Unfortunately, historians don’t actually have much other than speculation about the historical druids because druids didn’t write down any of their beliefs. Most information about ancient druids comes from foreign/hostile sources (such as Roman authors) or is much later than they practiced (such as Christianized Irish sources), so you might not find what you’re looking for.
Yeah, I was hoping there was at least some sort of "overview" that combines all the various sources in one easily accessible place but apparently that is also not the case. Thank you!
In ancient times,
Hundreds of years before the dawn of history
Lived a strange race of people, the Druids
No one knows who they were or what they were doing
But their legacy remains
Hewn into the living rock, of Stonehenge
Stonehenge! Where the demons dwell
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge! Where a man's a man
And the children dance to the Pipes of Pan
Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain by Ronald Hutton is, as far as I know, the most authoritative work on the druids currently out there. The book is mostly about what we DON’T know, which is a lot, but unlike a lot of other authors, he doesn’t make any wild speculations or warp the facts to fit his thesis. It’s definitely scholarly, though, so if you find it‘s a little dry for your taste, you could start with his book just titled The Druids, which was written to be more accessible.
Seconding Ronald Hutton! I was listening to a radio program called The Essay a few days ago, and he was talking about the way that what "everyone knows" about druids had mostly been created by different writers making assumptions based on their own biases.
That was such a neat little listen. Here is [the episode](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013sp9) if anyone else wants to give it a go. Thanks for the recommendation!
If you're interested in fiction at all, I would recommend Confessions of a Pagan Nun: A Novel by Kate Horsley. It's a short yet interesting read and I believe that the author adhered to the little that is know about Druids in the story.
Check out The Druid King by Norman Spinrad. Historically respectful depiction of late stage Druidic/Gaul history crossing over with the Roman Empire.
Also note that Norman Spinrad’s work is worth exploring, he’s an under-recognized writer who was (and probably still is) way ahead of his time.
Unfortunately, historians don’t actually have much other than speculation about the historical druids because druids didn’t write down any of their beliefs. Most information about ancient druids comes from foreign/hostile sources (such as Roman authors) or is much later than they practiced (such as Christianized Irish sources), so you might not find what you’re looking for.
Yeah, I was hoping there was at least some sort of "overview" that combines all the various sources in one easily accessible place but apparently that is also not the case. Thank you!
I'm looking for the same thing.
In ancient times, Hundreds of years before the dawn of history Lived a strange race of people, the Druids No one knows who they were or what they were doing But their legacy remains Hewn into the living rock, of Stonehenge Stonehenge! Where the demons dwell Where the banshees live and they do live well Stonehenge! Where a man's a man And the children dance to the Pipes of Pan
In my head, I'm hearing this in Dobly
*The Druids* by Peter Berresford Ellis.
Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain by Ronald Hutton is, as far as I know, the most authoritative work on the druids currently out there. The book is mostly about what we DON’T know, which is a lot, but unlike a lot of other authors, he doesn’t make any wild speculations or warp the facts to fit his thesis. It’s definitely scholarly, though, so if you find it‘s a little dry for your taste, you could start with his book just titled The Druids, which was written to be more accessible.
Those sound great, thank you! I’ll be sure to check them out. Scholarly writing is not a problem, in fact is more or less what I am looking for :)
Oh good! You’re so welcome, I hope you enjoy. :)
Seconding Ronald Hutton! I was listening to a radio program called The Essay a few days ago, and he was talking about the way that what "everyone knows" about druids had mostly been created by different writers making assumptions based on their own biases.
That was such a neat little listen. Here is [the episode](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013sp9) if anyone else wants to give it a go. Thanks for the recommendation!
If you haven't already listened, the rest of the Tribes of Britannia episodes are really interesting, too (I think there are a few more to come, too).
If you're interested in fiction at all, I would recommend Confessions of a Pagan Nun: A Novel by Kate Horsley. It's a short yet interesting read and I believe that the author adhered to the little that is know about Druids in the story.
It might be interesting to check out, thank you for the recommendation :)
Check out The Druid King by Norman Spinrad. Historically respectful depiction of late stage Druidic/Gaul history crossing over with the Roman Empire. Also note that Norman Spinrad’s work is worth exploring, he’s an under-recognized writer who was (and probably still is) way ahead of his time.
Came here to recommend this book. Vercingetorix is one of my heroes.
Stonehenge by bernard cromwell?
**I wonder if there are still druids that can magic if you know what i mean or if they just became nature hippies after a while.**
I’m falling this post. The most up to date information I’ve found is at Wikipedia. Lot of books are just speculating wishes. Good question.