18thcent

THE 18th CENTURY REVIVAL OF DRUIDISM

Druidism enjoyed a revival in the 1700s thanks to a number of intellectual individuals that were part of the Enlightenment.

The Druids of the Enlightenment, like their predecessors, inherited the ancient sacred sites and used them for similar purposes. Even though some of their perceptions have been disproven in regard to the ancient priests they sought to emulate, they were profoundly influential on modern-day Druidic revival.

Among the 18th century's revivers of Druidism are William Stukely, William Blake, John Wood, and numerous others, mainly of England and France. These people can be said to be the fathers of modern Druidism.
These thinkers are occasionally discredited for reviving Druidic tradition in the manner they did: much of their "facts" are largely romanticized. In conjunction with the misunderstanding on the part of the ancient Roman historians, the interpretations of the 18th century Druids also shoulder much of the blame for the stereotypical notion of Druids that remains in society today.

There is a large debt that is owed to the 18th century thinkers, however. Were it not for their involvement in the intellectual movement now known as the Enlightenment, perhaps much of the knowledge we now have about the Druids would have been lost. These thinkers are also the founders of many Druidic societies that are still extant in modern society, some of which have centres all over the world.