Druids

Continuation of the Atlantic Theory of Homer's Ilias and Odyssey (part 1: Atlantic Troy). Odysseus' wanderings after his departure from Troy. Study of Atlantic authors De Grave, Cailleux, Gideon, Wilkens, Vinci. Identification of Ismaros as Brittany, Bay of Douarnenez.

The Gundestrup Cauldron has remained enigmatic since the day it was discovered in a Danish peat bog near Borremosebog in May of 1891. Many have wondered and pondered over the mysterious imagery and have tried to give it an interpretation. Some have proposed a Scythian or Vedic Indian origin to it, while others have recognized the clear connection to Celtic mythological themes and motifs. The following article is but a brief and detailed interpretative iconographical analysis of what is in truth a star chart such as those formerly conceived and maintained by the Celtic Druids of the La Tène cultural period. Our understanding of zodiacal stellar symbolism is but a "cultural construct." For instance, when one looks at the vastness of the night sky, all one sees is an infinity of pin point specks of light. Connecting the bright dots into a recognizable pattern is truly an

The presented article deals with an issue of images of druids as human sacrifice performers found in classical sources and their later reception in the English culture and contemporary pop-culture. The main part of the paper forms a critique of the source material with an emphasis on the inter-cultural influences and styles of interpretation that led not only the classical authors but also some researchers to the conclusion that human sacrifice was one of the main religious rituals performed by druids. Author suggests that we must approach the issue of human sacrifices in Celtic religion with a great doze of skepticism when proposing new hypotheses in the field and always be aware which part of the examined material is based on the sources and which forms a part of the myth. The article concludes with a short description of contemporary image of druids in the pop-culture and the place of human sacrifice in these representations.

Pagans have long been linked to environmentalism in multiple studies and practicing Pagans generally believe that environmentalism is inherent in Pagan paths. Further projects deduced that the motives for environmentalism by Pagan individuals are altruistic in motivation. My research highlights the slightly paradoxical individualistic nature of the various Pagan paths which argues that environmentalism is only inherent by proxy of the people that practice the various paths and that when utilizing ecological practices within rituals, motivations become more self-serving. This research also uniquely gains insight into path specific attitudes towards environmental policies and participation in advocacy by the naming of specific organizations.

This paper discusses three related medieval Irish texts from different genres, focusing on their portrayal of evil and ways of coping with evil. The first one, a hagiographic text, describes the threat of physical violence, which is overcome by the blessing of a saint. This blessing has been connected with the second text in rhetorical prose, later known as the Faíd fiada or ‘Deer’s Cry’. Saying this text out loud was believed to protect the speaker from spiritual and physical evil. Both the first and the second text are part of a literary tradition on transformation into deer and invisibility. These two motifs are also traditionally associated with the supernatural inhabitants of Ireland. The third, ‘mythological’ text describes the féth fia(da), an invisibility spell, and portrays it as incompatible with Christianity. All three texts are examples of how medieval Irish people tried to cope with (their fear of) evil by using the concept of ‘words of power’.

Frédéric Sanssens et Michel Weber, Philosopher, guérir et sanctifier. Dialogues sur la voie druidique, Louvain-la-Neuve, Éditions Chromatika, 2020. (ISBN978-2-930517-66-7, pdf 978-2-930517-67-4)
 https://www.i6doc.com/fr/book/?GCOI=28001100601970

S’il est impossible de nier la triple racine culturelle de l’Europe — romaine, grecque, et judéo-chrétienne —, on ne peut pour autant faire l’économie de son passé celtique et de la proximité que celui-ci atteste avec l’Inde.
Philosopher, guérir et sanctifier sont les trois missions traditionnelles que les druides partagent avec les brahmanes ; elles furent aussi celles des philosophes pré-socratiques.
Nos Dialogues sur la voie druidique constituent, à la fois, une introduction généraliste pour le profane et un outil analytique pour l’initié. On y évoque tout particulièrement l’enracinement historique et symbolique du druidisme contemporain et la fonction sacerdotale du druide.

This article is a short presentation of the connections between the Western esoteric tradi-tion and Druidry, as demonstrated by the British Druidic traditions. The Druids, described in the classical sources as mages, philosophers and sages, have become an icon for the para-masonic organisations of 19th century Great Britain. The image of the Druids as those initiated and learned in secret, arcane knowledge is alive in the 21th century as well, espe-cially among the sympathisers of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, the largest organ-isation of those interested in Druidry.

En el siguiente trabajo se realizará un breve análisis sobre los druidas y las druidesas y el papel que estos desempeñaron en la sociedad celta, así como la relación que tuvieron con el Imperio Romano y las medidas llevadas a cabo por estos para su integración en el Imperio. Para su elaboración se han utilizado bibliografía especifica tanto en inglés como en español. Un problema habitual que surge en la realización de este tipo de trabajos centrados en la Antigüedad; y más concretamente en el mundo celta, es la abundante bibliografía de la cual una gran parte carece de veracidad histórica y se busca la exageración y mitificación de ciertas características atribuida a los comúnmente denominados como “bárbaros”.

This drafts gives an overview over major steps in the shift of use of society-building pagan concepts as displayed in Insular Celtic literature to their oppressive abuse by Norman-Christian conquerors. The re-interpretation of pagan  concepts as expressed in literary motifs formed part of the ideological discourse to ensure the establishment of a much more hierarchical feudal society..

Throughout history, the Druids have always been seen as sorcerers who had a strong bond with nature. Ancestral knowledge holders within Celtic society, directed all religious activity as the highest authority linked to the gods, practiced human sacrifices and festivals organized as Imbolc, Beltaine, Lugnasad or Samain, etc.. all aspects of which are discussed in this article.

Researching the fiction of Morgan Llywelyn encourages immersion in Celtic culture and knowledge of Celtic mythology that is both unusual and challenging. Basically, it involves two stages: identifying the characters, the events, and the ancient artifacts and monuments in the fiction and understanding their context from a fictional standpoint. Below are four suggested pathways to discover the complexity of Llywelyn's novel entitled "Only the Stones Survive."

In the ancient sources, Druids are presented both as philosophers and sages who “likewise discuss and impart to the youth many things respecting the stars and their motion, respecting the extent of the world and of our earth, respecting the nature of things, respecting the power and the majesty of the immortal gods.” (Caesar, De bel. Gal., VI, 14), and on the other hand, as blood sacrifcers of a religion in which „to murder a man was to do an act of the greatest devoutness, and to eat his flesh was to secure the highest blessings of health.” (Plinius Secundus, Nat. Hist., XXX, 4). Throughout its history, the Druid myth has undergone many transformations; the information on the alleged blood sacrifices passed by the ancients authors with time became forgotten, and the image of a Druid as a philosopher and expert on nature and its secrets stepped to the foreground.

The aim of “The Golden Sickle",is to present the history of Druidism, from the ancient Roman and Greek testimonies on the Druids, to the revival of the Druidic myth in English literature and 19th-century British paramasonic Druidic orders, to the core issue of the book – presenting a panorama of modern Druidic movements, and, therefore, answering the question of “who modern Druids are and what do they believe”.

This essay is an in-depth study and analysis of the lives of the two British women, Boudica of the Iceni and Queen Cartimandua of the Brigantes. It will also examine the gender rhetoric used by both Tacitus and Cassius Dio to ascertain why both of these powerful women were portrayed in such a manners in which they were.

An increasing number of Iron Age Celtic sites in France and Luxemburg have been identified and interpreted as sanctuaries. Many of these sites have produced faunal deposits of varying quantity and quality that have been associated with Celtic rituals of sacrifice and feasting. Most of these faunal remains were found in internal and external enclosure ditches, but also in pits, shafts, and floors within the enclosures, and, in one case, in a shellmidden within a settlement site.

The faunal assemblages of one Hallstatt site and 20 La Tène sites, which have been interpreted as sanctuaries, were analyzed by synthesizing theoretical frameworks, specifically costly signaling, conspicuous consumption, and competitive display. The analyses carried out in this study involved the comparison of the relative abundance of domesticated species represented at the study sites to the expected abundance of those taxa based on settlement data. An analysis was also conducted based on the ubiquity of domesticated species consumed in feasting contexts at the sites. The evidence for wild species at these sites was included in order to approach the topic of Celtic animal exploitation in ritual contexts more systematically in relation to ethnohistoric evidence of Celtic symbolic meanings.

