- Ritual and the Druids -
Figure 23.1 Part of the cult tree, 2 ft 3/5 in (70 cm) high, of wood, bronze and gold leaf, found
in 1984 in Manching, Bavaria, on a wooden platter plated with richly decorated gold plating.
(Y. Kruta et al. (cds) The Celts, London I99I: 530-1.)
prayers for protection, incantations and charms in Scottish Gaelic current until early
in the twentieth century and known as Carmina Gadelica, as collected and recorded
by Alexander Carmichael. This remarkable compilation of material from the rich oral
tradition of Gaelic Scotland further testifies to the longevity of the ancient beliefs
which were once under the aegis of the druidic orders.
Tradition preserved in the hagiographies, in sagas and poems and early historical
tales, reveals unequivocally the high status of the pre-Christian druids of Ireland
which equalled that enjoyed by the druids in Britain and on the Continent, accord-
ing to the classics. In addition to the pre-eminent priestly functions, the druid
deployed magical powers, as attested by his incantations, and the ability to foresee
the future and to predict the outcome of events. His knowledge of astrology must
have been considerable, as was his skill in calendrical computation. He was believed
to have powers of shape-shifting, and to be able to change the shapes of others,
turning humans into animals or birds at will. Thus he must have been a master of
illusion. He was also a skilled healer, with a wide knowledge of the therapeutic
properties of herbs and substances. Most importantly, perhaps, he was a teacher of
the sons of noblemen, guardian of the hereditary learning and oral tradition.
By the time the Irish law books were compiled in the seventh and eighth centuries
the druid still had a place in the legal codices, but under the increasing influence of
Christianity he had come to be regarded as a sort of witch-doctor or sorcerer. But