The Druids Pt 2
The Druids Part 2
"Beliefs"
By Greywolf the Wanderer
Email: greywolf@ufl.edu
The beliefs of the Druids that have survived the moldering of time
are wide and varied, but all are along the lines of nature. They
believed in many otherworlds, such as Mag Mo'r, The Great Plain; Mag
Mell, The Pleasant Plain; Tir' n' Aill, The Other World; Tir' na M-Bed,
The Land of the Living; Tir' na nog, The Land of Youth; and finally Tir'
Tairngiri, The Land of Promise. Their Gods were many, ranging from the
King Oak and the Queen Ash, to Drui-en, King Wren, the king of the
birds. Humanoid resembling deities were also worshipped, such as Hu and
his queen, mother or daughter. Many sub-cults existed within the Druid
beliefs, including a sect of weapons, i.e. Hammer, Axe, Spear, Bow, and
later, Sword; the Priestesses of Sena (Druidesses that existed from
Druidism's earliest development as a cult, until around 600 A.D.); and
finally the Dryades, which was a Druidess sect originating around 400
A.D. and ending around 600 A.D.
Their temples were simple affairs, usually a table stone, pile of
stones, or sacred wood supported by stone, located in open spaces in
forests, sacred groves, mounds, caves, lakes, rivers, or even the
Eldritch stone circles left behind by the mystical "Stone-Followers" of
the distant past. Then, there was the Oak Cult.
The rituals of the Oak Cult were many and varied. They usually began
with a human sacrifice, utilizing a sword, spear, a sickle-like knife,
ritual hanging, impaling, dismembering, disemboweling, drowning,
burning, burial alive, and a partridge in a pear tree. The method was
generally related to the deity summoned, such as fire elementals
(burnings), water elementals (drownings), air elementals (impalement on
a high stake), earth elementals (burial alive); tree gods were appeased
with hangings. For growth and fertility, dismemberment was utilized,
with the blood of the victim spilled liberally on the ground. For
divination, disembowelment was the rage, using a sickle-like knife, or
later, the sword. The entrails were then removed from the victim, and
"read". Sometimes, the victims were speared, and predictions were made
by the death throws of the sacrifice, (such as "this man is going to die
soon"...or, "the dirt beneath him will turn red...."just trying to
lighten up a grim practice with sick humor, sorry).
Various methods were used to cure diseases, the belief being that a
life must be given for a life to be saved. And while this did not always
result in a healing, it did, quite effectively, control the population.
To ensure victory, various methods were used, as was the case of
surviving battle sacrifices. Many different methods were used to
sacrifice humans to avert danger, as well. Them Druids were quite
ingenious when it came to sacrificing. Why, as a retribution for defeat
in battle, the wounded and the feeble were slain; often times, a great
war leader would sacrifice himself to ensure the safety of the
survivors. For a rite of thanksgiving, many victims were sacrificed,
sometimes as many as a hundred in a day. A cheery lot, them Druids.
(Maybe this is why they are so rare now-days). Many of the victims were
generally slaves, their wives and children. Criminals were also
sacrificed, as well as captives and enemy survivors. For all you women
out there, female victims were first de-breasted, with the removed
"pouches" then stuffed into their mouths, causing choking, and then, a
stake was ritualistically driven slowly through their bodies. Their
bodies were then hung in a sacred grove, for the birds to feast upon.
Some bird-feeder, huh? Bet that has you titillating. I am not making
this up.
First borns were often sacrificed to ensure fertility. This seems
quite counter-productive to my feeble warrior mentality, and quite
frankly, horrifying. The Romans, of all people, my favorite decadent
race, those witty people who brought you the gladiator games, and
feeding Christians to the lions for public sport, were appalled by the
human sacrifices practiced by the Druids, and they outlawed human
sacrifice in Britain in 62 A.D. They had previously ended it in Gaul in
40 A.D. This seems extremely ironic to me. I guess maybe it would have
been more to their liking if these rites had been performed in an arena,
where tickets were sold. Then, instead of a religious practice, it could
have been called entertainment. But I stray, due to what I have learned.
Back to my favorite conquerors, the Romans. They were also appalled
by the Druidic practice of head-hunting. The Druids would hang the heads
of their enemies from the saddle-bow, or fix them on a spear as a
trophy. They would also preserve them in cedarwood oil, or piled in
great cairns. Due to all of the sacrificing, I guess they had a surplus
of skulls, kinda like hides at the meat market. They would trade them
with the Celts who used them for building materials. The Druids were
also practitioners of cannibalism, a favorite topic in Rome's
Vomitoriums, I am sure.
Druidic divination was not all gloom and doom for some hapless
victim, as other methods were used. Bird and beast behavior was
observed, as well as their voices listened to , to portend the future;
flames were stared into, as well as the smoke trails from ritual fires.
A special ritual, called Imbas Forosnai, was used to discover hidden
things; meat was chewed raw, and then offered as sacrifice; if
enlightenment did not arrive in a days time, an incantation was chanted
into the palm. The hand was then placed over the seer's eyes while he
slept, with the answer coming in the form of a dream. Dreaming itself,
was a coveted form of divination. Incantation was used as well. The
Tevum Laegha utilized a verse repeated over and over above a person or
thing of relevance, as the Druid placed his staff on the body or object
and knowledge was obtained. This, however, was preceded by human
sacrifice. A special incantation, the Ce'tnad, was sung through the fist
to discover the track of stolen cattle, or a thief. If enlightenment did
not come, dreaming was used. It was also addressed to the Seven
Daughters of the Sea and repeated until the chanter entered into a
trance. The length of peoples lives were discovered in this manner. It
was also sung to sleeping Druids to ensure their enlightenment.
Enfrenziment was another method used, the seer going into a frenzy
and his ravings being read. Chewing acorns and hazel nuts were also
believed to bring knowledge. Finally, cloud scrying and star-gazing were
used. Other rituals included The Mistletoe Rite, The Twig Rite, and of
course fire burning, a rite that was practiced at all of the other rites
the Druids performed.
Ritually celebrated festivals were held during Geimredh
(Winterhalf), at the First Quarter, Samhain on November 1st., The Second
Quarter, Earrach on February 1st.(aka Oimelc), during Samhradh
(Summerhalf) at the Third Quarter, Beltane on May 1st.(aka Cet'-soman,
Cet'-samain, First Day of Somonos, or in Welsh, Cyntefyn), and during
Foghamhar, the Forth Quarter, or Lugnasadh on August 1st.
(akaBrontroghain); this was performed in the nude, with a ritual orgy to
ensure fertility. Rituals were also celebrated on the Day of Renewal,
the Druid New Years Day, on December 23rd. This was a grand gathering
held at a central location, where disputes were settled, appeals were
heard, and elections were held.
Druids also practiced a form of baptism for new-borns, sprinkling
the baby with river, lake or sea water to consecrate the birth. They
practiced a rite of sacrificing their hair to their gods to mark their
ministry. They had rites for Magic, Healing, and they even ritually grew
Primrose for the Faeries.
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