Priest and judge of the Celts 5 letters. Celts and their priests - druids
Celtic Art Specialist
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Let's talk about the Celts and the Celtic Druid priests.
The Celts are a people whose appearance is attributed to the 6th century BC. The Celts included many tribes that had a lot in common. The name "Celta" was first used by the ancient Greeks. The Romans called this people a little differently - Gauls. Early authors such as Xenophon, Plato and Aristotle mention the Celts quite a bit.
The most remarkable and detailed description of the Celtic (Gallic) world is the book of Gaius Julius Caesar "Notes on the Gallic War." Caesar reports that the Celts had three groups of people who enjoyed special reverence - these are bards, soothsayers and druids. In general, Caesar says that the Celts are a people extremely devoted to religion.
Caesar gives a lot of information about the most mysterious class - the druids. He talks about their twenty years of training and the oral existence of knowledge. It was a class of professionally educated people - scientists. Druids informed their numerous students about the movement of the luminaries, about the power of the gods and about the structure of the world. If someone tells you that he read the original Druidic texts published somewhere, then you can safely accuse him of lying, since the Druids did not write down their sacred teachings. But they did not write down, not because they were illiterate, on the contrary, they were excellent in reading and writing, and for the latter they even used three alphabets: Greek - basic, Latin and the alphabet of some dead Celtic language, for example, Lepontic. They could write down anything and anywhere, everything except sacred texts.
What do we really know about the druids? We know the etymology, that is, the origin of the word "druid". It is believed that it is formed from two root bases. The first root is dru, which means oak or tree. The second root is "weed", which meant "to see," or "to know," that is, to know. The famous Russian celtologist Anna Muradova ironically remarks: "At first glance, it turns out that a druid is a tree scientist." This is, indeed, so, because the Druids did not have any temples, they performed all their ritual ceremonies in groves, among trees.
Druids took an active part in matters of worship and religion, monitored the observance of sacrificial rituals. The judiciary was also concentrated in their hands: they announced sentences, punished the guilty and awarded especially distinguished citizens. The druids punished quite terribly. The most serious punishment was considered to be excommunication from participation in the rite of sacrifice.
As you know, the Celts were not only skilled artisans and brave warriors, they also had a special passion for bloody sacrifices. This is reported by both pre-Christian and early Christian historical documents. For example, the same Caesar, in his notes on the Gallic war, colorfully describes the group burnings performed by the druids. For this, a huge human figure was intertwined, the body of which was empty, and people who were sacrificed were placed there. After this, the huge idol was burned.
Let's talk about the worldview of the druids. Greek authors report on the similarity of the philosophical ideas of the Druids and ancient thinkers. For example, with Pythagoras and his doctrine of metempsychosis - the transmigration of souls. And also about the similarity with the views of the pre-Socratics. Convincing parallels are drawn with the philosophy and religion of ancient India.
By the way, if we know about the druids of Gaul from the writings of the Romans, then we know about the Irish druids from the Irish themselves. Since Ireland did not suffer the Roman invasion, unlike Gaul and Britain. In later historical documents, such a class as philids appears. This is a separate story, since in historical documents the Philids and Druids are often confused. Either way, druids are losing their priestly powers.
And now a few words about the fact that there are many people in different countries, including here, in Russia, who call themselves druids - the successors of ancient traditions. These are the so-called neodruids, which appeared in the XVIII-XX centuries, when interest in pagan beliefs increased. It is the British neodruids who perform ceremonies at Stonehenge, they celebrate the ancient Celtic holidays. This is such an interesting modification that the teachings of the Druids received in the modern world.
The word "druid" comes from the Old Irish drui, which means "sorcerer." And therefore, today most people consider druids to be mysterious sorcerers who interacted with the world of magic and performed rituals. However, it is time to cast aside the entrenched misconceptions and understand the historical facts.
So a druid is a Celtic ritual expert. Celts lived in the territory of modern Britain, France (then it was called Gaul) and in some other parts of Europe during the Iron Age and, possibly, at the beginning of the Bronze Age.
Sources of
We know relatively little about the ancient Druids, since they did not have a written language, and those records that were made by other peoples (for example, the Romans) contain a deep anti-Celtic bias.
The oldest literary evidence of the Druids that has survived to this day comes from Greece and Rome. Greco-Roman authors often portrayed the Celts as savages, unfamiliar with civilization, in contrast to the Romans.
The earliest written mention of the Druids is contained in the book of Julius Caesar "Notes on the Gallic War". He claims that the druids made sacrifices, including human sacrifices, but there is no confirmation of this his information. In the peat bogs of Cheshire, bodies were found that could have been either executed criminals or ritual sacrifices, in particular, a man from Lindow. But there is no unequivocal opinion on this issue among the researchers.
The entire text of the book of Caesar is anti-Celtic propaganda designed to spread the negative perception of the Celtic people by Greco-Roman citizens.
Variety of functions
Caesar also described how the Druids were focused on divine worship and the important role they played in Gaulish society as both warriors and judges. The text indicates that the druids recognized the power of one leader, who ruled until his death, and then his successor was chosen by voting or duel (and more often in the second way). Also, druids performed the duties of teachers, teaching their art to younger people.
Druids, like many ancient and modern cultures, were interested in the movements of stars and other celestial bodies. This means that they also used Neolithic monuments, such as Stonehenge, for astronomical calculations.
Another Roman author, Tacitus, also spoke ill of the Druids after the Roman army faced them on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. He wrote that they were hostile towards the Romans. However, this is a completely expected reaction when strangers invade your home shores. The Romans responded by cutting down their groves, which were sacred to the Druids.
Artifacts
Among the archaeological finds, there is practically nothing that could be confidently attributed to the artifacts of the ancient druids. Even the swords of the end of the Iron Age and the Coligny calendar cannot be unambiguously associated with them. However, if they still remained from the Druids, then it can be argued that they were warriors, as the Romans described, even if their fights were of a purely ritual nature. As for the calendar from Coligny, it shows how the Celts were interested in methods of measuring time and astronomical phenomena.
Burials of the Druids
In 1988, a grave was discovered near Mill Hill in Kent. It is believed that it could have belonged to a druid. The burial dates back to the Iron Age - around 200-150. BC NS. Among the items found in the grave were a sword and a shield. The "inhabitant" of the tomb himself wore a crown on his head in the same style as that of the Roman-British clergy several centuries later. The crown was too fragile to be protective. It was cast in bronze in the form of a hoop around the head.
