Product Description

A history of the cult of the ancient Druids, exploring who they really were and what role they played in the Celtic world. The author's interpretation of the facts is based on both archaeological and etymological findings. Peter Berresford Ellis sifts through evidence and, with reference to the latest archaeological findings and the use of etymology, shows that the Druids have been subject to a swaythe of propaganda and myth-making through the centuries.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #236870 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
"- 'Finally, a book that separates fact from mythology, telling us what we can and cannot know about the ancient Druids. This remarkable book by a leading historian of the Celts offers much for the academician as well as the general reader. Fascinating reading!' - Joseph A. King, author of Ireland to North America - 'Readable and well-researched... a useful guide...' - Count Nikolai Tolstoy, Times Higher Education Supplement

About the Author
Peter Berresford Ellis is the author of many books, including highly regarded works on Celtic history and culture. He is a Fellow of three Royal Societies in historical and antiquarian fields and the recipient of many awards and honours for his work.

Customer Reviews

Sacrifices, Incantations, Dances and the Rest.......
This book gives a detailed and informative guide into how the ancient people, of ages long past, used to live with their 'religion' and why they practised it. It describes the everyday life and the rituals that the ancient people of the celtic race of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales used to practice. It delves into the reasoning behind it, and why people might have believed what they did. If you're more interested in learning more about the Celts or the Druids, then this is the book to begin with.

Very good historical intro to druids
This book shines out as a factual rather than fanciful book on the druids:- their role in celtic society, where they stood during roman occupation, the bias of historical accounts, the immense ignorance and misunderstanding of modern accounts,

The writing is informative, well-written and enjoyable, with history, celtic/post-celtic stories and importantly - references.

The authour unfortunately has the completely blinkered perception that celts and hindus, druids and the brahmin caste are inextricably linked and devotes a few sentences on almost every page to convince you that they are two sides of the same coin. which, while there are similarities and they doubtless do share a common root, are obviously not the same.

He is also pro-celtic/pro-druid to an extent which on occasions seems to cloud his better-judgement (a bit like the hindu idea), which is a little dissapointing but thankfully rare. (woe-be-tied any druid-writer that's made a pro-roman comment in the last 100 years, they'll get a grilling somewhere in this book).

In an area flooded by new-age 'how-to-be-a-modern-day-druid' books this is refreshing and based on historical fact.

If you're after 'incantations', druidic magic or rituals involving white cloaks & sickles, this is the wrong book for you.

Discovering the elusive Druids
Few figures flit so elusively through history as do the druids. Enigmatic and puzzling, the paucity of knowledge about them has resulted in a wide spectrum of interpretations. Even today, the lack of information has allowed the rise of an extensive "druidic" movement, particularly in Great Britain. Scouring through a wealth of resources and applying many years' work in this attempt to clarify the image of the Druids. He applies solid resources, assessing them rigidly and uses well the evidence has come to light. He's keen to revoke commonly held views. Druids weren't a savage priesthood practicing human sacrifice or arcane mysteries. Instead, Ellis finds them the intellectual elite of the Celtic world.

In sweeping away false beliefs about the Celts and their Druid "priesthood", Ellis provides a fine overview of Celtic society. Instead of nomadic warriors, the Celts were generally pastoralists and farmers in a stable society. Displacements and opportunitistic alliances resulted in societal changes. From an egalitarian society in which leaders were democratically chosen, a hierarchical structure developed as a reaction to intrusions. Christianity, of course, sounded the knell of their open society by demanding an end to "pagan" beliefs. Once forced into this new role, the democratic society became patriarchal.

One major change he notes resulting from this change was the role of women. Unlike their Mediterranean counterparts, Greece and Rome, the Celts held women in high regard, even granting them leadership status in peace and war. How many women gained status in the Druidic elite remains unclear, but he asserts it was only logical that leadership would include intellectual capacity.

Inevitably, Ellis concludes with the "revival" of the Druid concept in modern times. He sees many direct comparisons between the Celts and Hindu society as a modern example. The "caste" system he finds in both societies underwent changes in their respective locales. The mythology of a "mystical Druid" imagery was revived in Western Europe. This image permeated thought among British intellectuals beginning in the 17th Century. From a view of Celts and the Druids as savages, a new concept arose portraying them as "keepers of wisdom". Welsh, Cornish and Irish traditionalists enhanced this view leading to today's outlook of Druidism as a spiritual revival.

This thorough and insightful account of an unknown, but highly mythologised element of Western society is fundamental to an understanding of the Celts and their Druid sub-culture. Ellis keeps the account lively and captivating. Although his scholarship is thorough, it never overwhelms the reader. It should remain an important work for some time. [stephen a. haines, Ottawa, Canada]