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The Druids
This classic study of the druids, one of the three intellectual classes of the early Celtic peoples, was first published by the University of Wales Press in 1966. The druids were the most enlightened and civilizing spiritual influence in Celtic Europe and were held in high regard as priests, philosophers, teachers and judges. Nora Chadwick's book examines and assesses the early written evidence of the Greeks and Romans and considers the druids within their historical context.
The institution of druidism captured the imagination of the ancient classical world. Its appeal has continued to this day. Significant developments in the field during the last thirty years are discussed by Anne Ross in this revised edition, which also includes a map of the major known druidic sites and centres in Europe.
The Druids is a scholarly work of interest and importance to all those who feel the perennial attraction of its subject.
The institution of druidism captured the imagination of the ancient classical world. Its appeal has continued to this day. Significant developments in the field during the last thirty years are discussed by Anne Ross in this revised edition, which also includes a map of the major known druidic sites and centres in Europe.
The Druids is a scholarly work of interest and importance to all those who feel the perennial attraction of its subject.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
87 people want to read
About the author
Nora Kershaw Chadwick
46 books20 followersNora Kershaw Chadwick, CBE, FSA, FBA, married to Hector Munro Chadwick, published widely on the Celts and Oral Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 7, 2019
Decent book, but lots of fluff even for its short length. The book could have been five pages and lost very little. We don't know much about the druids, but we know they were respected as physicians and had high status in their societies. They evidently believed strongly in reincarnation and may have borrowed this idea from the Pythagoreans.
April 5, 2010
A good book to start with if you want to learn about the Druids.
August 15, 2022
Nora Kershaw Chadwick was a prolific author on the Celts during her time. This particular book on the druids was originally published in the 1960s, and has stood the test of time as being one of the most in-depth studies of the scant written resources that history has passed down to us on the topic of the druids. While the written resources that we have are slim, this book digs into them quite thoroughly to discern as much as we possibly can. The findings might be rather surprising to some.
Chadwick divides the druidic texts into two separate periods. The earlier of these two periods is the Posidonion, due to the fact that all of the written sources seem to stem from an original history written by Posidonius. During this period the writings focus upon the darker aspects of the druids - evidence of human sacrifice and "barbarous" practices within the groves. This contrasts mightily with the later sources, deemed Alexandrian by Chadwick, which focus upon the druids as being potentially the origins of Pythagorean philosophies and intellectual powerhouses among the Gallic and Celtic worlds.
Chadwick analyzes these accounts to argue in favor of the druids not having been priests, but rather philosophers. She finds political motives beyond the wildly contrasting views of their natures, and uses what little evidence we have to back up these claims. There is a lengthy appendix that tells the story of Divatiacus and Dumnorix, druids in contact with Caesar who were known to be druids and what roles that they served. It was interesting to note that her evidence supports druids as commonly knowing the Greek alphabet and language, as so many resources talk about them having not been necessarily literate.
The argument against them having been veritable priests is one I am uncertain I wholly agree with, but the rest of the book is very sound. I am excited to delve into Miranda Green's Rethinking the Ancient Druids with a proper background now.
Chadwick divides the druidic texts into two separate periods. The earlier of these two periods is the Posidonion, due to the fact that all of the written sources seem to stem from an original history written by Posidonius. During this period the writings focus upon the darker aspects of the druids - evidence of human sacrifice and "barbarous" practices within the groves. This contrasts mightily with the later sources, deemed Alexandrian by Chadwick, which focus upon the druids as being potentially the origins of Pythagorean philosophies and intellectual powerhouses among the Gallic and Celtic worlds.
Chadwick analyzes these accounts to argue in favor of the druids not having been priests, but rather philosophers. She finds political motives beyond the wildly contrasting views of their natures, and uses what little evidence we have to back up these claims. There is a lengthy appendix that tells the story of Divatiacus and Dumnorix, druids in contact with Caesar who were known to be druids and what roles that they served. It was interesting to note that her evidence supports druids as commonly knowing the Greek alphabet and language, as so many resources talk about them having not been necessarily literate.
The argument against them having been veritable priests is one I am uncertain I wholly agree with, but the rest of the book is very sound. I am excited to delve into Miranda Green's Rethinking the Ancient Druids with a proper background now.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews