A NATURE-CENTERED PEOPLE

14 Large oak tree in New Jersey.

Perhaps since our best historical accounts of Druid culture were documented by the Romans, it follows that their interpretations would take into account common Roman cultural believes. Therefore there are some parallels between attributes of Roman polytheistic structure and what we know of Druid deities.

As the Celts were tribal, the names of gods and goddesses vary by location. Most Druidic gods were gods of nature and natural occurrences. For example, the Celtic god Lúgh is believed to bring thunderstorms for crops in the summer. The god the mentioned in Norma, a traditionally Gallic god of great might, Esus, is to whom they make human sacrifices. Celtic sculptures

“In the earth I shall be with you.” – Norma

from Gaul depict both male and female deities, with the male gods protecting the tribe, and the female goddesses (“mother nature” figures) ensuring fertility.

The Druids deeply revered nature and the cycle of life. Religious festivals took place with each of the seasons, and the moon and sun were especially important. The Druids often ascribed sentient and divine characteristics to natural elements such as rivers and mountains.

2014 image of Stonehenge. Wiltshire, England.

Stonehenge remains a real archeological mystery. We do not know who, or even from what culture it was created. It does however feature prominently in Arthurian and Irish folktales. In 1905, the British Ancient Order of Druids used the site for a religious gathering, but in 1985, the British Land Trust closed to religious groups. A 2003 European Court of Human Rights ruling reopened the site, and over 30,000 people took part in a festival celebrating the summer solstice that year.

Drawing of trolls with the changeling they raised. John Bauer, 1913

They believed in life after death and the transmigration (reincarnation) of souls among all living things. That being said, the Druids made human sacrifices—often criminals—to save those who were sick or in danger.

The Druids had many rites and rituals they performed for the Celtic people. The Roman scholar Pliny (AD 24-70) describes in Natural History, the Celtic ritual of cutting mistletoe out of a sacred oak tree, and sacrificing two white bulls, in order to create an elixir to cure infertility. This association of mistletoe and fertility has evolved and survived to modern day with the western tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmastime.

Infanticide is a feature in most versions of the Norma story, but if fertility was so important to the Druids, how are the two congruent? Modern scholarship suggests that although offspring were sacred, those born out of wedlock were often left to die of exposure in the forest. Celtic folktales often speak of “changelings,” babies that were stolen by woodland spirits and replaced by sick or maladjusted duplicates. Lore dictated parents must return the “changeling” to the fairies by abandoning the baby in the woods. This convention was soon banned by the Catholic Church.

Over the centuries, Christianity’s relationship to ancient Celtic religious practices has shifted, changed, and become intertwined. Druidic traditions were revived in Britain throughout the 20th century, and since then sects have emerged across Europe and the United States influencing new-er religious practices including Wicca. Practices today promote harmony with and connection to all things in the natural world. Reverence for nature exists as a core value in many religions and cultures across the globe, and continues to be emphasized as we contemplate how to protect it.

Ruins of what are possibly Druidic pillars in Italy.