They were priests of the Celts - descendants of the Atlanteans. The word “Druids” itself is translated as “people of the oak tree”, because oak is the sacred tree of the Druids. The Druids were an organized magical Order; their magical system, which dates back to Atlantean times, remains completely unexplored to this day. In the Celtic tribes, Druids were scientists, doctors, soothsayers, lawyers, they served as intermediaries between people and gods - they were universally respected and possessed True Power. One of major taboos Druids were forbidden to write down anything from their teachings, because in the hands of the ignorant, this knowledge, without exaggeration, could turn into a worldwide catastrophe. The Druids based their system on an abstract concept, which they called “Power,” which did not imply dominion over other people or the Forces of nature, but mastery of oneself and, through oneself, the world around us.
The Druids were famous throughout Europe and the countries of the East for their schools, libraries, and universities. Training in the Druid Art took place for at least twenty calendar years, and began at an early age. Candidate apprentices went through a rigorous selection process, after which the most capable and promising candidates remained. At the beginning of his training, each student was dedicated to a specific manifestation of the deity, who then acted as an adviser and guide to another world, and also determined the order of the steps that had to be completed (the order was purely individual for each student).

Universities, or rather Bardic universities, were divided into three ranks of education:
Ovid (Ovydd / Vate) - initial training rank. Students wore green robes (the color of newness/growth) and studied medicine, Law, astronomy, poetry and music, as well as a number of necessary disciplines.
Bard / Beirdd - second rank. The students wore blue clothes (the color of the sky, harmony and truth), studied musical arts and instruments, poetry, history, and incantatory songs. After training, their duty was to walk around the country, engage in diplomacy, convey news, and collect information for the ruling branches of Druidry.
Druid (Druid / Derwyddon) - dressed in white (the color of purity, knowledge and spiritual community). Actually, they were prophets, priests, judges and lawyers.

Each stage of training ended with initiation rites and certain tests, sometimes deadly. The druid's power was unlimited, and his authority was not subject to even the slightest doubt.
"They are strong in the knowledge of the stars and calculations from them and use telescopes to reduce the magic of the moon, making its light brighter." Diodorus Siculus, Greek historian, 60 BC. Telescopes! And this, mind you, in 60 BC!

Secrets are one of the main sections with which the student of the Druid Tradition became familiar. This is common for members of any Magic School.
Dr. Carl Gustav Jung in his autobiography “Memories, Dreams, Reflections” says this: “No the best remedy intensification of a precious sense of individuality than the possession of a secret which the individual has sworn to keep. Such a possession had a very strong influence on my character; I consider this the most important significant factor of my childhood.”
It is worth mentioning the Druids' predilection for numbers, especially the number "three" and its derivatives. The most visible traces of the ancient esoteric practice of the Celts are the representation of wisdom in the form of tercets, or triads; this tendency, which permeates all Celtic art and literature, has also been called the Law of Three Demands.
Below are some tercets that I would recommend the guest to meditate on, for these are immutable and unchangeable Truths:

Three essences of man:
Who does he think he is?
Who others think he is.
What is he really like?

Three spiritual rules that guide a person:
Self-control.
Owning the world.
Mastery of the unknown.

Three things to control above all else:
Hand.
Language.
Wish.

Three signs of cruelty:
No need to scare the animal.
No need to pick plants.
Without the need to chase favors and privileges.

Three Keys of Druid Power:
Know,
Dare,
Keep silence.

The systematic conquest of Britain by Rome began in 43 AD and continued until 61 AD, resulting in Britain becoming one of the outlying provinces of the Roman Empire. This happened due to the fragmentation of the Celtic tribes and the superior equipment and military training of the Roman legions. Almost all the Druids were purposefully physically destroyed in one way or another.
However, by the beginning of the 5th century AD, as a result of systematic raids by Celtic and Saxon tribes, which caused considerable damage to the invaders, Roman rule in Britain ceased. Britain again split into a number of independent Celtic regions.

Laws of Druid magic

Druids are a priestly caste, descendants of the Atlanteans, who held the highest power in ancient Britain, Gaul, and Ireland. One of the areas of the secret Knowledge of the Druids was magic and witchcraft, which were and are based on eternal Laws, like the Universe itself.

Law of Knowledge
First Basic Law. Understanding gives control. The more you know about an object, the easier it is to control it. Knowledge is power.
Law of Self-Knowledge
The main derivative of the Law of Knowledge. He who does not have knowledge about himself cannot have knowledge about his magical abilities, his
magic and, accordingly, power over them. Know yourself.

Law of Cause and Effect
The exact same action, performed under exactly the same conditions, will lead to exactly the same result. In fact magical rituals have so many variables that fully managing them and sometimes understanding them is often impossible. The key to the fullest mastery of the magical arts is practical study: which variables are most important in each particular case, and how to keep them constant.
Association Law
Second Basic Law. Many rituals are built on it, ranging from love spells ending with involting. If any two things have elements in common, they interact through those elements. Control of one subject contributes to the control of another subject, depending on the number of common elements involved in the process.
Law of Similars
Third Basic Law. Looking similar is similar. Having a high-quality mental or physical image of an object makes it easier to control it. Most bright that an example is the famous witchcraft dolls.