This discovery prompted archaeologists to think that the burial may have belonged to a druid. The items found in the grave were of high quality. Consequently, the Druids did play a significant role in Celtic society before the arrival of the Romans. However, the fact that later priests wore a similar headdress during the Roman conquest of Britain confirms that Druidic culture was closely woven into Roman-British society.
Another grave
Another burial site was discovered in Colchester in 2008. This man was cremated (probably to free the spirit of the druid). The remains were placed in a wood-lined tomb. This burial also contained many artifacts:
Cloak with a brooch Magic vine for divination Surgical instruments (needles, saws, scalpels, hooks, forceps) Bowl with leftover daisies tea Board game
These items were used by the druid during his lifetime. They prove again what role these people played in Celtic society. The different ways in which this druid and the warrior of Mill Hill were buried show that it is obvious that the druids had their own divisions according to the functions they performed among the Celts.
The found surgical equipment is not nearly as crude and primitive as the Romans emphasized. These tools are similar to those found in other parts of the Roman Empire, and therefore the Celts actively adopted Roman customs. In addition, the discovery shows that druids often performed the functions of healers, performing surgical operations and using natural medicines, in particular, daisy tea, in the treatment.
conclusions
So, the role of the druids was very significant. They were healers and doctors, as discovered medical devices confirm. They were also soothsayers and astronomers, as evidenced by the found magic vine and the Celtic calendar from Coligny. This is also confirmed by Roman sources.
However, the Druids also had a dark side: perhaps they had to do with human sacrifice, although biased Roman sources are clearly not worth trusting in this matter.
In any case, druids were very important to society. Perhaps they led the Celts during the Roman occupation, adopting their culture from the invaders, as evidenced by Roman surgical instruments.
Druids and druidism
the Celtic tradition had guardians - powerful and mysterious druids. Perhaps the most striking phenomenon of Celtic culture was the presence of the Druid Order - diviners, astrologers, sorcerers, healers and judges, who had unlimited excommunication from the cult of those who did not obey their decisions. Built on the principles of strict hierarchy and strict internal discipline, the Druidic Order, which had great political authority, has no analogies in religious organizations of ancient or modern times.
The ancient authors were interested in the secret knowledge that, in their opinion, the Druids possessed; they considered the Druids to be great philosophers and sages who preserved the Pythagorean tradition. Pliny the Elder wrote about the origin of the name “druid”: “... They [druids] choose oak forests and in all their rituals they use the oak branch; so it is quite possible that the Druids themselves took their name from the Greek name for this tree. " Many scientists of modern times accept this explanation of Pliny, although doubts arise here. If “druids” is the self-name of the Celtic priests, then why does it come from the Greek name for oak (“dryus”)? Therefore, another version seems to be more correct: the word “druid” can consist of two elements of Indo-European origin - the amplifying particle “dru” and the root “kind” (know), so that the general meaning of the word is “very knowledgeable”.
What is the origin of the Druids and their creed - Druidism? We have at first glance a clear enough testimony from Caesar, containing a precise geographical indication: “Their [Druidic] science is thought to have originated in Britain and from there was transferred to Gaul; until now, in order to get to know her more thoroughly, they go there to study it. "
The pages of the Irish sagas are full of names of druids, stories about their deeds; there is also information about the origin of druidism. Here is what is told in the central saga of the mythological cycle "The Battle of the Mag Tuired" about the original place of residence of the Celtic gods, Tuatha de Danann (Tribes of the goddess Danu): “On the Islands in the North of the World there were the Tribes of the goddess Danu and there they comprehended wisdom, magic, knowledge of the Druids, enchantments and other secrets, until they surpassed skillful people from all over the world.
In four cities they comprehended wisdom, secret knowledge and devilish craft - Phalias and Gorias, Murias and Findias ...
Four druids were in those four cities: Morphes in Falias, Esras in Gorias, Uskias in Findias, Semias in Murias. These four poets have comprehended the Tribes of the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. "
Thus, the mythological tradition of the Celts represented the Druids as immigrants from the islands located in the North of the World. In fact, the Druids came from the same place where all the Celts came from - from the common ancestral home of the Indo-Europeans. According to one hypothesis, it was located in the north of Europe: in Scandinavia or on the northern coasts of Germany and the islands bordering them. One of the ancient historical traditions placed the ancestral home of the Celts in the same places. Its largest representative Ammianus Marcellinus wrote: "The Druids say that part of the Gauls people are of local origin, but the rest came from the remote islands and from the Rhine regions, expelled from their country by frequent wars and the offensive of the raging sea." However, these remote islands belong to legendary rather than real geography, since the stories of the Druids concerned not only the national history of the Celts, but largely contained the plots of Celtic mythology.
However, we have three sources that directly tell about the meetings of the Romans with living, real druids. The first source is Caesar's story about the famous Divitiac, his close friend, who often appears on the pages of the Notes on the Gallic War: “Caesar knew that ... eminently faithful, just and reasonable. " Divitiac was a man of very noble birth: he and his younger brother Dumnorix were representatives of the most famous family and the most influential persons of the Gallic tribe of the Aedui. Divitiac was a druid, and Dumnorix was a magistrate who held a high position in the community. Divitiac was married and had children. Talking about the fact that the Aedui were forced to give their noblest citizens hostage to the Sequans, Divitiak notes that he was the only one in the entire Aedui community who could not be forced to hand over their children as hostages. Divitiac, undoubtedly, was very rich, since with his influence and means he was able to contribute to the rise of his brother.
The example of Divitiac shows that no laws - neither religious nor civil - prohibited Druids from participating in battles: Divitiac clearly took part in the Gallic war on the side of the Romans. From the story of Caesar it is clear that Divitiac was by no means alienated from political life: he was a recognized leader of the Aedui, a politician and diplomat, well known throughout Gaul. According to Caesar, after the defeat of the Helvetians in 57 BC. NS. the leaders of almost all Gallic communities implored him to protect them from the growing power of the German leader Ariovistus. And it was Divitiak who spoke on behalf of all the people. He was entrusted with the most important diplomatic missions. And in 60 BC. NS. he was sent by the Aedui to Rome to address the Senate with a request for help in the war against the Germanic tribe of the Suebi, who were devastating the lands of the Aedui.
