Druidry
Druidry, or Druidism, is the religion of the Druids, a pagan Celtic priesthood that existed in France, Britain and Ireland before the coming of Christianity to those lands. Its international headquarters was on the island of Mona, now called Anglesey, off the north-west coast of Wales, but was destroyed by the Romans in 61 AD during the revolt of Boudica.
Druid beliefs, as recorded by Julius Caesar, revolved around observations of the motions of the heavenly bodies and their influences on the earth, as in astrology, and they were also firm believers in reincarnation, so much that it was possible to defer the payment of debts until the next life. They also sacrificed criminals and enemy soldiers captured in battle in huge wicker men by burning them to death.
Druidic training was very hard, and involved spendind 20 years learning by heart thousands of lines of poetry and song, which included being placed under a rock in a river in order to recite them. If the postulant survived this ordeal he or she became a 'bard', the lowest grade of Druid. The next grade was 'ovate' (meaning seer), and then came Druid proper. A female Druid is known as a Dryad.
The Romans attempted to suppress Druidism but it survived into Christian times when a certain amount of assimilation took place. One of the Druidic gods was named Esus and the Druids believed that this was the same person as Jesus. Many Christian churches in the British Isles were built on the site of Druidic temples, especially those dedicated to the dragon-slaying saints Michael and George. It is also believed that the wizard Merlin, companion to King Arthur, was a Druid.
Druidism survived in remote areas of Wales until the 18th century, when it was revived in a new popular form by John Toland and others, who founded the first of the modern Druid orders in 1717. Modern Druids have dispensed with many of their ancient beliefs and practices and in many ways resemble Freemasonry. They congregate at Stonehenge on the summer solstice to enact their ceremonies.
Recent controversy
In 2006 the Council of British Druid Orders, the governing body of Druids in the British Isles and elsewhere, suffered an acrimonious split. The issue concerned the controversy surrounding the reburial of pre-Christian archeological remains of human bodies that are now on display in museums. One faction wished to lobby the government to allow Pagan reburial with Druidic rites, while the other faction wished to take a more conciliatory approach. Other factors such as clash of personalities were also involved. There are now two bodies calling themselves the Council of British Druid Orders, each denouncing the other as splitters, and a legal battle through the courts for the right to use the name is pending. Links to the official websites of both these bodies are provided below.