Law of Contact
Objects that were in physical contact with each other continue to interact in one way or another after separation. Anyone touched by a person has a weak magical connection with him. The more often contact occurs, the stronger the connection. Magic force contagious, that is, possessing a part of someone’s physical body (nails, hair, blood, saliva) provides a better contact connection.
Law of the Name
A name is something deeply associated with its bearer. Simply pronouncing a name already entails the emergence of a certain contact with the one who bears it. Many magicians and warriors of antiquity carefully hid their names in order to avoid possible unwanted contact. Knowing the true and full name of an object or process gives control over it. Simply put, if a person calls something by the same name over and over again, that name becomes associated with the object.
Law of Words of Power
Words of Power are certain words that change internal and, accordingly, external reality, the meaning of which is most often lost or forgotten. Widely used in spells and conspiracies. They are depicted graphically on talismans and amulets.

Law of Personification
Used to concentrate and focus magical energy. Any phenomenon or object can be considered alive and have a personality. Anything can be a person.
Law of Circulation
It is possible to establish an internal connection between processes inside and outside oneself by invoking the internal process while establishing the connection.
Law of Challenge
It is possible to establish an external connection between processes inside and outside someone by calling the external process while establishing the connection.
Law of Identification
It is possible, through maximum association between the elements of oneself and another being, to truly become that being, even to the point of possessing its knowledge and power.

Law of the Personal Universe
Any being is free and capable of creating its own (subjective) universe, which will never be completely identical to the universe of another being. Reality is nothing more than a consensus of beings' opinions about their own universes.
Law of Infinity of Universes
The absolute number of Universes in which all possible combinations of the phenomenon of existence are displayed is infinity. Everything is possible
Law of Pragmatism
If a range of beliefs or behaviors allows a being to survive and successfully achieve its chosen goals, then those beliefs (combinations of behaviors) are “right,” “true,” or “reasonable.” This rule is rejected, but usually applied.
Law of Unity
Any phenomenon of existence is directly or indirectly related to any other phenomenon of existence in the past, present or future. The feeling of separateness of phenomena is based on incomplete knowledge and/or misunderstanding.

Law of True Lies
It is possible, for understanding, or action, to violate the true spectrum of the personal universe, but still remain “true to yourself”, given the fact that it “works” in a particular specific situation.
Law of Synthesis
Synthesis of two or more “opposite” data spectra produces a new spectrum that is truer than each of the original ones. The synthesized spectrum can be used on more levels of reality, being not a compromise, but something new and greater.
Law of Polarity
Any spectrum of data can be divided into at least two opposing characteristics, and each of them will contain the essence of the other within itself.

Law of Opposites
Sub-law of the Law of Polarity. Quite difficult to understand. The opposite spectrum contains information about another spectrum, suggesting information about what the spectrum is not. Control over the opposite spectrum allows you to control the desired spectrum.

Law of Dynamic Balance
To achieve success in all areas of existence, it is necessary to maintain every aspect of your universe in a state of dynamic balance with every other aspect. Extremes are dangerous because constant association with one or another borderline aspect makes it impossible to disidentify with this aspect at all. It is for this reason that “evil” magicians are so rare, since the constant association with pain, death and other negative aspects significantly limits the magician’s field of activity, and gradually leads to the death of the magician’s universe.

Law of Perversion
Even if nothing can “go” any other way, some elements of the Universe can change so that everything will “go” in a different way. At the same time, numerous coincidences that should be unfavorable work in favor.

These are the Laws. They work in Everyday life and influence it regardless of whether they believe in them or not. They cannot be broken. You can only break on them. Every magician, or ordinary person, has already tested, or can test their effect. The Law of Perversion does not need to be verified.

Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, specialists in esotericism and occultism, authors of 15 books.

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Celtic names

Celtic female names and their meaning

Celtic names- these are the names of ancient tribes that inhabited almost the entire territory of ancient Europe.

Celtic tribes included: Gauls, Galatians, Helvetii, Belgae, Arverni, Boii, Senones, Biturigi, Volci.

The Celts occupied the territories of modern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, and almost all of Western and Central Europe.

Traditionally preserved to this day Celtic regions- these are areas in modern Europe inhabited by representatives Celtic culture and Celtic languages: Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales. In these regions one of the Celtic languages is spoken or used to be spoken.

Before the expansion of the Roman Empire and the increase in the territory of the Germanic tribes, most Western Europe was Celtic.

Celtic female names and their meanings

Avalon– heavenly, apple

Ain- shine

Iris (Airic) – pleasant

Alastrion (Alastriona) – protector of humanity

Aleena (Aleena) – fair of colors, beautiful

Arela (Arela) - Promise

Arlina (Arlene) - Promise

Arleta (Arleta) - Promise

Breeda (Breeda) – strong, independent.