However, Caesar, talking in detail about the military and diplomatic activities of Divitiac, nowhere mentions that he was a druid. We learn about this from another source. During a trip to Rome, Divitiac met the Roman politician, orator and writer Cicero. He stayed at the house of his brother Quintus, and talked with Cicero himself about the art of divination. Cicero talks about his conversations with Divitiac in his essay "On the art of divination", composed in the form of a dialogue between him and Quintus: "The art of divination is not neglected even among barbarian peoples; in Gaul there are druids, of whom I myself knew Divitiac Eduus, your guest. He claimed that he knew the science of nature, which the Greeks call "physiology," and that he predicted the future partly by fortune-telling, partly by guesswork. "
The second historical meeting of the Druids and the Romans was by no means as cordial and friendly as the communication of Divitiac with Caesar and with Cicero. Tacitus says that in 58 AD an anti-Roman uprising began in Britain, which was entrusted to suppress the Roman governor in Britain Suetonius Paulin. He organized a military expedition to the island of Monu (now Anglesey), where the sanctuary of the Druids was located.
Having crossed to the island, the Roman infantry and cavalry found themselves face to face with the enemy army, the sight of which struck the Romans. Among the soldiers standing in full armor ran like furies, women in mourning robes, with loose hair, with burning torches in their hands. The druids who were there and then, with their hands raised to the sky, offered prayers to their gods, recited magic spells and shouted curses. At first, the Roman soldiers stood, as if petrified under the influence of a mysterious spell, substituting, in the words of Tacitus, "motionless bodies under the blows falling on them." Then they heeded the commander's admonitions "not to be afraid of this frenzied, half-female army", rushed forward and defeated the enemy. After that, the Romans cut down the sacred groves of the island and placed their garrison there.
These are such different meetings and such different portraits of the Celtic druids. On the one hand, Divitiac, Caesar's friend, politician and diplomat, a worthy interlocutor of Cicero himself. On the other hand, the harsh druids from the sanctuary on the island of Mona, horrified even the seasoned Roman legionnaires, are casting a spell on the enemy army.
Despite the historicity of this evidence, the Druids are still a mystery. What position did they occupy in society, what were their functions, what secret knowledge did they possess, how did they preserve the mythological tradition of the Celts? From the reports of ancient authors, it becomes clear that the position of the Druids in Celtic society was very high. So, Diodorus Siculus (Greek author of the 1st century BC) spoke about the highest authority of the Druids, even about their ability to prevent wars: friends but also enemies. Often they come out between the troops, lined up in battle formation, threatening swords, bristling spears, and pacify them, as if taming wild animals. So, even among the most savage barbarians, fighting fervor gives way to wisdom, and Ares pays tribute to the Muses. " Strabo, in fact, briefly repeats the message of Diodorus, noting that the Druids were intermediaries in wars and deterred those who intended to enter the battle. Caesar also begins his story about the Druids by pointing out an extremely high position among the Gauls: "In all of Gaul there are only two classes of people who enjoy a famous value and honor ... The above two classes are druids and horsemen." This series of testimonies is completed by the statement of Dion Chrysostomus (Chrysostom), who wrote about 100 AD. e.: “And without them it was not allowed for the kings to do anything or make any decisions, so in reality they ruled, while the kings, who sat on golden thrones and feasted luxuriously in large palaces, became assistants and executors of them will ".
In medieval Ireland, the relationship between kings and druids is very similar to that described by Dion Chrysostom. At the solemn feasts that were held in the palaces of the Irish kings, the druid always sat on the right hand of the king, and he showed all sorts of signs of respect to the druid, as if he owed his crown to him. From the saga "Drunkenness of the Settlements" we learn that none of the inhabitants of the kingdom could begin to speak before the king, and the king was forbidden to start speaking before the druids.
Still, one should not take the testimony of Dion Chrysostomus and the Irish sources literally. The spiritual power of the Celts never claimed to fulfill the function of secular power: the druid gave advice to the king, and the king, of his own free will, coordinated his actions with them. Although the Celtic world remained faithful to the ancient tradition of the superiority of the religious authority of the priests over secular authority, it was the superiority of a purely spiritual, sacred order.
According to Caesar, the Druidic order was not replenished according to the principle of heredity, they entered it of their own free will. Consequently, the Druids were not the closed hereditary caste that existed in India. The Druids were aristocrats who devoted themselves to the cult, as the horsemen were aristocrats who devoted themselves to weapons. Naturally, they held a very high position in Gallic society.
Although many young people took priesthood of their own free will, some were forced to do so by their parents. Noble families thus sought to provide a means of influence and domination for the future. This was all the more important because in some communities only one family member could sit in the Senate (an aristocratic council, which in most Gallic communities of Caesar's time was the most important organ of political power). In this state of affairs, joining the Druidic order became an outlet for members of noble families, bypassed by a political career. In addition, the druids enjoyed special advantages: they did not pay taxes, were exempted from military service and from all other duties. These privileges allowed them to get rich faster. At the same time, as the example of Divitiac shows, the druid had freedom of movement, could marry, make a diplomatic, political and even military career. However, the way of life of the Druids often differed from the way of life of representatives of the political nobility. No wonder Caesar distinguishes them into a special class. Becoming a druid, a person entered the religious union of priests, an order of the mystical sense. Even the choice of the neophytes of the order did not depend solely on the origin of the candidates. No one could become a druid unless he was trained by the druids themselves.
The druids were trained not only by those who in the future were going to become a member of the order (the period of their apprenticeship was twenty years), but also all the noble youth. Young aristocrats became familiar with the secrets of space, nature, deity and human life, learned about their duties, the main one of which was to fight well and die courageously. Druids gave their students both lessons in sacred science and lessons in morality.
During the training, the young people lived with the teachers, sharing food and shelter with them. Teaching took place with close proximity of teacher and student. Lessons were given away from people and their homes, in the depths of caves and forests. The poet Lucan alludes to this mysterious and solemn training of the Druids, saying that "their dwellings are hidden forests and groves, where they retire."
It is easy to see that the training of druids has features similar to the rites of initiation, dedication. As you know, age initiation is very common in archaic traditional cultures, when, after initiation rites, a young man is transferred to the category of adult men and thereby to the number of full members of the tribe. But there is also a more complex initiation, aimed at including a person into an esoteric cult, into a vicious circle of priests. Druidic initiation combined both rites.
Initiation begins with the fact that a person stands out from society, since the transition from one state to another must take place outside the established world - therefore, training from the druids took place "in the hidden forests and groves." The border period should take a certain amount of time (from several days to several years). This condition was also fulfilled: the neophytes of the order studied for twenty years, the rest of the young people - less, but also for a long time.