The following conclusions were drawn from this research: 1) approaching prehistoric ritual animal use through economic, costly signaling, and symbolic models can be productive; 2) the advantages to studying the remains of both domesticates and wild fauna exploited in ritual contexts from a regional perspective are considerable; and 3) there are advantages and limitations in combining faunal and ethnohistorical data in studies of prehistoric symbolic systems.

RE: Facades, illusions & ideological concepts created & promoted by ancient royalty out of necessity; effective creation of an alternate version of reality. It is only by knowing this information that the true nature of ancient texts may be understood correctly. Not knowing, means making incorrect assumptions & conclusions. Important!

We Silver Elves are very happy to announce the publication of An Elfin Book of Trees for the Elven Druid: The Ogham of the Elves Using Elvish Wizard Script! We are quite excited because it is an oracle book about the magic of trees, our loving cousins. Reading this book, you will learn about the magic that individual trees and tree groups may bring you, written from the point of view of the elves. And besides using this book as an oracle, each tree or tree group (of which there are 111) has an Elfin Ogham in the Wizard Script of the Silver Elves that may be used in your own magic. This book is easy to use as an oracle and the specifics on just how to do so are covered in the introduction and through out the book, with elven spells at the end of each chapter, written in English and also Arvyndase (the magical language of the Silver Elves), to be used for enchantment magic upon drawing the tree or tree group.

The 1st book of Ra-Ah-Si-Rus, This was originally published as a draft copy in 2015 ( * total solar eclipse at the Spring equinox ) ... and then as its 1st photographic edition in 2016. Since then, 60+ signed copies have been printed and posted around the world. The most up to date version can be downloaded @ www.Infinity-codes.net. All work is done by donation, as I have explained in the book, the world Maths situation, shows that we can't seem to Add up very well as a species, Peace

The "Reserve Heads", also known by "Magical Heads", have been a mystifying phenomenon. It happened only once in the Old Kingdom, mostly at Giza necropolis, and silently disappeared leaving no trace of its essentiality. The subject we are investigating has been a challenge in Egyptology for over a century and none of the theories has gained common acceptance. It is in vain to solve such a long-term perplexity without the original codes already established in my research of 2014. By employing the codes of Predynastic and Dynastic Egypt, a transitory cult of heterodoxy practiced by a sect of priests and nobles shall be investigated and validated.

Trees have always been an integral part of human existence. So deeply embedded is this relationship between humanity and trees, that they are to be found at the heart of many religions and “spiritual” mysteries as sources for wisdom and structures for understanding. The cosmic tree stands at the centre of the world, (Yggdrasill) which it supports and nurtures. All the great and momentous occasions of our lives occur through the medium of the tree. We are born from it, it feeds and shelter us, gives us wisdom, and we make sacrifice to it.

For know the controversial history of the Druids in the Celtic world, will investigate the sources of its origin, through stories of classic texts and medieval legends of Gaul, Britain and Ireland. His role in Celtic society surpassed the religious sphere, covering war, politics, medicine and the law. Almost unknown is the participation of women in this institution.

Addendum: As to the question whether Koson's title Δρουεις implied any religious function I should like to mention a tradition overseen by me when writing this article: According to Jordanes' Getica (chap. 73), a Dacian king by the name Comosicus was renowned as both judge and priest (at the time of emperor Augustus). Cf. Strab. VII 298 und 304; XVI 762.
WFB, 2nd May 2018