Brenna (Brenna) - crow

Brett (Bretta) – from UK

Brianna (Brianna) – rebelling against oppression

Brigid(Brygid) – strong, resilient

Brigid (Brigitta) – strong

Brit (Brit) – a mighty maiden who came from Great Britain

Britta (Britta) – strong

Venetia (Venetia) – happy

Vinny (Winnie) – fair

Gwendolen (Gwendolen) – noble

Gwendoline (Gwendolin) – born noble

Gwenn (Gwenn) – noble

Ginerva (Ginerva) - white like foam

Grania(Grania) - Love

Devon (Devona) – predicted

Diva (Diva

Divona (Divone) – predicted, foreseen

Jenniver(Jennyver) – white wave

Jennifer (Jennifer) – White wave

Zinerva(Zinerva) – pale

Idella(Idelle) – generous, plentiful

Idelisa(Idelisa) – generous, plentiful

Imogen (Imogen) – flawless, innocent

And she (Iona) – born of a king

Camryn (Camryn) – tendency towards freedom

Cassady (Kassadi) – curly

Kennedy (Kennedy) - force

Kili (Keely) – slender, pretty

Khira (Khiara) – small dark

Lavena (Lavena) - joy

Leslie (Lesley) – gray fortress

Linetta (Linette) – polite, courteous

Mabina (Mabina) – dexterous

Mawella (Mavelle) - joy

Mavis (Mavis) - joy

Mackenzie (Mackenzie) – daughter of a wise leader

Malvina (Malvina) – maid

Mevi (Maeve) – mythical queen

Merna (Merna) - offer

Nara (Nara) – satisfied

Narina (Nareena) – satisfied

Nela (Neala) – ruler

Ova (Ove) – mythical name

Ofa (Oifa) – mythical name

Penarddan (Penarddun) – mythical name

Righan (Reaghan) – noble

Rinnon– big queen

Rowena (Rowena) – white, pretty

Ryann (Ryann) – small leader

Sabrina- river goddess

Seylan(Caylan) – winner

Selma (Selma) – pretty

Sinny (Cinnie) - beautiful

Tahra (Tahra) – growing

Three hundred- bold, reckless

Ula (Ula) – gem from the sea

Una (Una) – white wave

Fedelm (fedelm) – mythical name

Fenella (Fenella) – mythical name

Fianna(Fianna) – mythical name

Fingula (Fingula) – mythical name

Findabair (Findabair) – mythical name

Fkhina– wine

Shawna (Shawna)

Shyla (Shayla) - fairy

Scheilich (Shayleigh) – magic princess

Shela (Shaela) – magic palace

Evelyn (Evelyn) - light

Edana (Edana) – passionate

Eina (Aina) – bringing joy

Alice(Ailis) – noble

Ena (Ena) – passionate, fiery

Enya– singing elf

Epona- horse

Eslinn (Aislynn) - inspiration

Edna (Edna) - fire

Etna (Ethna) - fire

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DRUIDS - PRIESTS

Most readers are familiar with the word “Druid” and imagine the romantic Celtic priests who performed their sacred rites, so colorfully described by Pliny: “They call the mistletoe by a name that means “all-healer.” Having prepared the sacrifice and feast under the trees, they bring there two white bulls, whose horns are then tied for the first time. The priest, dressed in a white robe, climbs the tree and trims the mistletoe with a golden sickle, and others catch it in a white cloak. They then kill the victims, praying that God will accept this propitiatory gift from those to whom he bestowed it. They believe that mistletoe, taken as a drink, gives fertility to infertile animals and that it is an antidote to all poisons. These are the religious feelings that many peoples experience over completely trivial matters.”

One might wonder if the mysterious beads on the horns of bulls in Celtic religious iconography suggest that the horns were tied together in preparation for sacrifice, indicating that these animals belonged to the gods or were the god himself in animal form. It is also interesting to note that the word for mistletoe in modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic is "uil-os" literally meaning "all-healer". Pliny's story about this ritual, which accompanied the sacrifice of bulls, had a huge influence on subsequent attitudes to the question of the Celtic priesthood: there was no awareness of how limited our real information about the Druids is, and to a very large extent fantasy began to color the facts.

In fact, with the exception of some very scant references to such a class of pagan priests in ancient authors and very vague references in local tradition, we know very little about the Druids. We do not know whether they were common throughout the Celtic world, whether they were the only high-ranking priests, or in what time period they were active. All we know is that at a certain period in history some of the Celtic peoples had powerful priests who were called that way; they helped defend against the forces of the Other World, often hostile, and with the help of rituals known only to them, they directed these forces for the benefit of humanity in general and this tribe in particular. The most in-depth analysis of the nature of Druidry is contained in S. Piggot's book “Druids”.

THE ROLE OF DRUID WOMEN IN THE PAGAN CELTIC RELIGION

Evidence from ancient authors suggests that female druids, or druidesses, if they can be called that, also played a role in the pagan Celtic religion, and this evidence is consistent with the data of the insular texts. Vopisk (although this is a rather dubious source) tells an interesting story: “My grandfather told me what he heard from Diocletian himself. When Diocletian, he said, was in a tavern in Tungri in Gaul, still had a small military rank and was summing up his daily expenses with some female Druidess, she said to him: “You are too stingy, Diocletian, too prudent.” To this, they say, Diocletian answered not seriously, but jokingly: “I will be generous when I become emperor.” After these words, the Druidess is said to have said: “Don’t joke, Diocletian, because you will be emperor when you kill the boar.”

