There was a class I took while I was in my undergraduate year, which involved the history of the witch trials in Europe. I learned a lot about the mass hysteria that took over, from the time they thought the world was ending, to the questionable trials, to the innocent victims persecuted for their religious beliefs rather than performing actual witchcraft. When I went to a conference for extra credit explaining the relationship between paganism and Christianity, I came across the professor for the class who, apparently, was a Druid.

Druids have a rich history. They are often associated with religion, though they had other positions of authority in society, such as medical professionals, adjudicators, and lorekeepers. Many have said the druids were literate, but because they themselves weren’t allowed to keep writings, they’ve left no records. However, historians managed to find records of these druids through many writers, all of which contain both fact and speculation.

According to Julius Caesar, druids were exempted from societal burdens like paying taxes, and had the power to perform many supernatural feats, causing them to be treated as social outcasts. Caesar also claimed that the druids practiced human scarifies, killing thieves, murderers, and other guilty persons. Strabo claimed that druids could stop a war if they wanted to. Pomponius Mela even assumed that the druids learned in forests and caves. According to Alexander Cornelius Polyhistor, the druids were known for their belief of reincarnation and immortality. Diodorus Siculus stated similar beliefs.

While these writers’ claims are questionable, it’s true druids have an important role in Celtic society. Many druids helped develop Irish folklore, assisting and aiding nobility with magical talents. They were often described as magicians who were able to bless their friends and family, or curse the people and land. When Christianity came to Ireland, they were reduced to little more than sorcerers. But with the rise of Romanticism, people became interested in the druids again. In fact, Les Martyrs, by Chateaubriand, introduced the druids to the general public, though he wrote mostly about Christianity triumphing over paganism. One of the leaders of Romanticism was Edward Williams, claimed to have knowledge on ancient druids. Humorously enough, contemporary scholars have dismissed his work.

Presently, technological advances in archaeology, as well as new techniques in literary criticism, have allowed many scholars to dissect the druids. Books such as The Druids, Pagan Celtic Britain, and The Life and Death of a Druid Prince contributed to modern scholarship as druids become more understood. However, many fiction authors have also gained an appreciation for druids, such as Kevin Hearne with The Iron Druid Chronicles and Jacquelyn Frank with Nightwalkers.

From the increasing interest in druids in the Neo-paganism movement, to growing acceptance of other old religions, many have begun to reclaim the druidic practices that were long forgotten. Many artists, authors, and scholars alike have taken inspiration from them. And while it may not exactly mirror druidic practice from ancient times, it’s clear that their culture was preserved enough so that we can still stay connected to the past while preparing for the intricacies of the present and future.