) from a 10 locations into the Mother Grove. The OBOD's current address
is: PO Box 1333, Lewes, East Sussex, England, BN7 3ZG.
Ar nDraiocht Fein
This can be loosely translated as "our own Druidism". Their name is pronounced "arn ree-ocht
fane". It was founded by Archdruid Isaac Bonewitz, and emphasizes scholarly research, and "
a blend of ancient practices and modern realities". His motto is "paganize mainstream
religion by mainstreaming paganism". Their goal is to recreate a Pan-European Druidism,
involving elements from Baltic, Celtic, Germanic Slavic and even pre-classical Greek and
Roman beliefs. The ANF publishes a quarterly ADF journal, a bimonthly News from the Mother
Grove, and a semi-yearly Druid's Progress. Their address is: PO box 516, East Syracuse, NY
13057-0516.
Book References
P.E. Ellis, The Druids, W.B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids MI (1994) C.
Chippindale, Stonehenge Complete, Thames & Hudson, New York (1994)
P. Carr-Gomm, The Druid Tradition, Element, Rockport MA (1991)
J. Bonwick, Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions, Dorsett Press (1986)
R. Nichols, The Book of Druidry, Aquarium, London (1975)
B. Raftery, Pagan Celtic Ireland, Thames & Hudson, New York (1994)
Recommended book to read
Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism
By Issac Bonewits
Description:A book about Druids unlike any other, Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism not only goes far behind the usual Celtic and Classical references by discussing the evolution and migration of the Proto-Indo-European peoples, from whom the Celts arose, but also discusses the beliefs and ritual practices of both the British and American streams of modern Druidry, as well as providing warnings about deceptive Druid organizations and authors. This is a book that belongs in the library of every modern Druid, regardless of their particular path or style of Druidism.