Speaking about the prophetic abilities of the Druids and again mentioning women, Vopisk says: “He [Asclepiodotus] claimed that Aurelian once turned to the Gallic Druidesses with the question of whether his descendants would remain in power. Those, according to him, replied that there would be no more glorious name in the state than the name of the descendants of Claudius. And there is already Emperor Constantius, a man of the same blood, and his descendants, it seems, will achieve the glory that was predicted by the Druidesses.”

Prophetic power is attributed to the seer Fedelm in "The Rape of the Bull of Cualnge"; there is every reason to believe that in the Druid class women, at least in some areas and at some periods, enjoyed a certain influence.

DRUIDS OF BRITAIN

In fact, ancient authors have only one mention of Druids in Britain. Describing the attack of the Roman governor Paulinus on the Druid fortress on Anglesey in 61 AD. e., Tacitus says: “On the shore stood a fully armed enemy army, among which women were running, looking like furies, in mourning robes, with flowing hair, they were holding burning torches in their hands; The Druids who were right there, with their hands raised to the sky, raised prayers to the gods and uttered curses. The novelty of this spectacle shocked our warriors, and they, as if petrified, exposed their motionless bodies to the blows raining down on them. Finally, heeding the admonitions of the commander and urging each other not to be afraid of this frenzied, half-female army, they rush towards the enemy, throw them back and push the resisters into the flames of their own torches. After this, a garrison is placed among the vanquished and they are cut down sacred groves, intended for the performance of ferocious superstitious rites: after all, they considered it pious to irrigate the altars of the lairs with the blood of captives and ask for their instructions, turning to human entrails.”

The Druid stronghold on Anglesey may have had both economic and religious aspects, which explains the fanatical resistance to the Roman invasion. Further archaeological excavations, along with the classification of some cult figures on Anglesey that have not yet been studied in this context, may shed more light on the nature of Druidry on this island, and perhaps in Britain as a whole.

STATUS OF DRUIDS

According to Irish tradition, Druids are characterized by dignity and power. Other references give them other, almost shamanistic, features. It's about about the famous druid Mog Ruth: at least one specialist in Celtic mythology believed that he was originally a sun god. Although to say this is to go much further than the available evidence allows us, he was nevertheless considered a powerful sorcerer and allegedly had the ability to raise a storm and create clouds with just his breath. In the Siege of Drum Damgaire he wears an enchennach, a bird's robe, which is described as follows: “They brought to him Mog Ruth's skin of a hornless brown bull and his motley bird's robe with flowing wings, and also his druid's robe. And he rose together with the fire into the air and into the sky.”

Another account of the Druids from local Irish sources portrays them in a humorous light and as not being as worthy as antiquarian admirers would have them believe. However, perhaps the reason for this is the confusion of the word "druid" with druith - "fool". In the saga "The Intoxication of the Ulads", which is full of mythological motives and situations, Queen Medb, an Irish goddess by origin, is guarded by two druids, Crom Derol and Crom Daral. They stand on the wall and argue. One thinks that a huge army is approaching them, while the other claims that these are all just natural parts of the landscape. But in reality, it is really the army that is attacking them.

“They did not stand there for long, two druids and two observers, when the first detachment appeared in front of them, and its approach was white-bright, crazy, noisy, thundering over the valley. They rushed forward so furiously that in the houses of Temra Luachr there was not a sword left on a hook, not a shield on a shelf, not a spear on a wall that would not fall to the ground with a roar, noise and ringing. On all the houses in Temre Luakhra, where there were tiles on the roofs, those tiles fell from the roofs onto the ground. It seemed as if a stormy sea had approached the walls of the city and its fence. And in the city itself, people’s faces turned white, and there was gnashing of teeth. Then two druids fainted, and into unconsciousness, and into unconsciousness, one of them, Krom Daral, fell from the wall outside, and the other, Krom Derol, fell inside. But soon Krom Derol jumped to his feet and fixed his gaze on the detachment that was approaching him.”

The Druid class could have had some kind of power in the Christian era, at least in the Goidelic world, and we have no reason to believe that with the advent of Christianity, pagan cults and all the attributes and people associated with it instantly disappeared. In Scotland, Saint Columba is said to have met a Druid named Broichan near Inverness in the 7th century AD. e. The Druids may have existed for some time under Christianity, although they no longer had the same religious authority And political influence; perhaps they turned only into magicians and sorcerers.

However, in ancient times their power, at least in some areas Ancient world, was undeniable. Caesar, apparently, was basically right when he wrote: “Namely, they give verdicts in almost all controversial cases, public and private; whether a crime or murder has been committed, whether there is a dispute over inheritance or boundaries - the same Druids decide... Their science is thought to have originated in Britain and from there transferred to Gaul; and to this day, in order to get to know it more thoroughly, they go there to study it.”

In addition, Pliny mentions the veneration that Druidry enjoyed in the British Isles. He notes: “And to this day Britain is fascinated by magic and performs its rites with such ceremonies that it seems as if it were she who transmitted this cult to the Persians.”

It cannot be established with certainty whether the name "Druids" was derived from the Greek (oak), since oak played a prominent role in the Druid religion, or from the Celtic Dru(faith), or it corresponds to the ancient British words still used in Wales today Dryw, Derwydd, Dryod(sage).