Initiation is interpreted as death and rebirth, since, acquiring a new status, the initiate, as it were, dies in his old quality and is born in a new one. It is assumed that in the process of initiation a person enters the realm of the dead, experiences various trials there, and then comes back - already in a new state. Therefore, one of the initiation rites consisted in the fact that the initiate spent some time in the cave, and then went upstairs, since, according to ancient beliefs, the cave is the entrance to the underworld, and the exit from it was a return from the underground twilight to the light, that is, “ second birth ". The lessons of the Druids were sometimes held in caves and secret grottoes. And finally, the most important moment of initiation is the revelation that reveals the secret of the world, to which the disciples of the Druids joined during the long hours, days and years of their apprenticeship. After the end of the twenty-year period of study, the neophytes of the order received the status of druids, became initiates of a high level. The rest of the young people, whose period of apprenticeship was not so long, received an excellent upbringing and education and could become full members of the aristocratic class of horsemen.
Each community in Gaul had its own druids who remained members of that community, as is the case with Divitiac. At the same time, all the Druids were members of the same estate, they constituted a religious union that embraced all the priests of Gaul. Caesar does not speak about it directly, but reports: "At the head of all druids there is one"; obviously this is a large organization. Ammianus Marcellinus mentions the Druid community: "Druids, united in friendly alliances, are engaged in the study of mysterious and sublime things."
In the Druidic order, a firm internal discipline and orderly hierarchy were established. At the head was a single chief who enjoyed unlimited life-long power in the order. After his death, he was succeeded by the most worthy representative of the order. If there were several of them, they resorted to voting. And if an agreement could not be reached in any way, the dispute about primacy was resolved with the help of weapons. The Arch Druid was chosen by members of the order, not appointed by state authorities. The Druidic Order was completely independent of any civil authority and even, as it were, stood above it.
The hierarchy in the order was not limited to this. The Druids led a whole army of priests who performed secondary functions and were probably at a lower level of initiation. It is also possible that these younger priests came from the lower social strata, in contrast to the aristocratic druids.
Strabo reports that among the Celts bards enjoyed special respect, that is, poets who were supposed to compose praises, then vats (soothsayers) who made sacrifices and were engaged in natural philosophy, and, finally, the druids, whose range of interests simultaneously covered the study of natural phenomena, and ethical philosophy. According to a similar testimony from Diodorus, the Celts had poets who were called bards; they played lyre-like musical instruments and sang songs, glorifying some and condemning others; and, finally, the druids are highly respected philosophers and theologians, soothsayers who predict the future with the help of fortune-telling from the flight of birds and sacrifices.
A similar state of affairs took place in medieval Ireland, where persons associated with the cult were divided into three groups: druids, bards and philids. In pre-Christian Ireland, the Druids originally occupied the highest position. The sagas also reflected their former honorable position: soothsayers, interpreters of dreams and sages, they were the advisers of kings in the most important matters. The Druids of Ireland were able to own property and marry and played a significant role in the country's military history. Consider, for example, a legend from the cycle about Finn and Ossian. Under Kathar the Great, High King of Ireland, Nuadu was the royal druid. The king gave his druid a hill, on which he built a small fortress. After Nuadu's death, Thadg, his son, inherited his position and his fortress. Tadg's daughter was kidnapped, and the Battle of Knukh was given in revenge for this kidnapping.
After the Christianization of Ireland, the influence of the Druids declines. The few Druids who converted to Christianity joined the ranks of the clergy. But most of them, devoted to the old faith, did not enter into an alliance with Christianity. These druids gradually became healers and sorcerers, and the word "druid" in modern Irish means "sorcerer". Irish tradition attributed the main role in the fight against the Druids to Saint Patrick. “We honor Saint Patrick,” wrote a medieval Irish monk, “the chief apostle of Ireland. Wonderful is his glorious name, this fire with which the peoples are baptized. He fought the druids with a firm heart. He crushed the haughty, gaining the help of the bright heavens, and purified Ireland. "
The position of the bards was more modest, but also more stable. In Ireland, the bards were not politically influential, but the Christianization of Ireland in no way worsened their position. Bards have been and remain poets, singers, and musicians.
The third category of clergy is the Philids (in Gaul the same social position was held by vats). According to some versions, the Philids constituted a separate order, once separated from the Druidic order. The very word "filid" means "clairvoyant." Their main function was to divine and perform sacrifices. In addition, the Philids were lawyers and statesmen, poets and storytellers, and as connoisseurs of topography and genealogy of Ireland, they occupied the place of scholarly historians at all royal and princely courts. In Ireland, the Philids held the judiciary. Under the name of Judges-Bregons, they are mentioned in Ireland up to the 17th century. The law by which the Philids were judged was traditional and passed on without the aid of writing. At the head of the filids was a single chief, called the rig-filid. One of the Rigophilids, Dubtah, was instrumental in the introduction of Christianity to Ireland. In 438, at a congress of influential people and clergymen of Ireland, where it was decided to destroy everything incompatible with Christianity in popular customs, it was Dubtah who spoke about Irish laws. The Philids entered into an alliance with the episcopate, which allowed them to retain their importance even after the introduction of Christianity.
To conclude our acquaintance with the structure of the Druidic order, let's say a few more words about the Celtic priestesses. Strange stories were told about them. On a small island in the open sea near the mouth of the Loire, priestesses lived, devoted to the cult of death and loneliness. It was their custom to remove the roof of the sanctuary once a year and then cover it again on the same day before sunset. All the women carried straw for the roof; the one in which the straw fell out of his hands, the rest were torn to pieces. A man has never set foot on this island, although women themselves could cross to the mainland and meet with their lovers there.
On the contrary, on the island of Sein lived nine virgin priestesses, who were given magical power by the sacred number of nine and chastity. They possessed unusual abilities: they set in motion sea waves, turned into animals, healed incurable patients; they knew the future and predicted it to the sailors who came to their island.
The hero of the Irish saga Ruad, the son of Rigdonna, went on three boats to the shores of Northern Ireland, but suddenly felt that the boats could not budge. Then he swam to the shore, where he met nine beautiful and strong women, with them "he spent nine nights in a row, without embarrassment, without tears of remorse, under the sea without waves, on nine beds of bronze." One of these women subsequently bore him a child. Irish literature is replete with "companies of nine," and in most cases the nine consists of a leader and eight equal members. A particularly striking example is the retinue of Queen Medb in "The Abduction of the Bull from Kualnge": "She always rode nine chariots - two in front, two behind, two on each side of her, and her own chariot in the middle."
