Druid

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The Druids were a cultic and spiritual elite in Celtic society and mythology . They are considered to be the most important figures of the cult personnel of the Celtic religion . The knowledge available today comes mainly from Roman and medieval Christian sources.

A distinction is made between the Druids and the Celtic Fates , who also performed mantic customs and sacrifices, and the Filid , who were bards , poets, singers and entertainers of the Celtic princes . Within various neo-pagan movements , some groups nowadays also refer to themselves as Druids, see Modern Druids .

etymology

The origin of the word "druids" is controversial. Pliny assumed that the name goes back to the ancient Greek word δρυς ( drys ) for oak , as these trees and the mistletoe growing on them were of particular importance in the cult and healing arts of the druids. Thus, the Latin word taken from Gallic can be interpreted as "oak expert".

The word does not appear in the mainland Celtic tradition; only Greek and Roman authors use it as the plural form druídae or druides . A reconstructed Celtic word would be * druwids (singular), older form * do-are-wid-s ("foreseeer", "fortune teller"). The first part dru can designate “oak” as well as properties such as “dense, strong, a lot”, ie a reinforcing word. The second part goes back to the Indo-European root * weid- and is in line with the Greek eidon (“I saw / recognized”), the Latin video (“I see”) and, ultimately, the German knowledge . A druid would therefore be “particularly far-sighted” or “particularly well-informed”. According to Maximus of Tire , a Greek philosopher, the Celts saw the oak as a symbol of the sky god.

The New Irish draoi leads directly to dru-wid-s via the old Irish druí . The Cymric name derwydd is derived from the older form * do-are-wid-s . The old Irish parallel formations druí ("druid"), suí ("scholar") and duí ("ignorant") also belong here .

function

According to Gaius Iulius Caesar , the druids were members of the aristocratic class who devoted themselves to the study of philosophy and religion and who held the role of the priesthood in Celtic society. In addition to the fathers , they were responsible for the sacrificial service and like them they practiced mantic customs. In addition, they were also intellectuals and were considered philosophers, astrologers, legal scholars, healers and magicians .

Their categorization as doctors (Celtic: Liaigis ) is unclear , which cannot easily be extended to all members of the Druid class (just as not every healer was a member of the Druids).

In addition to their religious and cultic duties, the druids were also politically active and acted as advisors to the princes and as negotiators. It was up to them to make peace and to elect the highest officials like Vergobretus or to raise them to office.

to teach

According to Caesar, the druids adhered to a doctrine of rebirth and were of the opinion that the Celts were descendants of the god of the dead Dis Pater (which Gallic deity Caesar means is still controversial). Hippolytus of Rome and Clement of Alexandria brought the Druidic teachings in connection with the teaching of Pythagoras , Hippolytus being of the opinion that the Druids were influenced by Pythagoras, while Clement of Alexandria was of the opinion that Pythagoras had adopted the teachings of the Celts. In general, a development of the Celtic religion from probably animistic ideas of the spirit world of the Bronze Age is assumed, although Lukian of Samosata also mentions a Celtic philosopher (probably a druid) who had a sound knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology and philosophy, so that Mediterranean influences cannot be ruled out are. According to Caesar, the Druidic doctrine was invented in Britain, which in the past often sparked speculation about the possible influences of pre-Indo-European ideas on the Celtic religion. According to Caesar and Lucan , the druids also made human sacrifices to their gods.

Archaeological evidence

Archaeological evidence of Druidism is difficult. Graves of druids could not be found convincingly, although now and then special grave goods (for example in the case of the " Princess of Vix " or certain British graves with "ceremonial crowns") triggered speculations about persons with "priestly functions". The archaeological findings also seem to contradict the classical authors in part, when they state, for example, that the Celtic religion was practiced exclusively in sacred groves and only knew roughly hewn wooden stelae as pole idols, because solid temple-like buildings and sanctuaries were extremely useful even from pre-Roman times artistic anthropomorphic figures of gods can be demonstrated. The proof of human sacrifice also presents difficulties. Only the Celtic head cult could be proven so far. However, gnawing and knife marks on some special burials could point to cultic killings and possibly even cultic cannibalism (although this remains controversial as post-mortem manipulations could also be present in special burials). However, Celtic cult inventory such as ceremonial rods or sceptres, clapper plates and masks were found that were perhaps used at religious festivals or mystery games, so that one can safely assume a priestly class, even if this can hardly be distinguished from the normal nobility in the grave goods.

