22nd December 2008, 03:04 PM
The requests for 'repatriation' in this case certainly seem to be designed to lend legitimacy to a an organisation, or group of organisations, whose belief systems are largely cobbled together from folklore and Edwardian views of the noble 'Celtic' savage.
What little we know of the druids come from Caesar's writings in 'The Conquest of Gaul', where he is assisted (or aided and abetted if you like) by Diviciacus, a man Caesar describes as a nobleman and a (pro-Roman) druid. There are a handful of other mentions by classical writers, but other than the reference to cutting certain plants with bronze sickles or supposedly recommending 'Druid's eggs' to help you in tricky court cases, there is nothing to go on whatsoever (other than, of course, St.Patrick's writings, and those in the Irish (Celtic) literature, which basically have them down as Lex Luthor style supervillains). About British Druids we know absolutely nothing. Anglesey springs to mind, but if we look at the text written by Tacitus;
"[Suetonius Paulinus] prepared accordingly to attack the island of Mona, which had a considerable population of its own, while serving as a haven for refugees; and, in view of the shallow and variable channel, constructed a flotilla of boats with flat bottoms. By this method the infantry crossed; the cavalry, who followed, did so by fording or, in deeper water, by swimming at the side of their horses." "xxx "On the beach stood the adverse array¹, a serried mass of arms and men, with women flitting between the ranks. In the style of Furies, in robes of deathly black and with dishevelled hair, they brandished their torches; while a circle of Druids, lifting their hands to heaven and showering imprecations, struck the troops with such an awe at the extraordinary spectacle that, as though their limbs were paralysed, they exposed their bodies to wounds without an attempt at movement."
We can see that although a circle od Druids were present, there is nothing to indicate that they were the focus of his Welsh campaign;
"Thus encouraged, he made an attempt on the island of Mona, as a place from which the rebels drew reinforcement" () full text here - Agricola section - http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/tac/inde...ection_003
On close inspection, there is also no indication that the black-clad women were Druids either.
There is also a groundless division to be addressed - that you have to be either Christian or Pagan - many people subscribe to neither and would be horrified at the thought of being adopted, post mortem, by either organisation.
I personally have strong feelings about re-burial - I think the whole matter should be treated with more sensitivity - but the demands and credentials of the Druids are adding an air of pantomime such a serious subject could well do without.
What little we know of the druids come from Caesar's writings in 'The Conquest of Gaul', where he is assisted (or aided and abetted if you like) by Diviciacus, a man Caesar describes as a nobleman and a (pro-Roman) druid. There are a handful of other mentions by classical writers, but other than the reference to cutting certain plants with bronze sickles or supposedly recommending 'Druid's eggs' to help you in tricky court cases, there is nothing to go on whatsoever (other than, of course, St.Patrick's writings, and those in the Irish (Celtic) literature, which basically have them down as Lex Luthor style supervillains). About British Druids we know absolutely nothing. Anglesey springs to mind, but if we look at the text written by Tacitus;
"[Suetonius Paulinus] prepared accordingly to attack the island of Mona, which had a considerable population of its own, while serving as a haven for refugees; and, in view of the shallow and variable channel, constructed a flotilla of boats with flat bottoms. By this method the infantry crossed; the cavalry, who followed, did so by fording or, in deeper water, by swimming at the side of their horses." "xxx "On the beach stood the adverse array¹, a serried mass of arms and men, with women flitting between the ranks. In the style of Furies, in robes of deathly black and with dishevelled hair, they brandished their torches; while a circle of Druids, lifting their hands to heaven and showering imprecations, struck the troops with such an awe at the extraordinary spectacle that, as though their limbs were paralysed, they exposed their bodies to wounds without an attempt at movement."
We can see that although a circle od Druids were present, there is nothing to indicate that they were the focus of his Welsh campaign;
"Thus encouraged, he made an attempt on the island of Mona, as a place from which the rebels drew reinforcement" () full text here - Agricola section - http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/tac/inde...ection_003
On close inspection, there is also no indication that the black-clad women were Druids either.
There is also a groundless division to be addressed - that you have to be either Christian or Pagan - many people subscribe to neither and would be horrified at the thought of being adopted, post mortem, by either organisation.
I personally have strong feelings about re-burial - I think the whole matter should be treated with more sensitivity - but the demands and credentials of the Druids are adding an air of pantomime such a serious subject could well do without.