Celtic priestesses and soothsayers were united in a kind of collegium, in strange "brotherhoods" grouped around ancient sanctuaries. The ancient authors who told these two stories about the priestesses of Gaul do not call them Druides. In the ancient tradition, the first mentions of the Druides appear quite late (in the 3rd century AD). Emperor Aurelian asked the Gallic Druides about the future of his children. One of the later Druides of Gaul predicted to Diocletian that he would become emperor. Apparently, these later Druides were simple fortune-tellers. This gave some scholars reason to believe that the priestesses appeared in the Druidic corporation very late, during the period of decline, and their very appearance testifies to the decline of the great priestly order. It can be argued that women have always held a place of honor in Celtic society; in the British Isles, for example, up to the 7th century. women who owned estates were involved in military service on an equal basis with men. And Druidesses and poetesses often appear on the pages of the best texts of the Irish and Welsh epics.
The main sphere of activity of the druids was their priestly functions. We learn about the religious ceremonies of the Druids from the reports of ancient authors. Strabo writes that the Celtic customs of sacrifice and divination were destroyed by the Romans as contradicting the Roman order. Then he describes a divination performed through human sacrifice: the victim was stabbed in the back with a knife, and then, according to her convulsions, the future was predicted. After this, Strabo remarks that "sacrifices are not performed without druids." Then he describes other types of human sacrifice among the Celts: the victim could be shot from a bow, impaled and finally burned in a huge basket.
Diodorus confirms Strabo's message and reports that the druids were indispensable participants in all religious sacrifices.
In turn, Caesar writes that the Druids not only participated in sacrifices, but also monitored the correctness of their performance and, in general, guided the entire religious life of the Gauls: “Druids take an active part in worshiping God, observe the correctness of public and private sacrifices, interpret all questions related to religion. " Then Caesar describes the burning of people intended as a sacrifice, however, without mentioning the participation of the druids in it. But from all of the above, it is clear that they supervised this type of sacrifice as well.
Nevertheless, some modern scholars have tried to remove responsibility for human sacrifice from the Druids. Thus, the French researcher Françoise Leroux defends the druids: “In any case,” she wrote, “the idea of a druid bringing a human sacrifice on a dolmen is exclusively a figment of the imagination.” F. Leroux commented on the messages of ancient authors as follows: in Irish and Welsh legends, history is very difficult to separate from mythology; the classical authors (Caesar, Strabo, Diodorus, etc.) did not understand this and therefore mistakenly exaggerated the meaning and reality of human sacrifice among the Celts. Gaul and Britain seemed like fairy lands to the contemporaries of Caesar and Augustus, and therefore the most incredible rumors circulated about them.
English explorer Nora Chadwick also tried to justify the Druids. In her opinion, in the text of Strabo, nothing indicates the participation of druids in this ritual. They allegedly only attended the sacrifices, "as officials who monitored the execution of the ritual and warned of the wrong conduct of the process."
This point of view was opposed by the Scottish scientist Stuart Piggott. Having objectively examined the evidence of ancient authors and rightly considering them reliable, S. Piggott considered it completely inappropriate to "exclude" the Druids from participation and, probably, active, in beliefs and rituals that included human sacrifice. The Druids, he said, were the priests of Celtic society, and the Celtic religion was their religion with all its cruelties. Piggott ridiculed the idea that "... the druids, being on duty when performing sacrifices, stood with disapproval on their faces, immersed in sublime reflections." True, the classical authors emphasized that human sacrifice took place only in times of great danger. Hence, it need not be assumed that they formed part of the regular practice of Druidry.
For the Celts, sacrifice was part of the Druidic science of divination. The druid interpreted the sign or, if necessary, created it himself with the only magical power of his word, conjuring and divining. And it seemed to the Celts that events often took place not due to a coincidence of circumstances, but because the druid's prediction made them happen. Ancient authors also wrote about the prophecies of the Druids. So, Tacitus in his "History" tells that during the fire of Rome, which happened in 64 under the emperor Nero, the Druids predicted the fall of the Roman Empire: "Possessed by absurd superstitions, the Druids told them that Rome was once taken by the Gauls, but then the throne of Jupiter remained intact, and only because of this the empire survived; now, they said, the destructive flame destroyed the Capitol, and this clearly shows that the gods are angry with Rome and the dominion over the world must pass to the peoples living on the other side of the Alps. "
During the time of Caesar, the Karnut Assembly took place annually - a very representative assembly of the Druids, endowed with extraordinary powers, which had a religious and judicial character. A special sacred site was chosen for the assembly. This main sanctuary for the Celts of Gaul was located in the territory of the Carnuts (near present-day Orleans), because this area was considered the center of all of Gaul.
The Karnut Assembly began with a public sacrifice. When the Roman poet Lucan spoke of the terrible bloody sacrifices to the great Gallic gods Teutates, Jesus and Taranis, he was most likely referring to the religious ceremonies held on the Karnut land. At the same time, it is quite clear from Lucan's text that people were sacrificed. Diodorus, Strabo, and Caesar also reported on human sacrifice led by the Druids. Apparently, all these authors had in mind the same religious rituals performed during the Karnut Assembly.
During the Karnut "sessions", the Druids conducted not only religious ceremonies, but also trials. This was the originality of the Karnut Assembly. According to Caesar, the assembly was, first of all, a special kind of general Gaelic tribunal: "All litigants come here from everywhere and obey the decisions and sentences of the Druids." The Gauls voluntarily and willingly turned to the Druidic court, which represented an alternative to the unjust court of magistrates and, moreover, was illuminated by the high religious authority of the priests. Both communities and individuals presented their differences to the Druids. The Druids were mainly involved in criminal crimes related to murder, but they also dealt with inheritance cases and litigation over the delimitation of lands. The druid tribunal set the amount of vira that the assassin must pay to the victim's family. In the event of the impossibility or unwillingness of the perpetrator to pay the remuneration established by the druids to the victim's family, they determined the punishment.
The Druids have arrogated to themselves the supreme right to excommunicate those who disobeyed their sentences. They could forbid any person or even an entire nation to participate in any religious rituals. For the Gauls, excommunication was considered the most severe punishment. Since the Druid tribunal spoke on behalf of all Gaul, the excommunicated from the cult was considered cursed by all Celtic peoples.