In 1977 a Celtic sanctuary was discovered on a hill in Gournay-sur-Aronde , a small village around 75 kilometers north of Paris. The wooden temple with a square floor plan, the entrance of which had a monumental porch adorned with human skulls and resting on six pillars, probably dates from the 2nd century BC. Chr .; the center of the sanctuary, an oval sacrificial pit three meters long and two meters deep, was built as early as the 3rd century BC. Used. A small square pit with clay pots suggests that the place dates back to the 4th century BC. Served as a Celtic cult site. Another Celtic sanctuary, the sanctuary of Ribemont-sur-Ancre , was discovered by archaeologists another 50 kilometers northeast on a slope near the River Ancre . It also dates from the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC. The 40 by 40 meter complex is surrounded by a three meter high palisade and an equally deep moat. It has a monumental entrance gate that was decorated with human skulls. Over 10,000 human bones and several hundred weapons were found in the vicinity, but not a single skull.

Druids in early Celtic history

Two druids from an 1845 publication. Based on a relief found in Autun

With the exception of a few dedicatory writings and stone tablets with religious content and the Coligny calendar, nothing has come down to us of the Druids themselves . The reason for this is mostly seen in Gaius Julius Caesar's reported prohibition of writing on the content of their beliefs.

Caesar's descriptions in the sixth book of his work De bello Gallico are among the oldest recorded reports of druids. This text shows parallels to a representation of Poseidonios (135–51 BC), who paints a Hellenistic idealized picture of the druids as philosophers . On the other hand, ancient authors report that druids carried out human sacrifices in which people were stabbed above the Diaphragms were killed in order to predict the future from their death convulsions ( Diodor : Bibliotheca historica , 5, 31; Strabo : Geographika , 4, 4, 5), and people in wickerwork depicting images of gods were offered as burnt offerings (Caesar, De bello Gallico , 6, 16). In some cases, these reports were viewed as anticeltic "war propaganda". In the meantime, archaeologists have been able to detect the remains of huge sacrificial fires, burned human bones and artefacts from the sacrifice exhibition, so these reports are at least partially confirmed. However, the unambiguous archaeological evidence of human sacrifices still causes great difficulties; after all, it could also be cremation burials and instruments for viewing the liver of sacrificial animals.

A closer examination of the sources suggests that both Julius Caesar and Cicero used the representations of Poseidonios. If one considers the circumstances or intentions that Caesar pursued with his reports, namely, among other things, the justification of the Gallic War, it is not surprising that his descriptions are sometimes quite one-sided.

In addition, Caesar describes details of Gallic society in his reports, which as a general he could not have observed. These details and the sometimes striking correspondence with the texts of Poseidonios in some passages lead to the conclusion that almost all of the information he reproduced is a summary of corresponding passages from the 23rd volume of the historical work of Poseidonios, which this as a continuation of the work created by Polybios . Unfortunately, little of this work has survived, so there is no complete direct source that reports the heyday of the Druids in Gaul (2nd – 3rd centuries BC).

The latest theses show the problem with the interpretation of the reports handed down by Caesar or Cicero, which go back to Poseidonios. Accordingly, like Caesar's “ethnographic excursus” from the sixth book on the Gallic War, Cicero's representations must also be seen in context. For example, in 69 BC he wrote In a plea explicitly of ritual human sacrifices among the Gauls. This discrediting of the Gallic religion has persisted to this day and is often quoted to prove this barbaric practice. The intention of this representation, however, was, in accordance with the nature of a plea, to defend his (Roman) client and to present the (Gallic) opposing side as implausible. For example, 23 years later, in his philosophical treatise De divinatione (“About fortune telling”) , Cicero wrote in a completely different tone about the druids: he portrayed them as scientific scholars and philosophers who, among other things, deal with prophecies and appealed to them on his conversations with the Haeduer Diviciacus , a druid whom he had temporarily hosted as a guest.

