Who are/were Druids?
The original Druids were killed or forced to convert or leave their homes a long time ago. The main thing that can be said about the Druids is that they were members of a professional class in their culture, the Celtic Nations of Western Europe and the British Isles. (The Druids were not an ethnic group; their culture, the Celtic culture, was.) Druids were the learned class of the Celts. They filled the roles of judge, doctor, diviner, mage, mystic, and clerical scholar. The Romans later used the same term for leaders of the Britons. It’s not certain if all Celtic cultures used a word similar to “druid” or if their social structures were the same. General attributes assigned to Druids: they passed their teachings along orally, not by writings; becoming a Druid required a long period of study; they were excused from military service but could enter battle if they chose; they were members of an elite class which included various occupations. Through history we have lost much, if not most
* A: Much of what we think we know is based on conjecture and educated guesses at best, and wishful thinking at worst. The original Druids were killed or forced to convert or leave their homes a long time ago. The main thing that can be said about the Druids is that they were members of a professional class in their culture, the Celtic Nations of Western Europe and the British Isles. (The Druids were not an ethnic group; their culture, the Celtic culture, was.) Druids were the learned class of the Celts. They filled the roles of judge, doctor, diviner, mage, mystic, scientist, and clerical scholar. The Romans later used the same term for leaders of the Britons. It’s not certain if all Celtic cultures used a word similar to Druid or if their social structures were the same. General attributes assigned to Druids: they passed their teachings along orally, not by writings; becoming a Druid required a long period of study; they were excused from military service but could enter battle if th