It is no coincidence that this main sanctuary of the Celts was located in the geographical center of Gaul. As M. Eliade noted, "any consecrated space coincides with the Center of the World." The symbolism of the Peace Center plays a very important role in ancient mythologies. It is with him that the act of creation begins, therefore the "center" is an area endowed with the highest sacredness. Reaching the "center" is tantamount to dedication, initiation. It is characteristic that a very interesting Druidic monument was found exactly in those places where the Karnut Assembly of Druids was held. This is a stone on which a symbolic drawing is carved - three concentric squares, connected by four lines running at right angles. This symbol is called the "triple druidic fence". Perhaps the three fences represent the three degrees of initiation, and the triple square as a whole is, in some way, an image of the druidic hierarchy.
As mentioned above, the Karnut Assembly began with a ritual of solemn public sacrifice. As you know, sacrifice occupied a central place in the religion of traditional cultures: it established a connection between the sacred (sacred) and profane (secular) worlds. In some archaic cosmogonies, the existence of the world began with the sacrifice of a primitive monster symbolizing chaos, or a space giant. Perhaps the human sacrifice of the Karnut Assembly mimicked the original sacrifice made “in time” to give life to the whole world. And finally, the justice that was administered at the assembly was identified with the cosmic order.
Thus, the Karnut Druid Assembly represented the quintessence of the sacredness of the Celtic traditional world. And in this lay the deep reason for the honor that the Druids enjoyed among the Celts.
The Pythagorean tradition is the teaching of the followers of the famous Greek philosopher of the 6th century. BC NS. Pythagoras on the transmigration of souls.
Stages (from the Greek stadion) is a measure of length equal to 600 feet. Initially, the word "stages" denoted the distance that a short-distance runner had to run, then the place (stadium) where sports competitions were held, and subsequently short-distance running.
The Edouis were a Celtic tribe who lived in Gaul between the Loire and the Seine. Even before Caesar, the Aedui were considered "allies of the Roman people", later they sided with Caesar in the struggle against the Germanic Suevi tribe, supported by the Sequois. In 52 BC. NS. the Aedui left Caesar, but after the defeat of the anti-Roman uprising in Gaul led by Vercingetorix, they again went over to the side of Rome.
Magistrates are officials of Ancient Rome during the era of the Republic (509-30 BC). Distinguished magistrates ordinary - regularly elected by the popular assembly and extraordinary - elected or appointed in extraordinary circumstances.
The Sequans were a Celtic (Gaulish) tribe that lived between the Seine, the Rhone and the Swiss Jura mountain range. The Sequans were opponents of the Aedui, who were defeated by them in 60 BC. NS. with the help of the Germans of Ariovista. In 52 BC. NS. the Sequans joined the revolt of Vercingetorix and were defeated by Caesar.
Helvetians are a Celtic tribe that lived on the territory of modern Switzerland. In 58 BC. NS. the Helvetians invaded southern Gaul, causing general confusion in Rome; Caesar forced them to return.
Natural philosophy is a speculative interpretation of nature, considered in its entirety.
The number nine is very common in Celtic traditions, for example in the story of a wonderful tree that grows from top to bottom. It has nine branches, of which the top is the most beautiful; beautiful white birds are sitting on each branch. This story is allegorically interpreted already in the spirit of the Christian tradition: the tree is Christ, the nine branches are the nine heavens, and the birds are the souls of the righteous. However, the symbol of an inverted tree is found in the Indian Rig Veda. An ancient Welsh poem about the Cauldron of the Head of Annówna says that it was “fanned with the breath of nine maidens”; in Life of Merlin, nine sisters rule the Happy Islands, the eldest of whom is Morgana.
Dolmens are burial structures dating back to the Neolithic period, in the form of huge stones, placed on the edge and covered with a stone slab on top. Dolmens are widespread throughout the world. In Europe, they are found in the north of West Germany, Denmark, South Scandinavia, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria.
Druidic teachings
Such were the Celtic Druids, the powerful guardians of the Celtic mythological tradition, which they passed on to their many disciples. However, today the Druidic tradition has, unfortunately, been lost. According to Caesar's testimony, it was forbidden to write down the main provisions of the teachings of the Druids. He explains this prohibition as follows: "It seems to me that they have this order for two reasons: the druids do not want their teachings to be made public and that their pupils, relying too much on writing, pay less attention to strengthening their memory."
Researchers of modern times have pondered a lot about this strange, in the opinion of a modern person, prohibition, expressing various assumptions about this. One was that the Druids did not know how to write at all, the other was that the very process of writing was a painful and tedious exercise for them. It is easy enough to be convinced that these assumptions are untenable. Caesar reported that the Helvetians wrote down in Greek letters on the tablets "the number of those who could bear arms and, equally, separately - how many children, old people and women." The testimony of Diodorus Siculus that during the funeral some Gauls threw letters addressed to the dead into the fire also confirmed the existence of writing among the Celts. Nevertheless, neither Divitiac, nor any other learned druid left us a Celtic version of Cicero's treatise On the Art of Divination.
However, if large Gallic texts do not exist, then legends are written on the Gallic coins in Latin, Greek or Lepontic letters. In addition, one cannot but recall the Gallic epigraphy. In southern Gaul, in Cisalpine Gaul, in Spain, countries where the continental Celts very early established long-term contacts with the classical world, several hundred inscriptions were found, usually short, difficult to read and translate. Their content is almost always associated with a funeral cult or religion. These texts were created under foreign influence - first Greek, then Roman.
Celts of Ireland in the 5th-6th centuries had a special writing "ogam", consisting of notches or horizontal and oblique lines drawn on the stone. In Ireland and in the Irish colonies of Scotland and Wales, about three hundred Ogamic inscriptions carved on stone tombstones were discovered. They are all very short, containing one or two words: the name of the deceased and the name of his father. Judging by the numerous hints or mentions in the sagas, ogamic inscriptions were also carved on wooden sticks, and the carvers were druids (much less often warriors), who used these sticks for witchcraft. Thus, Ogamic writing was to the Celts what the runes were to the Scandinavians. In the Old Irish treatise on writing, the inventor of Ogam is named the lord of magic, Ogmiy, who at the same time is the god of eloquence: "Ogmiy's father is Ogmiy, Ogam's mother is Ogmiy's hand or knife."
In Ireland, as in Gaul, the Druids and their disciples were best at reading and writing. But writing was associated with magic more powerful and more dangerous than oral speech, and therefore was used only in exceptional cases. Not a single literary text has been found among the Ogamic inscriptions. As we have seen, the mythological Irish texts were not written down until after the Christianization of the country. In Ireland, as in Gaul, the Celtic tradition remained oral despite the presence of writing. The Druids did not trust the presentation of their teaching in writing so that the teaching would not spread among the uninitiated.
