druid

thumb|Two Druids, 19th-century engraving based on a 1719 illustration by Bernard de Montfaucon, who said that he was reproducing a bas-relief found at [[Autun, Burgundy]]

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Druids were religious and intellectual leaders in ancient Celtic societies, particularly in Gaul and Britain, who served as priests, judges, and keepers of knowledge. They are significant to history because they played a central role in Celtic culture and religion, though much of what we know about them comes from Roman accounts and later artistic interpretations rather than direct historical records.

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Wikidata facts

Image: An Arch Druid in His Judicial Habit.jpg

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male form of label: druide
female form of label: druidė
Commons category: Druid

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~39 min read

Article

30 sections

Contents

Etymology
Practices and doctrines
Societal role and training
Sacrifice
Philosophy
Druids in mythology
Female druids
Irish mythology
The ''Gallizenae''
Druidesses in Gaul
Sources on druid beliefs and practices
Greek and Roman records
Julius Caesar
Cicero, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, and Tacitus
Irish and Welsh records
Irish literature and law codes
Welsh literature
Archaeology
History of reception
Prohibition and decline under Roman rule
Possible late survival of Insular druid orders
Christian historiography and hagiography
Later revivals
Modern scholarship
See also
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
External links

thumb|Two Druids, 19th-century engraving based on a 1719 illustration by Bernard de Montfaucon, who said that he was reproducing a bas-relief found at [[Autun, Burgundy]]

A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. While they were reported to have been literate, they are believed to have been prevented by doctrine from recording their knowledge in written form. Their beliefs and practices are attested in some detail by their contemporaries from other cultures, such as the Romans and the Greeks.