Server Costs Fundraiser 2024
Help our mission to provide free history education to the world! Please donate and contribute to covering our server costs in 2024. With your support, millions of people learn about history entirely for free every month.
$3926 / $18000
Video
by History Answers
published on 25 February 2016
Who were those figures who stood around Stonehenge in bedsheets? Lets find out by debunking 5 myths about the enigmatic Druids.
For more historical facts and features, visit
http://www.historyanswers.co.uk/
Or purchase the latest issue of the magazine from the Imagine Shop
https://www.imagineshop.co.uk/magazin...
You can also find us on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllAboutHistory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AboutHistoryMag
————————————————————————————————————————————
1. All druids were male
Not only did druids worship female gods, but there were also many female druids. Because druids were regarded highly in society, female druids benefited too. Unusually for the period, they were considered virtually equal to their male counterparts, they could take part in wars and they even had the power to divorce their husbands, which was very unusual for the time.
2. They committed human sacrifice?
This is one of the most debated topics concerning the druids. Several existing sources report that the druids ritually sacrificed humans, but these were written by people like Julius Caesar, who had reason to paint the Celts in a barbaric way. There is no concrete evidence that the druids engaged in human sacrifice, and if they did it is likely it was not commonplace.
3. They were just religious leaders
Although connecting the people to the gods was an important part of a druid’s role, they also filled a lot of other positions. They were teachers, scientists and philosophers. Druids held a great amount of influence in the Celtic world and had the power to banish people from society.
4. They all wore white robes
There has not been one single discovery that can be undoubtedly linked to the druids, so we have no concrete proof for what they wore. The idea that they all wore white robes is based on a mistranslation, and in accordance to the laws at the time; druids could wear up to six colours. There is also no evidence that these clothes were ‘robes’ at all.
5. They were monotheistic
This myth likely emerged due to the practices of some modern-day druids who have merged druidism with their own Christian beliefs. Historical druids worshipped a large number of gods and goddesses for different purposes, like the goddess of summer and god of the sea, rather like the Ancient Roman and Greek religions. Caesar, they were just like you man!
License & Copyright
Original video by History Answers. Embedded by Jan van der Crabben, published on 25 February 2016. Please check the original source(s) for copyright information. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
The video and its description text are provided by Youtube. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes.
Cite This Work
APA Style
Answers, H. (2016, February 25). 5 Myths Busted - The Druids.
World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/764/5-myths-busted---the-druids/
Chicago Style
Answers, History. "5 Myths Busted - The Druids."
World History Encyclopedia. Last modified February 25, 2016.
https://www.worldhistory.org/video/764/5-myths-busted---the-druids/.
MLA Style
Answers, History. "5 Myths Busted - The Druids."
World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 25 Feb 2016. Web. 27 Jul 2024.
