Download or read book Rethinking the Ancient Druids written by Miranda Aldhouse-Green and published by University of Wales Press. This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient Classical authors have painted the Druids in a bad light, defining them as a barbaric priesthood, who 2,000 years ago perpetrated savage and blood rites in ancient Britain and Gaul in the name of their gods. Archaeology tells a different and more complicated story of this enigmatic priesthood, a theocracy with immense political and sacred power. This book explores the tangible ‘footprint’ the Druids have left behind: in sacred spaces, art, ritual equipment, images of the gods, strange burial rites and human sacrifice. Their material culture indicates how close was the relationship between Druids and the spirit-world, which evidence suggests they accessed through drug-induced trance.
Download or read book The Druids written by Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-03-25 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures. *Includes ancient accounts of the Druids written by Caesar, Cicero, Pliny, and more. *Explains the modern revival of Druids. *Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading. "Throughout all of Gaul there are two classes of people who are treated with dignity and honor. This does not include the common people, who are little better than slaves and never have a voice in councils. Many of these align themselves with a patron voluntarily, whether because of debt or heavy tribute or out of fear of retribution by some other powerful person. Once they do this, they have given up all rights and are scarcely better than servants. The two powerful classes mentioned above are the Druids and the warriors. Druids are concerned with religious matters, public and private sacrifices, and divination." - Julius Caesar The Celts are one of the most well-known groups in Europe and one of the least understood. Depending on which classifications are used, the Celts are also one of the oldest civilizations in Europe. In the centuries before Christ, the Celts were spread out across much of continental Europe, and though they are mostly identified with Gaul, evidence suggests they also spread as far as Portugal. However, even though they were spread out across Europe before the height of the Roman Empire, most people associate the Celts with the British Isles today, particularly Ireland and Scotland. After they had been relegated to those smaller regions as a result of the Romans and other migrations, the culture of the Celts as it is currently understood began to congeal during the Early Middle Ages, and Celtic culture, folklore, and legend have all become inextricably intertwined with Irish history and British history as a whole. The Celts have fascinated people for centuries, and the biggest fascination of all has been over the Druids, a religious class at the heart of Celtic society that wielded great power. Naturally, people have been interested in Druids for centuries mostly because they don't understand much about the Druids or their practices. The earliest meaning of the word comes from the Ancient Romans, who labeled them "Druidae" in reference to the white robed order of Celtic priests living in Gaul, Britain and Ireland. They were a well-organized, secretive group who kept no written records and performed their rituals - allegedly including human sacrifice - in oaken groves, all of which interested and horrified the Romans. The order was eventually crushed under the weight of first Roman conquest and then the imposition of Christianity, and from the remains, centuries of myths, imaginings and dreams were superimposed over the little that was known about the Druids. Not surprisingly, people have come to associate the Druids with what have been imposed. Even today, there is a revived Druidic religious movement that fuses this skeleton of knowledge about the ancient Druids with ideas such as rituals at standing stones (like Stonehenge), nature and sun worship, the carrying of ornate staves, and Arthuriana. Wider popular culture has seen "Druids" - usually some form of secretive nature-priests - in games like Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft, and films like Wicker Man (1973 and 2006) and Druids (2001). The Druids: The History and Mystery of the Ancient Celtic Priests explores the known and unknown about the Druids, from the historical evidence of their existence and practices to the evolution of Druidic concepts over time. This book also looks at the growth of Druidism since the 1700s, along with the practitioners who embrace new ideas and beliefs. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about the Druids like you never have before, in no time at all.
Download or read book Blood Mistletoe written by Ronald Hutton and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 931 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed author of Witches, Druids, and King Arthur presents a “lucid, open-minded” cultural history of the Druids as part of British identity (Terry Jones). Crushed by the Romans in the first century A.D., the ancient Druids of Britain left almost no reliable evidence behind. Historian Ronald Hutton shows how this lack of definite information has allowed succeeding British generations to reimagine, reinterpret, and reinvent the Druids. Hutton’s captivating book is the first to encompass two thousand years of Druid history and to explore the evolution of English, Scottish, and Welsh attitudes toward the forever ambiguous figures of the ancient Celtic world. Druids have been remembered at different times as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests. Sometimes portrayed as corrupt, bloodthirsty, or ignorant, they were also seen as fomenters of rebellion. Hutton charts how the Druids have been written in and out of history, archaeology, and the public consciousness for some 500 years, with particular focus on the romantic period, when Druids completely dominated notions of British prehistory. Sparkling with legends and images, filled with new perspectives on ancient and modern times, this fascinating cultural study reveals Druids as catalysts in British history.
Download or read book Caesar s Druids written by Miranda Jane Aldhouse-Green and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient chroniclers, including Julius Caesar himself, made the Druids and their sacred rituals infamous throughout the Western world. But in fact, as Miranda Aldhouse-Green shows in this fascinating book, the Druids' day-to-day lives were far less lurid and much more significant. Exploring the various roles that Druids played in British and Gallic society during the first centuries B.C. and A.D.--not just as priests but as judges, healers, scientists, and power brokers--Aldhouse-Green argues that they were a highly complex, intellectual, and sophisticated group whose influence transcended religion and reached into the realms of secular power and politics. With deep analysis, fresh interpretations, and critical discussions, she gives the Druids a voice that resonates in our own time.
Download or read book The Druids written by Ronald Hutton and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Serves as a study of what people have thought about the ancient Druids and why. This work looks at the many ways in which Druids have been imagined in Britain since 1500, and what this tells us about modern and early modern society. It also offers insights into the development of British national identities, literary culture and protest movements.
