Druids were the priestly caste of the Celtic peoples, their duties included conducting all kinds of rituals, predicting the future, and healing diseases. Received a certain fame and the sacrifices of the Druids, made to enlist the support of the gods in the war against the Romans.
Researchers managed to obtain a number of evidence confirming the fact that the druids sacrificed people. Firstly, there is evidence from Roman and Greek historians, and there are also several references in Irish texts and myths dating back to the Middle Ages. And, finally, there is reliable archaeological evidence that is not subject to any doubt.
How the rituals were performed
The Greek geographer and historian Strabo writes that the sacrifices of the Druids were an indispensable part of the rituals of predicting the future. The person destined for the sacrifice was stabbed in the back with a sword, and then prophecies were performed, watching his dying convulsions. This ritual required the presence of druids. There were other methods of sacrifice: "gifts to the gods" were sent to a fire made of branches and straw, or simply shot from ritual bows.
It should be noted that the inhabitants of Gaul were very religious, as they constantly had to participate in battles, endangering their lives. Therefore, they viewed the sacrifices of the Druids as a necessary measure to pacify the gods. For one or more people, the gods could send good luck in the coming battle. As a rule, those who were guilty of something (murderers, thieves, criminals) were chosen for the role of the victim. But if a suitable bandit was not at hand, then this honorable duty could be assigned to any resident of the village.
Some archaeological finds also confirm the fact that sacrifices were made by the Druids. In the Lindou bog, a human body was found, so well preserved that researchers even managed to establish that the last meal of the killed was a grain pie. The "Lindou Man" must have been a ritual sacrifice, as he was strangled, his skull fractured and his throat cut, and then thrown into a bog. This method of execution evokes associations with the "triple" death, often referred to in medieval Irish legends. It was possible to establish that the killed person had a high social status, which indicates the importance of the performed rite.
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Worship of the underground gods
One of the mines, located in the German city of Holzhausen, was the site of ritual human sacrifices, as evidenced by traces of blood and remains found at its base. In East Yorkshire, the remains of a young man and woman, approximately thirty years old, were also found in a mine. The woman was obviously pregnant as the skeleton of an embryo was found in her pelvic region. Both burials in mines and burials in a swamp were most likely part of the ritual of worshiping underground deities.
As for the Welsh and Irish medieval traditions describing the human sacrifice of the Druids, there are myths confirming the performance of the act of self-sacrifice. A man who had to give his life in exchange for the mercy of the gods voluntarily jumped into a cauldron filled to the brim with molten metal. There were no official documents or other evidence confirming the fact of this ceremony.