Jeśli uznać, że dbałość o własne życie i zdrowie jest jednym z najstarszych obszarów zainteresowań gatunku homo sapiens, to zawód lekarza należy zatem do najstarszych zawodów świata. Jednakże ratowanie ludzkiego życia odbywało się przez większą część historii ludzkości w kontekście paradygmatu kulturowego, nie opierającego się o wnioskowanie przy pomocy metody naukowej. Wydaje się, że przez większą część dziejów człowiekowi towarzyszyli uzdrowiciele, znachorzy i szamani, związani również ze światem magii i religii. Medycyna profesjonalna, oparta o rzetelne badania naukowe jest w zasadzie dzieckiem cywilizacji śródziemnomorskiej, rozwijanej i kultywowanej przez wieki w Europie. Oczywiście, w innych kręgach kulturowych prowadzono refleksje na temat ludzkiego ciała, chorób i sposobów ich leczenia, na różnych poziomach zaawansowania (wysoki poziom lecznictwo osiągnęło między innymi w Chinach), jednakże wydaje się, że to właśnie zastosowanie metody naukowej do badań medycznych przyczyniło się do największego postępu w tej dziedzinie. Pomimo tego, można stwierdzić, że lekarz jest zawodem niezwykle sędziwym, jeśli wziąć pod uwagę szeroką definicję tego terminu (ludzie zajmujący się leczeniem ludzi). W niniejszym artykule chcielibyśmy przybliżyć Czytelnikowi kilka zagadnień związanych z historią zawodu lekarza, a tym samym z historią medycyny jako nauki. Przedstawimy w nim rzadko poruszany temat rozwoju medycyny w europejskim barbaricum (o wiele częściej przedmiotem opracowań historycznych jest medycyna antycznej Grecji i Rzymu, przede wszystkim ze względu na większą obfitość materiału źródłowego, zob. Loudon 1997) w odwołaniu do źródeł pisanych i archeologicznych. Punkt ciężkości chcemy położyć na analizie relacji pomiędzy medycyną wśród plemion celtyckich, jak też i w kulturze mieszanej celtycko -rzymskiej. Jest to przykład o tyle ciekawy, gdyż wśród Celtów

RESUMEN. Para conocer la controvertida historia de los druidas en el mundo céltico, indagaremos en las fuentes sobre su origen, gracias a relatos de textos clásicos y leyendas medievales de la Galia, Bretaña o Irlanda. Su papel dentro de la sociedad celta sobrepasaba el ámbito religioso, abarcando la guerra, la política, la medicina y la Ley. Casi desconocida es la participación de las mujeres en esta institución.

Frédéric Sanssens et Michel Weber, Philosopher, guérir et sanctifier. Dialogues sur la voie druidique, Louvain-la-Neuve, Éditions Chromatika, 2020. (ISBN978-2-930517-66-7, pdf 978-2-930517-67-4)

https://www.i6doc.com/fr/book/?GCOI=28001100601970

S’il est impossible de nier la triple racine culturelle de l’Europe — romaine, grecque, et judéo-chrétienne —, on ne peut pour autant faire l’économie de son passé celtique et de la proximité que celui-ci atteste avec l’Inde.
Philosopher, guérir et sanctifier sont les trois missions traditionnelles que les druides partagent avec les brahmanes ; elles furent aussi celles des philosophes pré-socratiques.
Nos Dialogues sur la voie druidique constituent, à la fois, une introduction généraliste pour le profane et un outil analytique pour l’initié. On y évoque tout particulièrement l’enracinement historique et symbolique du druidisme contemporain et la fonction sacerdotale du druide.

Os celtas eram uma civilização muito bem organizada que aos poucos foram dominados por outros povos, principalmente os romanos, basicamente este foi o final deste grande povo. Mas esta foi a realidade dos celtas continentais, enquanto estas guerras pela sobrevivência cultural aconteciam principalmente na Gália onde estavam os remanescentes, na Irlanda a civilização celta prosperou por mais tempo e somente no século V chegava com força total o cristianismo com seus evangelizadores para conversão do povo. Através de pesquisa bibliográfica com base em conceitos de cultura, poder e mito, juntamente com análise dos modos de vida de ambos os povos, o presente artigo foi desenvolvido para analisar como os celtas foram perdendo suas crenças e o cristianismo cresceu através de uma estratégia de evangelização em que os próprios cultos pagãos eram adaptados e usados como base para a conversão.

Part V of Odysseus' Second Voyage  from Kirke to Ithaka.
Identification Scheria of the Phaeacans as Lanzarote, Canaries, with their Faycáns, on basis of courses, wind directions, distances, surroundings, double harbour, flora and fauna, customs and habits, relative position.

First performed in 1831, Norma, ou L’infanticide, literary source of Felice Romani’s libretto for Bellini, is the sixth play – and feminine portrait – by Alexandre Soumet, considered by his contemporaries at fist as a romantic playwright, then as a classical author. A member of the Académie française since 1824, Soumet adopted a Gallic subject, before Norma, in Pharamond (1825). Condemned during the Enlightenment as a period of barbarity and superstition, ancient Gaul recovers a preeminent place in French theatre and literature, at the beginning of the new century. Pharamond, as well as Le siège de Corinthe (1826), presents a number of topics recalled in Norma: in particular, the main character’s visions, in which recent or past accidents prepare the brilliant future of the nation, are a preliminary signal of her strangeness before the fial mad scene. The establishment of the Académie celtique, in 1804, and the publication of La Gaule poétique by Louis Antoine
de Marchangy, in 1813, promote a new perception of Gallic imagination, founded on a poetic contemplation and astonishment. In such a way, the paper underlines the complex pattern of historical, literary and theatrical references that converge in Soumet’s play and are mirrored in Norma’s libretto.