Download or read book Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions written by James Bonwick and published by . This book was released on 1894 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an ethnological study on the Druids and their religion.
Download or read book Druids written by Anne Ross and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2004-08-01 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Druidism was the religion of the Celts. The richest source of information about the druids is the vernacular material from Ireland and Wales. The author's familiarity with the gaelic texts strips away modern myths about the Druids.
Download or read book The Druids written by Stuart Piggott and published by New York : Praeger. This book was released on 1968 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes Celtic society in which the historic Druids lived in the second century BC, the sources of information about Druids in classical and vernacular writings, and the creation of Druid myths.
Download or read book The Druids written by Peter Berresford Ellis and published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. This book was released on 1995 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a study of the legend and reality of ancient Druids, looking at their Celtic origins, their religious practices and beliefs, and areas in which they were believed to have special wisdom, such as philosophy and magic.
Download or read book The Book of Druidry written by Kristoffer Hughes and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2023-07-08 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the Dappled Grove of Druidry Renowned author Kristoffer Hughes paints a comprehensive picture of Druidry—where it came from, how it developed into its current form, and why it is relevant today. Hughes shares not only the nuts and bolts of practice, but also its ethics, environmental considerations, and deep roots in history. Druids are defined by what they do, and this book offers many ways to put Druidic theory into action. Explore what it means to talk with trees, answer the call of wild awakening, honor the ancestors, and work with deities. Use prayer, meditation, and ritual to expand your awareness, develop relationships with the unseen, and engage with elemental powers. Providing powerful Celtic wisdom, this book helps you connect with Awen, the blessed breath of inspiration.
Download or read book Druids A Very Short Introduction written by Barry Cunliffe and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2010-05-27 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who were the Druids? What do we know about them? Do they still exist today? The Druids first came into focus in Western Europe - Gaul, Britain, and Ireland - in the second century BC. They are a popular subject; they have been known and discussed for over 2,000 years and few figures flit so elusively through history. They are enigmatic and puzzling, partly because of the lack of knowledge about them has resulted in a wide spectrum of interpretations. Barry Cunliffe takes the reader through the evidence relating to the Druids, trying to decide what can be said and what can't be said about them. He examines why the nature of the druid caste changed quite dramatically over time, and how successive generations have interpreted the phenomenon in very different ways.
Download or read book The Veil of Isis Or The Mysteries of the Druids written by William Winwood Reade and published by New York : P. Eckler. This book was released on 1861 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Mysteries of the Druids written by William Winwood Reade and published by Lost Library. This book was released on 2012-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Masterfully reconstructs the great history, myths, and theology of the ancient Druids and illuminates the early religions that spawned them.
Download or read book Druidry and the Ancestors written by Nimue Brown and published by John Hunt Publishing. This book was released on 2012-10-29 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancestors are part of our shared humanity, we all have them. Ancestry in the guise of race, has been used as a tool to divide. Even so, it might yet help us move in greater harmony. Are we playing out the motifs of our family history, or making our own lives? Are we held back by the past, or empowered by it? And why does any of this matter? Druidry and the Ancestors will take you on a journey into how you imagine yourself, and how you can take control of your identity and future. Druid, author, bard and dreamer. Nimue Brown is OBOD trained, a founding member of Bards of The Lost Forest and Druid Network member. , ,
Download or read book The Druid s Primer written by Luke Eastwood and published by John Hunt Publishing. This book was released on 2012-02-24 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps the first serious attempt to collate the vast body of druidic knowledge from verifiable ancient sources and Celtic survivals into one usable and practical volume as a handy reference for druids and a learning tool for the would be druid. Inspired by the medieval Irish 'Scholar's Primer' this work is the culmination of 15 years' research and practical exploration of what it means to be a druid in a modern context. , ,
Download or read book Contemporary Druidry A Historical and Ethnographic Study written by Michael T. Cooper and published by Sacred Tribes Press. This book was released on 2010-08-21 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary Druidry is one of the fastest growing religions in Western society. This book addresses the attempt by practitioners to bring an ancient spirituality into the mainstream. It examines ancient Druid beliefs and critiques the contemporary expression by comparing the two. Relying on eight years of research and more than 200 interviews, the book provides an outsider's look at this faith
Download or read book A Complete History of the Druids written by T. G. Lomax and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-10-16 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This special edition of 'A Complete History of the Druids' was written by T.G. Lomax, and first published in 1810, making it over two centuries old. The Druids are notoriously difficult to research due to their own supposed doctrine prohibiting them from keeping written records or accounts of themselves. Indeed, none exist, and they are known only through the writings of others, like the Romans, wrote of them extensively. Although this old book is a short, quick read, the history of the Druids is fairly comprehensive and the writer is extremely knowledgeable of his subject. The book is split into three main sections - an Introduction, History of the Druids, and Description of the Druidic Temples. IMPORTANT NOTE - Please read BEFORE buying! THIS BOOK IS A REPRINT. IT IS NOT AN ORIGINAL COPY. This book is a reprint edition and is a perfect facsimile of the original book. It is not set in a modern typeface and has not been digitally enhanced. As a result, some characters and images might suffer from slight imperfections, blurring, or minor shadows in the page background. This book appears exactly as it did when it was first printed. - DISCLAIMER: Due to the age of this book, some methods or practices may have been deemed unsafe or unacceptable in the interim years. If purchasing a book more than 50 years old, please use due diligence before putting the information into practice. In utilizing the information herein, you do so at your own risk. We republish antiquarian books without judgment, solely for their historical and cultural importance, and for educational purposes.