“The religion of the Celts, representing the worship of nature, was at the same time the religion of the priests, since, being in the hands of a special caste, it became the subject of priestly theorization and was elevated to theological doctrine.”

The corporation of Druids, which united all of Gaul and the British Isles with a religious-national bond, constituted a closely closed society, but not a hereditary caste of priests. Its members, exempt from all public duties, taxes and military service, were not only ministers and preachers of sacred doctrine, experts in sacred rites and religious ritual pleasing to the gods, but also lawyers, judges and doctors, and in general representatives of the entire spiritual culture of the people; they enjoyed the greatest honor.

As a consequence, many young people, even from the highest aristocracy, sought admission into the community, which was thus replenished, like the Catholic hierarchy. New members took a vow of strict secrecy and led a solitary, quiet life in the fraternity. They replaced their light clothes with priestly robes, a short underdress and a cloak; the wisdom of the Druids was communicated to them in secluded places.

The training lasted quite a long time. For less gifted students, it often lasted for twenty years. They studied the priestly art of writing, medicine and counting, mathematics, astronomy, they were initiated into the doctrine of elemental deities and dogmatic doctrine. The training was carried out with the help of sayings designed exclusively for mechanical memorization; it had the character deepest secret; his mystical language could only be understood by initiates. To maintain secrecy, nothing was recorded or made public.

The community was headed by a high priest, whom the members elected from among themselves for life. The signs of his dignity were a scepter and an oak wreath.

The community was divided into three categories: Eubags, or Vats, Bards and Senani, or Drizids. In addition to these degrees, there was another category of members - women, headed by women - Druids.

Externally, druids of different ranks differed in clothing. The clothing of the Druids was richly woven with gold; they also wore gold bracelets, neck chains and rings.

For lower ranks deep symbolic meaning had a sickle of the moon and a cornucopia with the moon on it, for the highest - a snake's egg, a very ancient mystical symbol of life from eastern myths, and sacred mistletoe. This evergreen plant, which on the sixth night after the full moon was cut by a white-clad druid from the top of an oak tree with a golden knife with a special ceremony, was considered a talisman possessing the highest power, and in the mysterious language of the priests was called “the healer of all sorrows.”

The priests themselves were the Drizids; they preserved the metaphysical and ethical teachings of their traditional wisdom, and they presided over legal proceedings and government affairs. They married, but usually led a secluded, contemplative life in sacred oak groves.

The Vats were in charge of sacred rites and performed the entire complex ceremony of spells, divinations, and magic.

In addition, their duties included teaching new members the rules of worship; They were also engaged in astronomical observations and calendar calculations. Their calculation of time, as can be concluded from the reports of ancient writers, reached high degree perfection. When observing the heavenly bodies, they apparently even used magnifying glasses, the so-called Druid heads.

The art of medicine was also in their hands. Although they used medicinal herbs, they still attached less importance to natural methods of treatment than to the mystical rites that accompanied the collection of herbs and symbolic remedies.

And finally, bards played the same role among the Celts as prophets among the Jews. They accompanied the troops during campaigns with their songs, inspiring courage in the soldiers; at religious festivals they sang songs of praise in honor of the gods, and during ceremonial feasts they sang the exploits of ancient heroes. Insane courage, stubborn resistance, firm endurance - all these valor that the Celts showed in the desperate struggle that lasted for centuries with their victors - in Gaul with the Romans and Goths, in England and Ireland with the Saxons and Normans - they owe largely to that inspiration , which was evoked by the songs of bards.

Therefore, the bards were under divine protection, and their words had a huge influence on the simple-minded minds of the naive people. They were the main leaders of public opinion and in the most important government affairs enjoyed the same authority as the Druids.

Only very fragmentary information has reached us about the relationship between the Druids of both sexes. Women were probably priestesses of the goddesses and performed sacrifices that were supposed to be performed only by women. But mainly they were engaged in magic and divination. Like superstitious peoples, the Celts attributed to women the gift of foresight.

Some Druid women were in charge of housekeeping in Druid houses, others spent their lives in monastic seclusion. Such a society existed on the island of Seine and, thanks to the famous oracle, was widely known in the Celtic countries. The chief priestesses took a vow of eternal chastity. The people looked at them with awe, and the believers whispered to each other that the priestesses could turn into animals, predict the future and, with mysterious spells, create a storm at sea, call and tame the winds.

As a result, priestesses began to be considered everywhere as divine beings who brought healing and grace, thus representing in the ancient world the highest ideal of a woman, along with the beautiful female images of the Germanic world of gods.

It is all the more amazing that in the imagination of later centuries they turned into evil witches, as Shakespeare portrays them in Macbeth.

The teachings of the Druids, known only to initiates and therefore preserved only in the form of insignificant fragments, treat mainly of deities, their strength, power and other properties, the origin and fate of the world and afterlife human soul.

Theological studies of the question of the plurality of deities recognized by the folk faith of the Celts soon brought the religious consciousness of the Druids to such a level that it was no longer difficult for them to rise to monotheism. In the god Taranis they saw a blessed heavenly force, which, possessing a variety of properties under different names, united in itself all the deities of Celtic mythology; he was a single deity, but only in folk religion represented as many separate deities. It is very possible, although it is difficult to establish, that the influence of Christian views was felt here.

