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Where did the druids and their teachings come from?
The name of the Druids first appears in Caesar's Commentaries, around 50 BC. e. But there is no doubt that this priestly class itself was not much older. Diogenes Laertius writes: “Philosophy, as some believe, began for the first time among the barbarians: namely, the Persians had their magicians, the Babylonians and Assyrians - the Chaldeans, the Celts and Gauls the so-called Druids and Semnotes. (Aristotle writes about this in his book "On Magic" and Socion in the XXIII book of "Successions".) [504 - Diogen. Laert, Vitae philosoph., I. - Transl. M. L. Gasparova.]
In fact, the problem of the origin of the Druids and Druidism is closely related to the question of the origin of the Celtic peoples themselves: “The Druids say that part of the Gaulish people is the local population, but the rest came from distant islands and from the Zarine regions, expelled from their country by frequent wars and the onset of a raging seas". [505 - Amm. Marc, XV, 94.]
Caesar gives a more accurate indication in a geographical sense: “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.”[506 - Caes. BG, VI, 13. - Trans. MM Pokrovsky.]
Indeed, one of the constants of the Irish epic cycle is the completion of the training for which the heroes are sent to Britain and Scotland, and although they usually must be taught martial science, the process of improving their knowledge always takes on the characteristic form of initiation rites. This is what happens, for example, to the young Cuchulainn, whose misadventures are told in the curious narrative “Matchmaking to Emer.” [507 - Ogam, XI, 413-423. See now. ed. page 147.]
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Before killing Cuchulainn, daughter of Kalatin [508 - Corresponds to the Lernaean Hydra. Cuchulainn killed him along with his twenty-seven sons during the events of the Abduction of the Bull from Coualnge. The daughters mentioned in version B of The Death of Cú Chulainn are born after his death.] Also go to study abroad - on the recommendation and expense of Queen Madb - and begin with a rather long stay in the UK: “They hastily departed for the country of Alba where they stayed for one year. There they acquired all magical and diabolical knowledge (draoioghechta diabhalnachta). From there they went to Babylon, and then visited all the druids of the world, learning their science from them, so that they even got to the areas of the underworld overcrowded with people … ". [509 - Ogam, XI, 199.]
No less clear is the story of Philid Ned, who went to study in Scotland. [510 - See present. ed. pp. 154, 225.]
The Irish tradition tried to preserve accurate ideas about the “initiatory center” to which it referred: “On the northern islands of the earth there were the Bosinney Danu tribes and there they comprehended wisdom, magic, knowledge of the Druids, enchantments and other secrets, until they surpassed skilled people from all over the world.
In four cities, they comprehended wisdom, secret knowledge and devilish craft - Falias and Gorias (stone), Murias and Findias.
From Falias they brought Leah Fal, which was later in Tara. He cried out under every king who was destined to rule Ireland.
From Gorias they brought the spear that Lug wielded. Nothing could resist him or the one in whose hand it was.
From Findias they brought the sword of Nuadu. As soon as he was taken out of the battle scabbard, no one could evade him, and he was truly irresistible.
From Murias they brought the cauldron of Dagda. It never happened that people left him hungry.
Four druids were in those four cities: Morphes in Falias, Esras in Gorias, Uskias in Findias, Semias in Murias. The tribes of the goddess had wisdom and knowledge among these four filids. " [511 - Battle of Mag Tuired. - Per. S. V. Shkunaeva. (Bataille de Mag Tured, § 1-7). We investigated the names of the mythological cities of Tuatha de Dannan in our work: “De la lance dangereuse, de la femme infidele et du chien infernal. La falalite et la mort dans une legende religieuse de Tancienne Irlande”(Ogam, X, 381-412). For details, we refer the reader to our research: Les lies au Nord du Monde, - Melanges Albert Grenier, to be published in the Latomus collection.]
Celtic Druids. Book by Françoise Leroux
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