The Druids

Druids were priests of an ancient Celtic religion. In the Celtic world, they were the religious leaders teachers, judges, advisers, healers, fortunetellers and poets. The Druids controlled the religious and political power of the time.

The earliest records in the ancient accounts of the Druids date back to the 200s B.C. Various ancient  from the Greek sand Romans described the beliefs and practices of the Celtic priests.

Caesar in around 100 B.C. wrote about the Druids and recorded some facts of the Druids. 

According to his records there were two leading classes in Celtic society: the knights or warriors and the Druids. The Druids did not perform manual labor, serve in the military, or pay taxes. The members of this class devoted their lives to religious worship and were responsible of human sacrifices.

The Druids were respected and were sought for advice and instruction. They also served as judges for most public and private disputes, and crimes. Disobeying the Druids' decisions led to removal from the order the most severe punishment. Training to become a Druid was a long practice which could take up to 20 years. Those who wanted to join the order had to learn the religious laws and traditions and the philosophical principles of the Druids.

The Druids believed in a supreme god, whom they called Be' al.  The symbol of this Supreme Being was fire; the Druids also worshiped lesser gods.

The Druids taught that the human soul upon death passed into the body of a newborn child. To the early Druids the oak tree was sacred and they performed their rituals in oak forests.  The Druids associated the mistletoe, which grows on oak trees, had healing powers

Details of Druid ceremonies are not fully known.

The practice reported in detail was the practice of human sacrifice. The Druids believed that human sacrifices were necessary to get favor of their God.  In times of illness, or war, people would be gathered, placed in wicker containers, and burned alive.

The Druids' role in religion and society is seen in mythology. It was believed that the Druids had magical powers and could foretell the future. It is said that the Druids used human sacrifice and magic rituals to ensure prosperity and success.

In ancient Celtic literature, Druids were frequently symbolized as magicians and prophets were influential royal advisers. It was believed that the Druids could read minds and predict the future; it was also believed that they could take the form of birds or women.

The belief of the Druids is seen in early Irish mythology. The Irish hero Finn was raised by a Druid. Throughout the myths, Druids used their powers for both for good and for evil.

By the 18^th century,  Druids were presented in literature had lost much of their connection with the ancient religious order.  The myths of the Druids persist over the centuries.  There are questionable facts about their history and the beliefs and practices that dispute myth from fact. The Druids are considered to have earned a place in the mythological world.