Strange as it may seem, the fantastic natural philosophy of the Celtic sages attributed the origin of the world, which was to be destroyed by fire and water, to this beginning. According to their teaching, the world is a terrible chaos emerging from a terrifying abyss. As a result of this, people who are born from this chaos are evil and vicious by nature, and therefore they must, through a virtuous life, cleanse themselves of their innate viciousness. This view is so close to Christian teaching O original sin, that one might justly doubt its Celtic origin, had it not been attested by the indisputable testimony of Julius Caesar.

But the fantastic teaching about the origin of the universe and man, with its vicious inclinations, is of much less importance than the secret teaching of the Druids about the fate of the human soul after death.

The Druids believed in personal immortality and the transmigration of souls. The soul that left the body had to, in order to receive eternal peace, undergo preliminary purification, which was achieved only through a long journey, during which it inhabited people, animals and even plants. Celtic poetry gives terrible pictures of terrible “Lakes of Fear” inhabited by gloomy crowds of the dead, terrifying valleys of blood through which the wandering soul had to pass. And from the prophecy of one Breton bard who lived in the 5th century. according to R. X., we learn that all people must go through the dark night of death three times before the doors of heavenly paradise open to them. When the soul reaches the necessary purity, the carriers of the dead will transport it to the island of the blessed, where it will forever enjoy in blissful peace, in evergreen meadows, under the shade of beautiful apple trees. For, having drunk clear water from a source babbling among flowering meadows, she will be reborn to a new, eternal life and, having recognized the people dear to her, husband - wife, parents - children, hero - heroine, among the fun, singing and dancing, she will rejoice, rejoicing at the date with them.

Such were the Druids and their teaching. If we now take a general look at the internal content of Druidism, we will understand that this priestly caste not only met with reverence and blind submission among the believing crowd in matters of religion, but also had a decisive influence in all state affairs.

Already the knowledge of signs and the application of this knowledge for practical life ensured an outstanding position for the Druids. The Celt did not take a single important step without first turning to his god. Only the priest could know his will.

This also includes sacrifices, which were supposed to persuade the gods to fulfill the desires of people and which only druids could perform.

As the only experts in customary law, the Druids managed to take into their own hands all the most important public and private affairs; Criminal practice has reached special development. They also managed to arrogate to themselves the right to decide issues of war and peace and even to exclude individual recalcitrant members and entire social groups from the religious community. Whoever was expelled from the cult also lost all his civil rights and his social status. “All this strongly resembles a theocratic state with its papal power, councils, immunities, interdicts and spiritual courts.”

The political power of the Druids, which had already been shaken in the time of Caesar due to constant discord among the aristocracy - and this greatly facilitated the conquests of the great Roman - was subsequently finally broken by Roman rule.

But the Druids established the role of bearers of the religious and spiritual life of the nation, and for a long time they resisted the victorious onslaught of Christianity, and the bards, with their songs, supported the people’s memory of the past, of ancient folk traditions. Excerpts from these ancient songs of bards have survived to this day. Sadness about past greatness and glory illuminates them with the melancholic glow of the evening dawn, and everything that could still offend our feelings is transformed in a magical light and enchants us with a picture of a distant, slowly fading in the reddish twilight of the heroic era. And after the last Celtic tribes in Wales, Ireland and Scotland had already been converted to Christianity, Druidry still continued to struggle for existence, finding a stronghold for itself in the reformed union of the bards.

Tradition calls its founder the mythical Merlin, endowed with enormous magical power; he lived, according to legend, at the end of the 5th century and was a leading fighter for Celtic independence. New researchers are more likely to think that Merlin, this outstanding figure in ancient Breton legends, “is an abstract concept rather than a person - a concept to which the victorious cries and complaints, prophecies and curses were dated during the desperate struggle of the Britons with the Saxons and Normans.” .

And this union, which represented a hereditary caste, was divided into three categories. The first group included students (Arwennyddions), the second were the guards (Bard Faleithiawg)", to the highest class belonged only the head of the bards or the chairman (Barddynys Pryadain). Sky blue clothes served as external hallmark his rank.

With the introduction of Christianity, the poetry of the ancient bards received a new direction, mixing national traditions with the ideas of a new doctrine.

Greatest work This Celtic-Christian poetry represents the sagas of King Arthur and his knights Round table, the legends of Merlin and Tristan and Isolde. The ideas underlying these sagas were developed and elaborated in all their glory by three German poets: Wolfram von Eschenbach in Parzival and Titurel, Gottfried of Strassburg in Tristan and Karl Zimmermann in Merlin and Tristan and Isolde "

“In the heat of the last desperate battle of the Britons with the English, the bard’s song sounded powerfully once again and with its stunning sounds Gruffud ab ir Inad Cach escorted to the grave the last Welsh ruler, Llewelyn, whose death during the Battle of Buelta put an end to the national life of his people.”

This “funeral song for the liberties of the people” is a characteristic cry of wild despair among the Celts:

God hear us, why doesn’t the sea swallow us up?

Why do we continue our lives, trembling with fear?

We have nowhere to go in trouble and misfortune,

There is nowhere for us to hide from an inexorably harsh fate.

Inevitable death threatens us everywhere,

There is no salvation for us, no outcome for us.

