Druids

//__By Ryan Egan__//

= = = **__General History of Druids __** =

Druids were types of priests that could be found scattered across Europe from as early as 200 BC. Primarily they were located in Britain, Ireland, Gaul, and possibly other areas in Western Europe.

 Since the Druids left not a single account of their existence in writings, the only remaining legacy of the Druids of this time remain in the literature of Roman and Greek accounts with them. Caesar, being one of the Roman generals who crafted a detailed account of his wars in Gaul, had written briefly of the Druids he encountered during his travels throughout Gaul.

A basic understanding can be gained of the Druids by simply acknowledging the fact that they believed in reincarnation, some forms of human sacrifice, and that they held a somewhat high position in Gaul’s society.

= = = = = = =  = =   = =**__Druids ’ Classes and Roles__** = =  = =  =

Caesar began his discussion of the Druids by describing them as one of the two classes of dignity, the other being the knights of the Celts. The common folk, he says are less than nothing and are treated as slaves. He goes on to say that these Druids are committed to divine worship, practice sacrificial duties, and respect their cultural questions which are interpreted and accepted by nearly all of their people.

 Next, Caesar described the Druids' role in the Celtic justice system. Druids, as described by Caesar, settled all disputes ranging from property affairs to murder. Druids were also responsible for the punishment issued to the criminals. Druids were all respected from tribe to tribe, so punishing foreigners was not a difficult task.

Out of each tribe there is one chief, who is the most powerful among their clan of Druids. At his death, either the succeeding single Druid in the hierarchy will take the chief's role or the multiple contestants at that rank will battle for the chief position.

= = = __Observers' Views of Druids and Their Practices __ =

Druids were held at a very high level of respect by the Celtic society. They considered killing a Druid a horrid crime; furthermore, Druids did not have to pay war taxes and had the ability to withdraw themselves from war at any point in time. It was a great honor in the Celtic society to be able to possess this type of privilege.

Since these privileges were so magnificent to the Celts, many attempted to enroll their children into Druidic schools. Druid schooling could be extended for up to 20 years due to the fact that the Druids did not record their history through a written medium, it was recorded entirely in their descendants’ memories.

Caesar explains that the written recordings that the Druids used were not only very scarce and difficult to come upon, but they were also written in Greek. This cadence or unfortunate pairings most likely contributes to the lack of archaeological findings of written Druid history.

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 25px;">Although the Druids were held to a very high standard in the Celtic community, there was much speculation to the possible human sacrifice that took place at the massive Druidic meetings, which were held annually. During these meetings, Caesar inferred that there were Pagan rituals (worshipping of the earth and its elements), some of which could possibly include human sacrifice to their gods.

= = = = = = =//__<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 25px;">Sources __//=

[] __[]__ __[]__ __[]__