Previous Part: Druid, Diviner and Judge
As a druid healer or vata healer (faith-liaigh) we can cite the example of Fingen, the healer of King Ulster (Ulad; Ir. Ulaidh - Ulster) Conchobar. He possessed amazing skills: “Everyone came to him with his bruises and scars, with his wounds and pains; he called each of them his illness and gave a medicine, and each really turned out to be sick with the ailment that he named to him. “This person has the strength and wisdom of a healer, the art of healing wounds, the ability to conquer death and overcome any malaise,” says Fergus. Fingen, Divination Healer, Conchobar healer stood surrounded by the Ulster healers. He recognized a person's ailment by one of the smoke coming out of his house, or by only one of his exhalations.”[229 - Windisch,“Ir. Texte ", V, 795.]
Here is another evidence of Fingen's knowledge, according to an excerpt from "Death of Conchobar": Conchobar was mortally wounded in the head by a stone thrown from a sling, the healer Fingen was brought to him …
“Good to you, Conchobar,” Fingen said, “if I pull this stone out of your head, you will die immediately. If you leave him, I can leave you, it will cover you with a stain of shame.
- It's easier for us, - said the Ulad, - To endure his shame than death.
Then his head was healed, and that stone in it was covered with gold to match the color of Conchobar's hair, for his hair and gold were the same color. Conchobar was told by his physician that he should not now ride a horse, communicate with women, eat his fill and run.”[230 - Ogam, X, 132. - Per. T. Mikhailova. Death of Conchobar // Abduction of the bull from Kualnge / Ed. prepared by T. A. Mikhailova, S. V. Shkunaev. M, 1985.]
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Is it permissible to interpret these instructions literally and admit that Fingen was able to perform a complex surgical operation? It should be borne in mind that the Celtic epic - and the epic always serves as an accurate reflection of the level of development of civilization - always placed its druids-healers so highly that they recognized the power to de facto forbid the king to exercise his functions.
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Celtic Druids. Book by Françoise Leroux