Druids and Druidry FAQ

A forum for people who follow or are interested in the spiritual path of Druidry (whether neopagan, mesopagan, or reconstructionist), the ancient Druids, and Celtic culture.

Modern Druidry is a 300 year old path that focuses on nature spirituality and inner transformation founded on personal experience rather than dogmatic belief.
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RuneGeek
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Druids and Druidry FAQ

Post by RuneGeek »

What is Druidry?

Modern Druidry is an Earth-based path that observes the same eight holidays as Wiccans - although usually under different names. In fact, it was Ross Nichols (a modern Druid) and his friend Gerald Gardner (also a Druid... betcha didn't know that!) who originally instituted the eight holidays as a neopagan practice prior to Gardner's formation of Wicca.

Unlike witches, Druids do not observe the full moons. (This is not to say that they can't; it's just not officially part of any purely-Druidic path that I know of.)

Do Druids practice magic?

Although there is no set magical path associated with modern Druidry, many modern Druids practice magic in the form(s) of their choosing. A lot of modern Druids practice witchcraft as well as Druidry; some are involved in shamanism. Author John Michael Greer has a book on mixing western ceremonial magic with Druidry entitled The Druid Magick Handbook, and Phillip Carr-Gomm writes about mixing Wicca and Druidry in his book Druidcraft.

Who were the ancient Druids?

The ancient Druids were the priests of the Celtic people. "Celtic" is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic language. The historical Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age Europe. By the later Iron Age, the Celts had expanded over a wide range of lands: as far west as Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula, as far east as Galatia (central Anatolia), and as far north as Scotland.

Whatever the religion of the ancient Celts was called, we know that the Druids were its priests. They had formal training - for twenty years! - in order to earn the title, and their roles extended far beyond that of what we'd currently consider a "priest". They were judges, advisors, astrologers, diviners, poets, and musicians... and that's not a complete list.

Druidry was outlawed by the Romans after they invaded the British Isles. The druids who weren't killed off probably went underground, passing their teachings along to their children. Those teachings may well have been the Celtic contribution to what we later came to know as "witchcraft" in England.

What is a modern Druid?

A little more than 300 years ago, in England, people saw the "writing on the wall" with regard to the industrial revolution; people living in cities, away from nature, and focused on materialistic pursuits. They knew that many - even then - had become disillusioned with the Christian church, so they decided to create a spiritual path to answer the needs of the time. Drawing upon the ancient Druids for inspiration, they started a movement that exists to this day.

Modern Druids can choose to work solitary or with a grove, just as Wiccans do. In addition, modern Druids have the option of joining organizations like the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (http://www.druidry.org) or Ár nDraíocht Féin (http://www.adf.org). Such organizations charge for membership, but it's usually not a lot; in return they provide training and a sense of community.

Why Druidry, as opposed to Wicca?

Well, first off... there's no need to choose between the two, as plenty of people do both. My group practices Strega (Italian witchcraft) and I find that the study of Druidry enhances that.

To me, the biggest benefit to modern Druidry is the support system; for solitary practitioners, organizations the like aforementioned OBOD and ADF provide a way to learn from structured training programs and be associated with other people who are following the same path. Such organizations have an approval process for local groves, so they can help you find one that matches with your course of study if one is available in your area. And for those who wish to run their own grove, these organizations can provide support for the challenging task of running a spiritual group.
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Post by AP670 »

order of bards , ovates, and druids?
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Post by Alchemist of Blue Roses »

Hey what's the connection between Druids and Vikings?

I believe some Vikings were Celts...
I wish I could say something so drastic and life changing that people would remember it for eons. but I can't think of anything so all I have to say is hello it was a pleasure to meet you.
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Post by RuneGeek »

Atheist of peace wrote:order of bards , ovates, and druids?
Yes. Bards were a big part of ancient Celtic religion, and there may have been some overlap between the bards and druids.

"Ovate" comes from "vate". If memory serves, they were the seers among the ancient Celts. I'll double-check that, though, and update my response if it needs correcting. :)
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Post by RuneGeek »

Wondering_Soul wrote:Hey what's the connection between Druids and Vikings?

I believe some Vikings were Celts...
Not as far as I know, although the beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts and the various Germanic peoples had a lot in common.
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Post by AP670 »

RuneGeek wrote:
Wondering_Soul wrote:Hey what's the connection between Druids and Vikings?

I believe some Vikings were Celts...
Not as far as I know, although the beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts and the various Germanic peoples had a lot in common.
I think the ovates were more like Lords and ladies of the Celts...
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Post by AP670 »

RuneGeek wrote:
Wondering_Soul wrote:Hey what's the connection between Druids and Vikings?

I believe some Vikings were Celts...
Not as far as I know, although the beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts and the various Germanic peoples had a lot in common.
The Germanic tribes were not vikings.... However Vikings were know to raid and trade with the Celts and surrounding tribes.
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Post by RuneGeek »

Atheist of peace wrote:The Germanic tribes were not vikings.... However Vikings were know to raid and trade with the Celts and surrounding tribes.
Well, to be specific... "viking" is a Scandinavian word that basically means "pirate" or "raider". The people we call Vikings were Scandinavian, and they represented only a portion of the Scandinavian people who chose to follow that particular lifestyle... to "go a-viking" as it were.