The loss of the Druidic tradition is truly an irreparable loss for Celtic mythology. This largely explains the pessimistic view of some modern scientists about the possibility of recreating it. However, the situation is not so hopeless. Firstly, ancient and Irish sources allowed us to learn about the origin of Druidism, about the hierarchical structure of the order, representing the stages of secret, esoteric initiation, about the religious practices of the Druids and, finally, about the activities of their Karnut assembly. All this information has already introduced us to the mysterious and exciting world of Celtic religion and mythology. And now we will try to find out what was the tradition that the druids kept. When talking about Druidism, Caesar uses the word "discipline." It points to the orderly nature of druidic knowledge, to the presence of a holistic doctrine. Thus, the teachings of the Druids represented the highest part of the Celtic mythological tradition.
Ancient authors divide the knowledge possessed by the Druids into two parts: philosophy based on belief in the supernatural, and science. Strabo mentioned that Druids study the science of nature. According to Cicero, Divitiac claimed that he knew "the science of nature". This concept was revealed by Caesar, who believed that the Druids had great knowledge "about the luminaries and their movement, about the size of the world and the earth, about nature." Judging by the reports of Caesar and Pliny, the druids made up the lunar calendar, in which the account was kept not of days, but of nights. This series is completed by the testimony of one Greek author of the 3rd century. n. BC: "The Celts consider their druids to be soothsayers and prophets, as they predict certain events with the help of Pythagorean calculations and calculations." Thus, according to ancient authors, the Druids had great knowledge in astronomy and astrology, were skillful compilers of the calendar.
This is also confirmed by archaeological materials. Since the Bronze Age, there have been observatory sanctuaries in the British Isles that make it possible to make astronomical observations and predict solar and lunar eclipses. In addition, in 1897 in Coligny, near the Swiss border, an interesting archaeological site was found, which is called the "calendar from Coligny" and is attributed to the Druids. These are fragments of a massive bronze slab with a calendar table engraved on them. The slab is possibly dated to the time of Augustus (late 1st century BC - early 1st century AD). The calendar uses Roman letters and numbers, the Gaulish language; many words are abbreviated.
Enough fragments of the plate survived to realize that it was divided into 16 vertical columns representing a table of 62 lunar months with two additional months. Each month is divided into light and dark halves by the word ATENOUX - “returning night”, placed between them. Days are numbered from I to XV on light and dark stripes. This is the usual construction of the lunar calendar, in which the month is divided into two periods, consistent with the waxing and waning of the moon. The Coligny Calendar also celebrates good and bad days. He adjusts the lunar year to the solar year by introducing additional months of thirty days at 2, 5 and 3 year intervals alternately. If the "Coligny calendar" is considered Druidic, then it turns out that the Druids were much more skillful compilers of the calendar than the reports of Caesar and Pliny suggest.
However, the ancient authors were struck not so much by the knowledge of the Druids in the field of astronomy as by the Druidic philosophy. Diodorus, Strabo and Caesar unanimously argued that the Druids are extremely revered philosophers and theologians, and the study of the power of the immortal gods revealed to them the nature of the deity and allowed them to communicate with the gods. The poet Lucan addressed the Druids very pathetically: "You alone have been given knowledge of the gods and the will of heaven." Later ancient scholars, who worked in the Egyptian capital of Alexandria, compare the Druids with the Persian magicians, Assyrian Chaldeans and the priests of the ancient Hindus.
In fact, the only feature of the Druidic doctrine known to ancient authors was the Druid belief in the immortality of the soul. Diodorus identifies it with the Pythagorean teaching: "They [the Celts] have a common opinion of Pythagoras, according to which the souls of people are immortal and after a certain number of years they return to earth again, penetrating into other bodies." The testimony of Diodorus is the first in a series of rather long ancient traditions that drew analogies between the teachings of immortality among the Druids and Pythagoras. At the beginning of the 1st century. n. NS. Roman writer Valeri Maximus narrated the story that the Celts were so convinced of the immortality of human souls that they lent each other money that would be paid in the Other World.
Druids
The Druids (Gaulish druidae, Old Irish druí, plural druid) are priests and poets among the Celtic peoples, organized in the form of a closed caste and closely associated with royal power.
Druids were the keepers of heroic traditions and mythological poems, which they passed on to the youth orally. Druid schools also existed among the island Celts. However, among the Irish and Britons, the Druids early lost their function of poets (giving way to bards), and after the introduction of Christianity in the IV-V centuries they quickly degenerated into village healers. It was suggested that the institution of the Druids passed to the Celts from the primitive population.
In the new Western European literature, the image of the druid is introduced and widely used by the poetry of romanticism (and currents close to it) as a motif of national exoticism and fantasy.
Etymology of the name
In classical texts, the name "druid" is found only in the plural: "druidai" in Greek, "druidae" and "druides" in Latin. The forms "drasidae" or "drysidae" are either scribal errors or the result of corruption in the manuscript. Lucan's “dryadae” is clearly influenced by the Greek name for woody nymphs (Latin “dryads”). Old Irish has the word "drui" which is a singular number, the plural form is "druid". There have been many discussions about the origin of this word. Today, many are inclined to the point of view of ancient scientists, in particular Pliny, that it is associated with the Greek name for oak - "drus". Its second syllable is considered to be derived from the Indo-European root "wid", which is equated to the verb "to know." The relationship with such a word looks quite logical for a religion whose sanctuaries were located in the mixed oak forests of Central Europe.
This first etymology, based on the Greek "drus", received widespread scientific support. Arose in connection with the use of oak in Gallic ritual, it gave rise to problems that for a long time only exacerbated the hesitations of linguists. Pliny, of course, was quite sincere in expressing his opinion, but he, like all his contemporaries, was often content with folk or etymologies educated by analogy. If the name of the Druids belonged to a specifically Celtic world and can only be explained in terms of the Celtic languages, then its constituent elements are of Indo-European origin: the Gaulish form "druides" (singular "druis"), which Caesar uses throughout the entire text of the "Gaulish Wars ", As well as the Irish" drui ", go back to a single prototype" dru-wid-es "," very learned ", containing the same root as the Latin verb" videre "," to see ", the Gothic" witan ", Germanic "wissen", "know", Slavic "know". In the same way, it is not difficult to find the homonymy of words for "science" and "forest" (Gaulish "vidu-"), characteristic of the Celtic language, while there is no real possibility to connect the name "Druids" with the name "oak" ( Gaulish "dervo-"; Irish. "daur"; Welsh "derw"; Breton "derv"). Even if the oak occupied a certain place in the cult practice of the Druids, it would be a mistake to reduce the idea of druids to the cult of the oak; on the contrary, their priestly functions were very extensive.