I will present two case studies of a Late Antique and an Early Medieval text which chose idiosyncratic ways of operating between the polarities of Christianity and paganism when describing the wisdom traditions of outgroups or ‘ethnically presented’ past groups. The cases are those of the Res gestae of Ammianus Marcellinus and the Cosmographia Aethici of ‘Pseudo-Jerome’. At the first glimpse, there is barely anything linking these two texts, beyond the fact that both are written in a Latin that is idiosyncratic to say the least. There are, however, some interesting commonalities between my two texts today – and they come particularly to the fore when attention is paid to the way both Ammianus and Pseudo-Jerome handle the theme of barbarian sages and the pagan wisdom tradition – the ‘alien wisdom’ of Arnaldo Momigliano. One important shared aspect is that both of these writers inhabit a doubled role in-between paganism and Christianity. In some ways, the Cosmographia is trying to conjure up the world that Ammianus operated in, but from a Merovingian point of view.

Tanulmányomban Tiberius császár druidák ellen hozott rendeletével kívánok foglalkozni, mivel ezzel kapcsolatban számos kérdés megválaszolatlan. Tiberius rendelkezéséről ugyanis úgy tartják, hogy nem érte el a kívánt hatást, ennek okai pedig ismeretlenek. Ennél azonban nagyobb gondot okoz, hogy valójában nem is ismerjük az uralkodó intézkedésének tartalmát. Ennek ellenére az irodalmi források alapos vizsgálatával felállíthatunk néhány hipotézist a druidákat érintő rendelkezés tartalmáról és arról, hogy milyen okok indokolhatták a császár rendeletét és ez milyen tényleges hatást gyakorolhatott a druidákra.

Megjelenés: Kapi Péter: Tiberius druidák ellen hozott rendelkezése az irodalmi források tükrében. In: Kerti, Anna Emese; Juhász, Daniella (szerk.) Concentio : A Collegium Hungaricum Societatis Europaeae Studiosorum Philologiae Classicae XIII. országos konferenciáján elhangzott előadások, II. kötet, Piliscsaba 2019. május 31
Budapest, Magyarország : ELTE Eötvös József Collegium, (2019) pp. 112-123. , 12 p.

Kökleri tarih öncesi dönemlere kadar uzanan Druid inancı, kadim zamanlardan itibaren insanın doğal çevresi ile uyumunu merkeze alan bir takım uygulamaların çeşitlenmesi ve Kelt sosyokültürel ve dinî hayatı ile yoğrulmasıyla ortaya çıkan bir inanç sistemidir. Hıristiyanlığın Avrupa’ya yayılması ile yok olmaya yüz tutan bu inanç sistemi, özellikle XVI. yüzyıldan itibaren kadim metinlerinin tercüme edilmesi suretiyle artan bir ilgiyle karşılaşmış ve günümüzde yeniden ihya dönemini yaşamaktadır. Druidry inancına göre kişi yaratıcılığını had safhaya çıkarmalı, doğa ile bir bütün olmalı ve kadim zamanlardan miras kalan bilgeliğin hamisi konumunda olmalıdır. Bu aşamalara paralel olarak, bu inanç sistemi içerisinde Bard, Ovate ve Druid olarak bilinen üç farklı sınıf ortaya çıkmıştır. Günümüzde ise Druidry, temelde tabiatçı ve maneviyatçı bir akım olmasına rağmen, reenkarnasyon gibi inançları kabul eden, kişinin içsel bilgeliğini derinleştirmesini, yaratıcılığını güçlendirmesini ve canlı cansız bütün çevresine karşı koşulsuz bir sevgi beslemesini salık veren modern bir dinî harekettir. Kadim
zamanlardan getirilen bir takım ahlaki yasalar ve dinî uygulamalar farklı bir biçimde yorumlanarak günümüzde yaşatılmaya çalışılmaktadır.