Only one refuge is saving death.

In 940 the statutes and special rights of the union were written down, and in 1078 it was reformed and received numerous privileges, which gave it new strength and gave it power, which often burdened the people.

Under Cymric rule in Wales, from the time of the conquest of the country by Edward I (1272–1307), the bards were severely persecuted, but still "they managed to maintain their political and social importance" until the era of Queen Elizabeth.

In Ireland, bards were divided, according to their occupation, into three main categories: fileds, orators and heralds in the council of princes, singers in battle and during worship, then breithemheims, who in known cases they held court, and, finally, the Senashades, historians and genealogists of noble families.

After the conquest of Ireland by Henry II (1154–1189), the famous union of the bards gradually began to disintegrate and was finally finally destroyed by the Battle of the River Byne (1690).

In Scotland the bardic union took the same form as in Ireland. And here the bards were the hereditary servants of the princes and aristocracy, until finally, with the abolition of the hereditary right of court (1748), the class of singers ceased to exist forever. Let us now move to other countries and, following chronological order, turn again to the East, to that small corner of the earth that was destined to play the most outstanding role in the history of mankind.

In such places the Celts worshiped their gods. Now we must try to find out who was the mediator between the gods and the believers. At least some of the Celtic priests were called Druids, and we have already spoken of them in connection with their place in society and their role as guardians of ancient tradition. We must now consider them in the light of religion, as priests. Most readers are familiar with the word “Druid” and imagine the romantic Celtic priests who performed their sacred rites, so colorfully described by Pliny: “They call the mistletoe by a name that means “all-healer.” Having prepared the sacrifice and feast under the trees, they bring there two white bulls, whose horns are then tied for the first time. The priest, dressed in a white robe, climbs the tree and trims the mistletoe with a golden sickle, and others catch it in a white cloak. They then kill the victims, praying that God will accept this propitiatory gift from those to whom he bestowed it. They believe that mistletoe, taken as a drink, gives fertility to infertile animals and that it is an antidote to all poisons. These are the religious feelings that many peoples experience over completely trivial matters.”

One might wonder if the mysterious beads on the horns of bulls in Celtic religious iconography suggest that the horns were tied together in preparation for sacrifice, indicating that these animals belonged to the gods or were the god himself in animal form. It is also interesting to note that the word for mistletoe in modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic is "uil-oc" literally meaning "all-healer". Pliny's story about this ritual, which accompanied the sacrifice of bulls, had a huge influence on subsequent attitudes to the question of the Celtic priesthood: there was no awareness of how limited our real information about the Druids is, and to a very large extent fantasy began to color the facts.

In fact, with the exception of some very scanty references to such a class of pagan priests in ancient authors and very vague references in local tradition, we know very little about the Druids. We do not know whether they were common throughout the Celtic world, whether they were the only high-ranking priests, or in what time period they were active. All we know is that at a certain period in history some of the Celtic peoples had powerful priests who were called that way; they helped defend against the forces of the Other World, often hostile, and, with the help of rituals known only to them, directed these forces for the benefit of humanity in general and this tribe in particular. The most in-depth analysis of the nature of Druidry is contained in S. Piggot's book “Druids”.

The fact that in our time so much attention is paid to the Druids is entirely due to the activities of antiquarian writers, starting from the 16th century. The whole "cult" of the Druids was connected with the concept of the "noble savage", and on a very meager basis of fact a whole fantastic theory was built, which led to the emergence of the modern "Druidic cult" which is practiced at Stonehenge. There is not the slightest evidence that the pagan priests of the ancient Celtic tribes were in any way connected with this Neolithic and Bronze Age monument (although their predecessors may have had something to do with it). Modern events Celebrations such as the Eisteddfod - the annual celebration of music and Welsh culture in Wales - and other similar festivals throughout the still-Celtic world helped to consolidate the image of an idealized druid, but this image is essentially false, based not so much on surviving as on restored traditions.

The influence of the antiquarian philosophers was so great that there is virtually no Neolithic or Bronze Age henge that is not attributed to "Druid" origin or connection with the Druids. Throughout the British Isles, and especially in the Celtic regions, we find Druid circles, thrones, mounds, Druid stones. Dr. Johnson very astutely remarked about the first such monument he saw: “About three miles beyond Inverness we saw, just by the road, a very complete example of what is called a Druid temple. It was a double circle, one of very large stones, the other of smaller stones. Dr. Johnson rightly noted that “to go to see another Druid temple is only to see that there is nothing here, since there is neither art nor power in it, and seeing one is enough.”

The Celts themselves in pre-Christian times did not leave any evidence of their priesthood. The only mentions of Druids in Ireland, therefore, date back to times after paganism. It is unclear whether they accurately depict the character of the Druid, or whether what is said about the Druids is only the result of a negative attitude towards them on the part of the new priesthood that was hostile to them. In some cases the Druids, who are constantly mentioned, appear to be worthy and powerful people; sometimes they are even given preference over the king himself. Thus, in “The Rape of the Bull from Kualnge” the druid Cathbad is named the father of the king himself - Conchobar, the son of Ness. It says that Cathbad had a group of disciples whom he instructed in Druidic science. According to Irish tradition, he is depicted as a teacher who teaches young people religious traditions tribe and omens through which one can turn these traditions to one's advantage. This is consistent with the picture of Celtic priests painted by Caesar in the 1st century BC. BC: “Druids take an active part in matters of worship, monitor the correctness of public sacrifices, interpret all questions related to religion; Many young people come to them to study science, and in general they are held in great esteem by the Gauls.”