A good way to think of it is to consider that in "the golden age of piracy" there were many English pirates, a lot of which were based in the Americas... but we wouldn't assume them to have been their own race or nation, nor would we say that all English people living in the 16th century were pirates. It was, for lack of a better term, simply an occupation.
Finn

Vikings & Celts

Post by Finn »

You must remember that the Vikings (as well as the countless German tribes) were neighbors and mixed regularly with the Celts for a many centuries prior to the Roman conquest of Gaul. They didn't call themselves the Vikings back then, nor was there a greater nation of Celts. It is problematic to try and frame people in the terms we use today. The mindset and reality was different them. That being said, there are modern Druids who do not conform to much that is mentioned on this board or in these threads, i.e. they are Reconstruction Druids. It suffices to say that Druids in antiquity were very different than portrayed by some. Scholarship and research into history will reveal some interesting things (and striking crossovers). I will address some interesting theory and research.

Nordic Mythology is centered around the Aesir and the Vanir. These are two rather different Gods (and people). The Aesir are more northern and of the highlands and mountains. The Vanir are other Gods (and people) from further south, forests and plains. These legends come from a time prior to the Roman conquest of Gaul and other Celtic lands, i.e. when the Norse, Germanic tribes, and Celts were all tribal neighbors (sometimes friendly and sometimes not). Frey and Freya are Vanir Gods, exchanged hostages of a sort which came to live with the Aesir after they ended their war. Freya rides in a chariot and Frey rides a boar. Both of these are associated with the Celts, as are many other things. There are other similiarities between the Proto-Celtic (and Celtic) cosmology and that of the Proto-Nordic and Norse cosmology. There are too many of them for me to get into here in fact. It suffices to say that the Celts and the people around them (to the north where) have a lot in common and a lot that divides them.
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Post by bluecedargrove »

Ireland converted to Christianity around 400 AD, Scotland not long after. The first Viking raid that is recorded in the British isles is in 796 at Lindesfarne (a monastary founded by Irish monks). There is no doubt that there are survivals of the old religion found through out Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but by the time of the Vikings it is doubtful that there was any organised Druid preisthood. So the Vikings and Druids missed each other by about three hundred years. That being said the Celts and the Vikings had profound influence on each other. The cities of Dublin, Limrick, and Wexford were founded by Viking raiders that settled in Ireland. The Vikings and Celts were often at war but they also traded, and intermarried. Many surnames that we now think of as Scots or Irish were originally Norse, Anderson (Einar's son), Gilchrist (Christ's servant), Macever/Magyver (Ivar's son) are some examples
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Re: Druids and Druidry FAQ

Post by Kassandra »

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Here's what a couple ancient historians said of them:


The Gauls are terrifying in appearance and speak with deep, harsh voices. They speak together in few words, using riddles which leave much of the true meaning to be understood by the listener. They frequently exaggerate their claims to raise their own status and diminish anothers. They are boastful, violent, and melodramatic, but very intelligent and learn quickly. They have Iyric poets called Bards, who, accompanied by instruments resembling Iyres, sing both praise and satire.

They have highly-honoured philosophers and theologians (those who speak about the gods) called Druids. They also make use of seers, who are greatly respected. These seers, having great authority, use auguries and sacrifices to foresee the future. When seeking knowledge of great importance, they use a strange and unbelievable method: they choose a person for death and stab him or her in the chest above the diaphragm. By the convulsion of the victim's limbs and spurting of blood, they foretell the future, trusting in this ancient method.

They do not sacrifice or ask favours from the Gods without a Druid present, as they believe sacrifice should be made only by those supposedly skilled in divine communication. Not only during peacetime but also in war, the Gauls obey with great care these Druids and singing poets, both friend and enemy alike. Often when two armies have come together with swords drawn these men have stepped between the battle-lines and stopped the conflict, as if they held wild animals spell-bound. Thus even among most brutal barbarians angry passion yields to wisdom and Ares stands in awe of the Muses.

--Diodorus Siculus




As a rule, among all the Gallic peoples three sets of men are honoured above all others: the Bards, the vates, and the Druids. The bards are singers and poets, the vates overseers of sacred rites and philosophers of nature, and the Druids, besides being natural philosophers, practice moral philosophy as well. They are considered to be the most just and therefore are entrusted with settling both private and public disputes, so that in earlier times they even arbitrated wars and could keep those intending to draw themselves up for battle from so doing and it was to these men most of all that cases involving murder had been entrusted for adjudication.

And whenever there is a big yield from these cases, they believe that there will come a yield from the land too. Both these men and others aver that and the universe are imperishable, although both fire and water will at some times prevail over them.

--Strabo


Source: kernunnos.com/culture/druids/lit.html


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Re: Druids and Druidry FAQ

Post by vassal »

I can't honestly contribute. But I wanted to express my thankfulness for it. I loved reading every word of wisdom here. I've always been attracted by the forest and call of wilderness as a child so.. naturally I was in awe of the concept of the Druids. This was very enlightening and it made me green with envy in a way to read such a rich knowledge pour forth from the participants in this thread. I only wish I had had the luck in my youth to connect to anyone in my (Scottish side) who might retain a bit of fae wisdom whom I attribute to Druids.. Alas. They're all atheists or Mormon. o.0. (Thankfully Shinto/Animist conceptions introduced by my stepmother alleviated some of the holes that were being driven into my heart at youth.

Anyway, something about this made me feel both nostalgic and liberated, thank you.
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