Druidic rites
A special place in the rites of the Druids was occupied by the process of collecting mistletoe. Mistletoe was used by druids for healing. It was also used to draw lots and predict the future. But not every mistletoe was suitable for this. For collection, at first, a suitable plant was chosen for a long time, after which they arranged a ceremony on the sixth day of the moon.
The rite of sacrifice among the Druids was also popular. They prepared at the foot of the tree everything necessary for the performance of the sacrifice and the solemn meal. After that, they brought two white bulls, whose horns were tied for the first time. The priest, dressed in white, climbed a tree, cut off the mistletoe with a golden sickle and put it in a white cloak. After that, the bulls were sacrificed, while making a prayer of praise to the deities. It is believed that mistletoe after this ritual will be an antidote against any poison.
Mention must be made of the alleged human sacrifices in the rites of the Druids. They were reported by Gaius Julius Caesar in his letters to the Roman Senate - when in the summer of 55 BC. e., and then in 54 BC. NS. (during the Gallic War) undertook two military expeditions to Britain. Caesar wrote that the Druids counted on the help of their gods only if they made human sacrifices. According to Julius Caesar, captive enemies, criminals, and in the absence of such, innocent people were used for such victims.
The historian Pliny the Elder described the cannibalism of the Druids - that is, the consumption of human flesh. Recent archaeological finds - at Alveston Cave in southern Gloucestershire, and in the Lindow Moss Peat Bog near Mobberley, Cheshire, UK (the so-called "Lindow Man") - confirm Roman reports. So, in a cave in Alveston, the bones of about 150 people were found, including women who were killed, according to archaeologists, for sacrificial purposes. The victims were killed with heavy, sharp weapons, presumably with an ax or sword. Analysis of the mineral composition of the bones confirmed that the remains belonged to people who permanently lived in the area. The find, split along the thigh bone, is believed to confirm the consumption of human flesh - as the bone was split, apparently in order to get the bone marrow (the bones of animals that were eaten in the same way split in the same way are a common find in archeology).
The find at Alveston dates from about the middle of the first century AD. NS. - that is, exactly when the Romans were actively conquering the British Isles. The so-called Lindou man belongs to the same period. The peat bog preserved the slain so well that the skin and even the intestines were preserved. This allowed a detailed examination of the body. The man was killed in a difficult way: he was struck on the head with an ax, heavy, but not fatal, his neck was tied in a noose, and his throat was cut with a knife so that blood would rush out in a stream. Mistletoe pollen was found on the body, which made it possible to associate the victim with the druids - since it is known that the druids used mistletoe branches in sacrifices, cut off with a special golden knife. Researchers believe that the murdered young man belonged to the Celtic nobility. This is indicated by a manicure on the hands, a neat haircut, shaving, body structure, which is typical for people who are not engaged in hard physical labor.
The Romans systematically destroyed the Druids under the official pretext - as bearers of an inhuman cult (as well as as inspirers and organizers of resistance). Perhaps the expensive sacrifices described above were made to enlist the support of the gods in the war against the Romans. It was at this time (40-60 AD) that the Roman troops, led first by the future emperor Vespasian, and then by the governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, were actively advancing deep into Britain. However, the sacrifices did not help: in 60 AD. NS. Roman troops captured the main stronghold of the British Druids - the island of Mona (currently - the island of Anglesey in North Wales). The defenders of the island were slain, and the Druidic sanctuaries and their sacred groves were destroyed.
Druids - secrets of the priests of the ancient Celts
In simpler terms, the Priest is a servant of the deity who performed sacrifices and other religious rites. And here is a more complex concept: Priest - a person who replaces the priest among idolaters; a clergyman who makes a sacrifice to the deity and who knew how to communicate with the gods.
Celtic priests are called druids. This name first appeared in Caesar's Commentaries around 50 BC. NS. According to various hypotheses, the word druids means "people of the oak" or "very learned."
Druids were not just keepers of the wisdom of their ancestors, but also the owners of special knowledge, which they passed on to their students in hidden shelters - caves and forest thickets. The druids kept this knowledge in a very deep secret, it was available only to initiates. Therefore, the priests were forbidden to write anything down.
Celtic priests varied according to their functions and responsibilities. Among them were specialists in the performance of rituals of sacrifice, royal advisers, soothsayers, and even poets. Nowadays, many methods of divination by the priests have been preserved. There were such as healing and witchcraft using herbs and plants.
Druids did not take part in wars, did not pay taxes, so many Celts sent their children to comprehend their sciences. Education at the Druidic school lasted up to 20 years - the students memorized a great many poems. As you know, all household records were kept by Celtic priests using the Greek alphabet. However, it was strictly forbidden to record poetic revelations except by word of mouth.
If much is known about the educational function of the druids, their role in public life, then it is precisely because of the prohibitions on the recording of rituals that we do not know for certain what the essence of the magic rituals and cult mysteries produced by the druids was. In this regard, many myths that developed in later times exaggerated and mystified the abilities of the Celtic priests. For example, the Celtic epic attributes prophetic revelations to the Druids. Katbar, the druid of King Conchobar, naming the hero of the Irish saga Cuchulainn, predicts a great future for him.
There was a belief that one could get to the afterlife through flat lakes. To appease the gods living there, the druids threw valuable objects and expensive utensils into the lakes. Thanks to this ritual, many works of Celtic art have survived to this day.
The process of collecting mistletoe was also sacred for the druids. It was used for healing, drawing lots and predicting the future. Such a mistletoe must still be found, because it happens rarely. After she is found and removed, they arrange a large religious ceremony on the sixth day of the moon, since that is why the Druids count their months and their years, as well as their centuries, as stretching thirty years.
And now about the rite of sacrifice. Having prepared at the foot of the tree everything necessary for the sacrifice and the solemn meal, they bring two white bulls, whose horns are tied for the first time. A priest dressed in white, having climbed a tree, cuts off a mistletoe with a golden sickle, which is collected in a white cloak. Then they slaughter the sacred animals, while praying to the deity so that it would make the sacrifice gracious for those for whom it was brought. The priests believe that mistletoe, when made into a drink, heals livestock from infertility and serves as a remedy for all poisons.