The tradition of the white-clad druid who cuts mistletoe from the oak with a golden sickle is passed down from Pliny ; Pliny also reports bull sacrifices that were made under the guidance of a druid (Pliny, Naturalis historia 16, 249-251). The mistletoe, and especially the oak, was valued by the druids as a sacred plant: Pliny traces the name druid back to the ancient Greek word δρὑς drys for oak in a probably wrong etymology . From today's point of view, it seems unlikely that mistletoe was revered as a medicinal plant solely for its effect. In addition, there was probably the evergreen color of their leaves.

After Augustus had named Gaul a Roman province, he forbade Roman citizens from practicing the Gallic religion, his successor Tiberius abolished the druids and the "society of medicine men and seers", but it was Claudius who gave her the fatal blow . The remaining Druids either became Roman Flamines or Aedites and continued to cultivate the Gallo-Roman sanctuaries, creating a mixed religion, or they lost their position of power and thus their wealth and social influence. The original Druid cult only survived in Britain, where in the year 60 the Romans on the island of Mona, north of Wales, probably destroyed a main Druid shrine with one of their most important schools in a campaign of revenge against rebel tribes (see also Llyn Cerrig Bach ). After the fire of the Capitol in Rome in 69, the Celtic druids are said to have prophesied the fall of the Roman Empire.

Druids in late antiquity

In later antiquity there appeared to be a brief resurgence of the Celtic religion. The Historia Augusta reports under the names of the historians Flavius ​​Vopiscus and Aelius Lampridius of Gallic druidesses who foretold the future of the Roman emperors Alexander Severus , Aurelian and Diocletian , and alongside Diocletian the emperors Caracalla , Maximian and the early Constantine the Great also did each other emerged as a worshiper of the god of healing Belenus . The Gallic scholar Ausonius from Burdigala boasted in his work Parentalia in the 4th century that he came from a respected Druid family, as did his teacher Attius Patera, whose grandfather was an aedituus of the god Belenus, and his colleague Phoebicius, who also came from a Druid family came and was also a cult functionary of Belenus. The druid schools of Augustodunum , Burdigala and other cities were likely converted into Roman universities during the imperial era. However, as Ausonius' example shows, the teachers continued to come from the long-established families.

Late accounts of the Celtic religion come from Gregory of Tours , who writes about the southern Gaulish cult of Berecynthia , and Eligius , who reports on pagan practices in Flanders in the 7th century. However, it is unclear whether these reports refer to remnants of the Druidic religion in the original sense or whether they are not rather remnants of late ancient Gallo-Roman syncretism . There are also descriptions of druids in early medieval saints' lives from Scotland and Ireland. The Celtic mythology of Ireland knows druids like Mog Ruith or Cathbad as powerful nobles and advisors to the Irish kings and petty kings, who were allowed to speak before them in court, as well as magicians and prophets. High druids of the provinces are also mentioned. The Welsh historian Nennius reports in his biography of the semi-historical British king Vortigern around 829 that after St. Germanus excommunicated him for adhering to the teachings of Pelagius , twelve "druids" were consulted.

Druids in early medieval Britain and Ireland

Some medieval sources report "Drui" or "Derwydd" in medieval Ireland and Britain. Irish "magicians" are said to have confronted the missionaries St. Columban and St. Patrick in their attempt to Christianize Ireland. Most of these wizards were, according to legend, defeated by the saints in "magic duels", after which they lost their power. Other legendary Irish magicians such as Túan mac Cairill are said to have voluntarily converted to Christianity through the persuasiveness of the holy men and later became monks. Indeed, early Irish Christianity, especially that of the Culdeer , has some elements that do not appear to originate from Christianity in the Mediterranean or North Africa and which may be due to Celtic influences. In the 7th century, Augustine Hibernicus reports of Irish "magicians" who are said to have taught the rebirth of humans in bird form. However, the meaning of the Irish word Drui (female Bandrui ) may have differed from that of the mainland Celtic "Druids", "Drui" referred to an official at the Irish royal courts in the Irish early Middle Ages. Later the word "Druidecht" (Ir. "Druidenkunst", see also fíth-fáth ) took on the meaning of magic power or witchcraft , although it is not clear whether it was generally popular "sorcerers" or whether it was actually in the early Middle Ages Remnants of the ancient Celtic priestly class and their teachings have survived in Ireland. However, the Filidh can be considered as possible successors of the Druids in the Irish Christian Middle Ages . In the Red Book of Hergest and by Welsh writers of the 12th century such as Gwalchmei ap Meilyr , Cynndelw Brydydd Mawr , Llywarch ap Lewelyn and Filip Brydydd , "Derwydd" is used as a title for prophets and poets of a special rank, and apparently still in their day existing institution. The Book of Taliesin refers to the three kings as Derwydd - that is, "Druids", which is probably actually the term used by the astrologer .

Modern "Druids"

Since the 18th century, in the course of the Celtic romanticism, there was a "Druid Revival" in which numerous modern Druid orders were founded. On the one hand, these were liberal and reformist associations that corresponded to the self-confidence of the rising bourgeoisie in the Age of Enlightenment , such as the Ancient Order of Druids . On the other hand, Neo-Druids subscribed to Neopaganism . Both currents have little in common with the historical druids of the ancient Celts.

In Great Britain, Druidism has been officially recognized as a tax-exempt religion since 2010.

Druids in literature

In literature, legendary or semi-historical figures such as Merlin and Taliesin are often referred to as druids, but only in more recent literature, since both are exclusively called bards or magicians in medieval tradition.

One of the most famous modern literary characters of a druid is Miraculix from the Asterix comics by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo , which has been translated into many languages. His white clothing, the golden sickle and the cutting of mistletoe in oak are obviously based on the historical sources (mentioned above). His high social position - as a connoisseur of history and advisor to the chief - also follows historical ideas. In contrast, his religious role is not expressed in these stories.

Druids are also used literarily in the novels of Marion Zimmer Bradley . In The Mists of Avalon , the Arthurian legend is told from the perspective of women. The priestess of the traditional Celtic "natural religion" Morgaine , as the sister of Arthur, tells the saga from the perspective of the priestesses, whose appearance and actions are reminiscent of that of druid women.

Druids in modern fantasy

In the role-playing system Dungeons and Dragons , the druid was adopted as a playable hero class, but represents a natural wizard of magic and thus differs greatly from its historical model. Later role-playing systems such as Das Schwarze Auge took over the D&D druid as much as possible in this form. So the hero class got into modern role-playing games such as World of Warcraft , where the druid can take the form of bears, big cats, trees and owls and other animals, and Diablo II , where he is also a shapeshifter.

See also

literature

  • Miranda Aldhouse-Green: Caesar's Druids , Yale University Press, Yale 2010, ISBN 978-0-300-12442-2 .
  • Peter Berresford Ellis : Die Druiden ISBN 3-8289-0756-3 ( A Brief History of the Druids , Constable, London 1994, ISBN 978-0-7867-0987-8 .)
  • Helmut Birkhan : The Celts. Attempt to present an overall picture of their culture , Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3
  • Yann Brekilien: La Mythologie celtique , Éditions du Rocher, Monaco 1993, ISBN 2-268-01631-5 .
  • Jean-Louis Brunaux: Les druides: Des philosophes chez les Barbares , Éditions du Seuil, Paris 2006, ISBN 978-2-02-079653-8 .
    • German edition: Jean-Louis Brunaux: Druiden. The wisdom of the Celts , Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-608-94470-9 .
  • Nora K. Chadwick: The Druids , University of Wales Press, Cardiff 1966, ISBN 0-7083-1416-3 .
  • Barry Cunliffe: Druids. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2011, ISBN 978-0-19-161378-4 .
  • Miranda J. Green: The Druids . Bechtermünz Verlag., Augsburg 2000, ISBN 3-8289-0737-7 ( Exploring the World of the Druids , Thames and Hudson, London 1968).
  • Christian-Joseph Guyonvarc'h: Magic, médecine et divination chez les Celtes , Bibliothèque scientifique Payot, Paris, 1997 ISBN 2-228-89112-6 .
  • Christian-Joseph Guyonvarc'h, Françoise Le Roux: La Civilization celtique , Ouest-France Université, coll. "De mémoire d'homme: l'histoire", Rennes 1990, ISBN 2-7373-0297-8 .
  • Christian-Joseph Guyonvarc'h, Françoise Le Roux: Les Fêtes celtiques , Ouest-France Université, coll. "De mémoire d'homme: l'histoire", Rennes 1995, ISBN 2-7373-1198-5 .
  • Anonymous: Le Dialogue des deux Sages présenté et annoté par Christian-Joseph Guyonvarc'h, Bibliothèque scientifique Payot, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-228-89214-9 .
  • Christian Hatzenbichler: Druids - noble savages or dark magicians? The intellectual elite of the Celts in ancient literature . Tectum 2011. ISBN 978-3-8288-2562-8 .
  • Ronald Hutton: The Druids , Hambledon Continuum, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-85285-533-8 .
  • Ronald Hutton: Blood and Mistletoe: the history of the druids in Britain , New Haven 2011. ISBN 978-0-3001-7085-6 .
  • Thomas Downing Kendrick: The Druids. A Study in Celtic Prehistory , Methuen, London 1927, ISBN 978-0-7146-1485-4 .
  • Venceslas Kruta: Les Celtes, Histoire et Dictionnaire , Editions Robert Laffont, coll. «Bouquins», Paris 2000, ISBN 2-7028-6261-6 .
  • Francoise Le Roux, Christian-J. Guyonvarc'h: Les druides , Ouest France 1986, ISBN 2-85882-920-9 .
    • German edition: Francoise LeRoux, Christian-Joseph Guyonvarc'h: The Druids. Myth, Magic and Reality of the Celts , Arun, 5th edition, Engerda 2006, ISBN 978-3-927940-41-3 .
  • Gwenc'hlan Le Scouëzec: Les Druides, - volume 1: Des origines à l'Empire romain , Éditions Beltan, 2001, ISBN 2-9516454-0-6 .
  • Bernhard Maier : The Druids . CH Beck, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-406-56266-2 .
  • Bernhard Maier: The Celts: History, Culture and Language , Tübingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-8252-4354-8 .
  • Bernhard Maier: Small lexicon of names and words of Celtic origin. CH Beck, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-406-49470-6 .
  • Aneurin Lloyd Owen: The Famous Druids . A Survey of Three Centuries of English Literature, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1962, ISBN 978-0-585-27811-7 .
  • Jean-Paul Persigout: Dictionnaire de mythologie celte , Éditions du Rocher, Monaco 1985, ISBN 2-268-00968-8 .
  • Stuart Piggott: The Druids , Thames and Hudson, London 1968, 2nd A. 1975, ISBN 978-0-500-27363-0 .