In one of the oldest of the Old Irish sagas, The Banishment of the Sons of Usnech, the dramatic event, the cry of the unborn femme fatale Deirdre in her mother's womb, must be explained through the prophetic powers of the Druid Cathbad. After this ominous event occurred, which frightened everyone present, the expectant mother rushes to the druid and begs him to explain what happened:

You better listen to Cathbad

Noble and beautiful,

Overshadowed by secret knowledge.

And I myself, in clear words...

Can not say.

Cathbad then “placed… his palm on the woman’s stomach and felt a thrill under his palm.

“Truly, this is a girl,” he said. “Her name will be Deirdre.” And a lot of evil will happen because of her.”

After this, a girl is really born, and her life really follows the path predicted by the Druid.

According to Irish tradition, Druids are characterized by dignity and power. Other references give them other, almost shamanistic, features. We are talking about the famous druid Mog Ruth: at least one specialist in Celtic mythology believed that he was originally a sun god. Although to claim this is to go much further than the available evidence allows us, he was nevertheless considered a powerful sorcerer and allegedly had the ability to raise a storm and create clouds with just his breath. In the saga "The Siege of Drum Damgaire" he wears enchennach - "bird clothes", which is described as follows: “They brought to him the skin of Mog Ruth's hornless brown bull and his motley bird clothes with flowing wings, and, in addition, his druid robes. And he rose together with the fire into the air and into the sky.”

Another account of the Druids from local Irish sources portrays them in a humorous light and as not being as worthy as antiquarian admirers would have them believe. However, perhaps the reason for this is the confusion of the word “druid” with druith - “fool”. In the saga "The Intoxication of the Ulads", which is full of mythological motives and situations, Queen Medb, an Irish goddess by origin, is guarded by two druids, Crom Derol and Crom Daral. They stand on the wall and argue. One thinks that a huge army is approaching them, while the other claims that these are all just natural parts of the landscape. But in reality it is really the army that is attacking them.

The Druid class could have had some kind of power in the Christian era, at least in the Goydel world, and we have no reason to believe that with the advent of Christianity, pagan cults and all the attributes and people associated with it instantly disappeared. In Scotland, Saint Columba is said to have met a Druid named Broichan near Inverness in the 7th century AD. e. The Druids may have existed for some time under Christianity, although they no longer had the same religious power and political influence; perhaps they turned only into magicians and sorcerers.

However, in ancient times their power, at least in some areas of the Ancient World, was undeniable. Caesar, apparently, was basically right when he wrote: “Namely, they give verdicts in almost all controversial cases, public and private; whether a crime or murder has been committed, whether there is a dispute over inheritance or borders, the same Druids decide... Their science is thought to have originated in Britain and from there transferred to Gaul; and to this day, in order to get to know it more thoroughly, they go there to study it.”

Caesar, speaking about Britain, does not mention the Druids. Episodes such as the Boudicca revolt and the religious rites and practices associated with them give the impression that in the 1st century AD. e. there was something very similar to Druidry, at least in some parts of Britain. In fact, ancient authors have only one mention of Druids in Britain. Describing the attack of the Roman governor Paulinus on the Druid fortress on Anglesey in 61 AD. e., Tacitus says: “On the shore stood a fully armed enemy army, among which women were running, looking like furies, in mourning robes, with flowing hair, they were holding burning torches in their hands; The Druids who were right there, with their hands raised to the sky, raised prayers to the gods and uttered curses. The novelty of this spectacle shocked our warriors, and they, as if petrified, exposed their motionless bodies to the blows raining down on them. Finally, heeding the admonitions of the commander and urging each other not to be afraid of this frenzied, half-female army, they rush towards the enemy, throw them back and push the resisters into the flames of their own torches. After this, a garrison is placed among the vanquished and their sacred groves, intended for the performance of ferocious superstitious rites, are cut down: after all, they considered it pious to irrigate the altars of the lairs with the blood of prisoners and ask for their instructions, turning to human entrails.”

We already know that the Druid stronghold on Anglesey may have been associated with both economic and religious aspects, which explains the fanatical resistance to the Roman invasion. Further archaeological excavations, along with the classification of some of the cult figures on Anglesey that have not yet been studied in this context, may shed more light on the nature of Druidry on this island, and perhaps in Britain as a whole.

Speaking about the prophetic abilities of the Druids and again mentioning women, Vopisk says: “He claimed that Aurelian once turned to the Gallic Druidesses with the question of whether his descendants would remain in power. Those, according to him, replied that there would be no more glorious name in the state than the name of the descendants of Claudius. And there is already Emperor Constantius, a man of the same blood, and his descendants, it seems, will achieve the glory that was predicted by the Druidesses.”

We have already seen what prophetic power is attributed to the seer Fedelm in The Rape of the Bull from Kualnge; there is every reason to believe that in the Druid class women, at least in some areas and at some periods, enjoyed a certain influence.

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