Druids
The Druids were the Priests of the Celtic peoples. Druid means "oak-men." In the "21 Lessons of Merlyn," the Druids were referred to as "Primal Mystics." Their magical systems were so profound, that mankind has never ceased to ponder over them. They were the doctors, scientists, lawyers and ministers to the Celtic tribes - the mediators between man and the gods - held in awe by all, and afforded power in keeping with that of any king.
There are documented accounts of Druids single-handedly averted war, by simply walking in silence between the opposing armies - arms outheld. Since one of the primary taboos of Druidic doctrine prohibited the writing down of any segment of their lore, the only extensive descriptive records which survive today are those written by the Roman writers - by the nation which survive today are those written by roman writers - by the nation which launched the most vile efforts to extinguish the Druidic religion in favor of its own. Makes you wonder how accurate these writing are, doesn't it? Ironically, even though they tried to wipe them out, it appears that several Romans wrote about the Druids without total bias:
Ammanaus Marcellinus writes, "Of thir advanced dogmas, the Druids profess the immorality of the soul, and that there is another life in other regions. For this reason, they bury their dead with things appropriate to them in life, sometimes even to defer the completion of business, payment and debts, auntil their arrival again from another world."
Timagenes said, "The Druids celebrate the brave deeds of their famous men in epic verse, and are uplifted by searching into things secret and sublime. They profess the immortality of the soul, and share Pythagorean beliefs; above all, they strive to explain the high mysteries of nature."
Caear wrote, "They discuss and impart to thier youth many things respecting the stars and their motions, respecting the extent of the universe and of Earth, respecting the powers and majesty of the immortal gods."
Taken from Lady Pendragon Vol.3, #3
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