We know little about the mysterious druids, ancient Celtic priests. For the most part, this information comes from the records of ancient and ancient Roman authors, and a few archaeological finds. The Greek traveler Pytheas, who lived in the 4th century BC, was the first to write about the Druids. BC. He sailed around Europe, past Britain all the way to the Baltic coast. Unfortunately, the ancient Greek authors, from Pytheas to Diogenes Laertius, who lived in the 3rd century. AD, druids are only mentioned among other priests of barbarian peoples. Any detailed information about the Druids appears in the writings of the ancient Romans, starting with the "Notes on the Gallic War" by Julius Caesar. But the Romans were by no means interested in objective coverage of the Druids, for it was the Druids who inspired and organized the resistance of all Celtic tribes to the Roman invasion, both in Gaul and Britain.
Druid as seen by a contemporary artist.
Caesar wrote: “The Druids take an active part in the worship of God, observe the correctness of social sacrifices, interpret all questions related to religion; they also receive many young people to study the sciences, and in general they are in great honor among the Gauls. Namely: they pass sentences in almost all controversial cases, public and private. At the head of all druids is one who enjoys the greatest authority among them. Upon his death, he is inherited by the most worthy, and if there are several of them, then the druids decide the matter by voting, and sometimes the dispute about primacy is resolved even with weapons. Their science is thought to have originated in Britain and from there carried over to Gaul; and to this day, in order to get to know her more thoroughly, they go there to study it.
Rite in the sacred grove. Contemporary illustration.
Druids usually do not take part in the war and do not pay taxes. As a result of these advantages, many partly go to them in science, partly they are sent by their parents and relatives. There, they say, they learn many verses by heart, and therefore some remain in the Druidic school for twenty years. They even consider it a sin to write these verses, while in almost all other cases, namely in public and private records, they use the Greek alphabet. Most of all, the Druids try to strengthen the conviction of the immortality of the soul: the soul, according to their teachings, passes after the death of one body into another; they think that this belief removes the fear of death and thus awakens courage. The Romans argued that the Druidic religion relied on human sacrifice. Was it really, or did the conquerors want to discredit the faith of their enemies in this way?
Human sacrifice at the druid's altar. Contemporary illustration.
Archeology confirms the words of the ancient Romans. In Britain, in Alveston Cave, the bones of approximately 150 people were found killed for ritual purposes. In this case, the bones of the killed are split lengthwise to get to the bone marrow. Most likely, there was also ritual cannibalism, which was also mentioned by Roman authors. Another find is the so-called "Lindou Man", well preserved in a peat bog. He was stabbed in the head, his throat was looped over, and then cut with a knife. The victim was from the Celtic nobility, as evidenced by the manicure on his hands and a neat haircut. On the body was found pollen from mistletoe, a sacred plant of the Druids. Both of these findings date back to the 1st century AD, when the Romans were trying to conquer Britain. It is possible that with these sacrifices the Druids tried to propitiate the gods so that they would grant them victory over the Romans.
The Romans attack the druids. Still from the film National Geographic.
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The Druids really inspired their compatriots to fight the Romans. Therefore, the Romans searched for and destroyed the sacred groves of the Druids, while killing everyone who stood in their way. The Roman historian Tacitus describes one of the massacres in the following way: “On the shore stood the enemy - dense rows of robed figures, while between the rows, waving torches like furies, rushed women in black robes, with loose hair. The ubiquitous druids, raising their hands to the sky and sending terrible curses, frightened our soldiers so much with their unusual appearance that they did not move. As if their legs were paralyzed, and exposed themselves to the blows of the enemy. Finally, having heeded the admonitions of their commander not to give in to a group of enraged women, the Romans, carrying banners in front, smashed the resistance, enveloping the enemy in the flame of his own torches.
Forest on the island of Anglesey, modern photo.
In Gaul, the Roman legions destroyed all the sacred groves, in Britain they found the main sanctuary of the Druids on the Isle of Mona (the Isle of Anglesey in modern Wales), killed all its defenders and burned everything that reminded of the druids. Because of this, the surviving priests could no longer initiate their successors, since such ceremonies were only held in forest sanctuaries, which no longer existed. The tribes conquered by the Roman Empire lost their original religion and eventually forgot about it. From the druids only vague memories and scraps of myth remained.