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If I remember correctly pupils of the druids were called ovates by the Romans. I could be wrong on that one.
You're not wrong, ovate is the romanisation of o-vydd - ovates did still teach, so they weren't entirely pupils of the Art.
Druidism is a difficult subject to penertrate, whatever is left of druidism is to be found in masonry.
I've been to stonehedge and avebury as I don't live that far away from them, the local museums correct the myth that the druids built stonehedge but are unable to specify just
who built it other than 'the primitive britons' - talk about vague!
For books on druidry I can only think of Manly P. Hall's writings - but he is understandably brief on the subject. Some of his writings on them can be found online
http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta04.htm scroll to: THE DRUIDIC MYSTERIES OF BRITAIN AND GAUL. You may want to look to some of the authors he mentions in that segment for more information.
Whether the people who call themselves druids still memorise the twenty thousand verses of druidic poetry I do not know. I do know however that the cutting of the mistletoe with a golden sickle does occur every year, but they don't sacrifice an white animal below the oak tree anymore. I also know that they don't command the respect that they once did,
i.e "Their power over the people was unquestioned, and there were instances in which armies, about to attack each other, sheathed their swords when ordered to do so by the white-robed Druids. No undertaking of great importance was scatted without the assistance of these patriarchs, who stood as mediators between the gods and men."
ask anyone what they think of the modern druids here in the UK and they will say: "they're just a bunch of new agers!"
This post has been edited by Zugzwang: Jun 26 2007, 01:55 PM
Druidism
Thorn Druidism Jun 8 2007, 01:54 PM
Jun 8 2007, 01:54 PM
