Introduction
Before any explanation or exposition of the religion of the Celts, it is necessary to review certain concepts. We cannot see it as an institution or even as something that coexisted with other fields of people's lives. There was no time for a person to work, another time to have fun and another time to devote himself to religion. Religion was in all of this, it was what guided the behavior and conduct of the Celts. Work, entertainment, art, in short, everything was linked to religion.
Druidism is still a very obscure subject and the object of several studies that try to clarify it. Therefore, all sources of information that we have about the religion of the Celts (and there are not few) one must be cautious when accepting them as absolute truths. There are hundreds of Internet sites dealing with the subject, each saying something different. There are hundreds more books (many of them, from the very first pages you can see that they are not serious studies). I have already come across psychographed books signed by ancestral Druids - without doubting the mediumistic ability, but right in the preface it could already be seen that the book was nothing more than a great farce. Mysticism is in vogue:elves, fairies, magic crystals, incense and the like are being trivialized by the lucrative trinket market. In this way, ancestral knowledge becomes a product of a “shopping mall” store and, with that, it opens space for a bunch of people to call themselves knowledgeable on the subject and start propagating a bunch of lies just to sell! So, right away, I warn you:I am not the owner of the truth and I try, as much as possible, to “filter” the type of information that I disclose in Casa Celta, especially when it comes to the religion of the Celts. The text that follows is intended to expose all currents of thought (obviously, taking into account only the coherent ones)
Druidism
Some scholars are concerned with discerning two religious currents:Celtic and Druidic. Although very similar (taking into account that Celtic is derived from Druidic) there is a tendency to make certain considerations. It is believed that Celtism was more rudimentary and more linked to the cult of Mother Nature, while Druidism clung to various deities linked to nature.
It can be said that druidism was based on two great principles:Respect for Nature and the belief in immortality. The Druids were the priests and presided over religious ceremonies, and performed other functions that will be discussed later.
They believed in the supreme figure of the Mother Goddess and in “elemental” deities (of air, water, fire and earth). Some scholars attest to the polytheism of the Celtic people, others already consider it monotheistic and all deities were nothing more than an extension of a Mother Goddess. Others describe them as monotheists, who worshiped the fire-god Beal, linked to the sun (like Ra for the Egyptians).
Some trees had important significance in Celtic religion, such as the oak (linked to wisdom and the druids), the ash (linked to protection), the willow (linked to the water deities), and so on. Some animals also had their symbology - the bull, for example, was representing fertility and the serpent linked to wisdom.
Belief in the soul and the afterlife is present in druidism. The Celts believed in the existence of the "Other World", where ancestors and other spirits reside. They also believed that certain people were endowed with the power of communication with this world. It is believed that the fact that Celtic warriors were brave and fearless comes from the certainty they had that death is nothing more than a passage.
What Celtic rituals were like to honor their gods is difficult to say. It is known that the ceremonies were performed in open places, in fields and forests. Oak forests were favored by the Druids, as the oak was considered a sacred tree. In these places stone circles were built, where religious ceremonies were held - the most famous of which is Stonehenge.
However, recent studies argue that these stone circles were actually used as astronomical observatories and not as religious constructions. With this, space is opened for discussion of the cult elements of the Celts and the Druids, which would make druidism a religion strongly influenced by the stars and by the observation of the stars (like the Egyptian religion).
Archaeological remains confirm that the druids conducted human sacrifices, however, the reasons and the way in which this type of ceremony was performed is still unclear.
Druids
In Druidism - as the name suggests - the religious leaders were the Druids, who constituted a privileged class within Celtic society. It was they who presided over religious ceremonies, performed human sacrifices, and conducted oracles. In addition to religious functions, they performed the functions of educators, judges and were responsible for the conservation of Celtic history and tradition. They were wise and had knowledge of medicine, agriculture and astronomy. It is important to remember that the druids, fearful of written records, passed on all their knowledge orally from generation to generation. Women were also part of the druidic class. They were, for the most part, prophetesses.
Druids were the only class that transcended tribal divisions. They were largely responsible for the unity of the Celtic world. Where Orleánais (France) is located today, these priests organized a large general assembly, whose headquarters were located near what is now the French city of Sully-sur-Loire.
Rome soon condemned Druidism, realizing that the Druids were the great political force in the Celtic world. Yet they lasted into the Middle Ages in Ireland and into the 5th century in Gaul.
Little is known about the druids, precisely because they did not use writing (although it is believed that they had knowledge of a runic writing system). However, it can be said that they existed, exerted great influence on Celtic life and were extremely privileged in knowledge. Accounts record the courage of the Druids in defending their belief, with many dying during the Roman repression. It is speculated that the druids did not originate from the Celtic civilization, which makes them a distinct people, whose history and origin little is known.
Christianity
Christianity arrived in the British Isles in the 4th century, but in the 5th century the Saxons invaded the country, forcing Celtic Christians to move to Wales and Cornwall. At the same time, Saint Patrick - a British monk - began his missionary excursions to the Island of Ireland. Soon after, the Church of Ireland was founded, which became the center of "Celtic Christianity".
"Celtic Christianity" developed extremely differently from the Roman pattern. Organized in a clear monastic system, bishops were subject to abbatial authority. The monks devoted themselves to the study of religion and the preservation of Roman literature. They became great evangelizers of the Germanic peoples and founded monasteries throughout Western Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany).
In the 9th - 12th centuries, Celtic Christianity was losing strength and its organizational mode was no longer compatible with the Roman model, which was now concerned with the centralization of power.
Celtic Civilization