Web links

Commons : Druid  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Druid  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Pliny: Naturalis historia 16, 249.
  2. ^ Friedrich Kluge , Alfred Götze : Etymological dictionary of the German language . 20th edition. Edited by Walther Mitzka , De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1967; Reprint (21st unchanged edition) ibid 1975, ISBN 3-11-005709-3 , p. 145.
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Meid : Celtic religion in the testimony of language . In: Journal of Celtic Philology. Volume 53, 2003, pp. 20-40.
  4. ↑ Peter Berresford Ellis: The Druids. P. 38.
  5. ↑ a b Bernhard Maier: Small lexicon of names and words of Celtic origin. P. 49.
  6. ↑ Max Höfler: Folk medicine botany of the Celts. In: Sudhoffs Archiv 5, 1912, pp. 1–5 and 241–279.
  7. ↑ Peter Berresford Ellis: The Druids. P. 70.
  8. ↑ Miranda J. Green: The Druids. P. 55 ff.
  9. ↑ a b c Bernhard Maier: Druids: Mistletoe and Human Sacrifice - Part 3: Cattle Sacrifice and Skull Cult Spiegel Online, November 28, 2010, accessed on May 25, 2015
  10. ↑ Bernhard Maier: Die Kelten , Tübingen 2015, p. 126.
  11. ↑ Jean-Louis Brunaux: Druids - the wisdom of the Celts p. 36 ff.
  12. ↑ Cicero: Pro M. Fonteio , XIII-XIV, 30-31; in: Marcus Tullius Cicero, Complete speeches , Manfred Fuhrmann, Artemis u. Winkler 2000, p. 252 f.
  13. ↑ Jean-Louis Brunaux: Druids - the wisdom of the Celts. P. 38.
  14. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The Druids . CH Beck, Munich 2011, p. 43 f.
  15. ↑ a b Berresford Ellis: The Druids p. 16 ff.
  16. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: The Celts P. 907.
  17. ↑ Berresford Ellis: The Druids. P. 93.
  18. ↑ Berresford Ellis: The Druids. P. 274.
  19. ↑ release in abcnews
  20. ↑ The maker of World of Warcraft on the Druid
  21. ↑ Manufacturer about the druid in Diablo II