druid
Sign in to savethumb|Two Druids, 19th-century engraving based on a 1719 illustration by Bernard de Montfaucon, who said that he was reproducing a bas-relief found at [[Autun, Burgundy]]
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Druids were religious and intellectual leaders in ancient Celtic societies, particularly in Gaul and Britain, who served as priests, judges, and keepers of knowledge. They are significant to history because they played a central role in Celtic culture and religion, though much of what we know about them comes from Roman accounts and later artistic interpretations rather than direct historical records.
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Article
30 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Practices and doctrines
- Societal role and training
- Sacrifice
- Philosophy
- Druids in mythology
- Female druids
- Irish mythology
- The ''Gallizenae''
- Druidesses in Gaul
- Sources on druid beliefs and practices
- Greek and Roman records
- Julius Caesar
- Cicero, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, and Tacitus
- Irish and Welsh records
- Irish literature and law codes
- Welsh literature
- Archaeology
- History of reception
- Prohibition and decline under Roman rule
- Possible late survival of Insular druid orders
- Christian historiography and hagiography
- Later revivals
- Modern scholarship
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- External links
thumb|Two Druids, 19th-century engraving based on a 1719 illustration by Bernard de Montfaucon, who said that he was reproducing a bas-relief found at [[Autun, Burgundy]]
A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. While they were reported to have been literate, they are believed to have been prevented by doctrine from recording their knowledge in written form. Their beliefs and practices are attested in some detail by their contemporaries from other cultures, such as the Romans and the Greeks.