Subject: druid.html
THE SOLITARY PRACTITIONER'S BASIC DRUIDISM FAQ
version 2
April 1995
compiled by CATHBAD
bmyers@uoguelph.ca
Thanks be to Raven and Jaguar.
This document is distributed on the net as a public service. It may be
copied at will, provided the authorship, version, and date remains
intact.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Why Druidism in the 20th Century?
Who were the Druids?
What are the Celtic Nations?
What are the sources by which we can know the Druids?
What do modern Druids believe?
Did the Druids practice human sacrifice?
Why haven't you called them "priests" yet?
What are the Druidic holy days?
What did the ancient Druids believe?
What Gods did the Druids worship?
Was Stonehenge a Druidic temple?
What about Glastonbury?
Are there any other Druidic sites?
Was Merlin a Druid?
What modern Druid organisations exist?
Internet Contacts
Reading List
INTRODUCTION
I am a solitary practicing Druid, or Celtic Pagan, or what-have-you;
labelling myself I thought to be unnecissary. I don't belong to an
order or coven, not because I feel these groups do not have merit, but
because they do not always agree, and because at the moment I prefer
solitary practice. I have Celtic ancestors. I like learning about the
ancient Celts, specifically their beliefs and practices, and I have a
desire to emulate them in a manner valid for myself and for this
century.
If you agree with one or more of these statements, you are probably
drawn to Druidism, and this FAQ is for you.
WHY DRUIDISM IN THE 20TH CENTURY?
Why not? :) Actually, there are a number of good reasons for modern
people to consider Druidism. Some see it as a way to reconnect, or
"ground" themselves in history, or to improve their relationship with
their ancestors (if they are of Celtic descent). Some are attracted by
the relationship with the natural world that a Druid cultivates, or by
the artistic, creative methods used to build that relationship.
There are those who choose Druidism over other forms of neopaganism.
Perhaps a reason for that is because Druidism is not only a branch of
neopaganism, but also the subject of academic study. Druidism is often
of interest to archaeologists, historians, and mythographers who don't
necissarily consider themselves Druids, or even remotely pagan. Thus,
there is a wealth of serious academic material available concerning
the Druids, and many discover Druidism through it.
Finally, there are those who choose Druidism over more conventional
religions that are more accepted and widespread, such as Christianity.
Christianity belongs to a middle-eastern language, culture, and
mythology-set; Druidism belongs to the Indo-European set from which we
in the West inherit virtually all our other cultural practices,
including our languages. An exploration of Druidism is for many people
a resurgence in Western Europe's indigenous spirituality. Many seek
Asatru to revive Northern Europe's spirituality for much of the same
reason. If mainstream religions cannot provide answers to those
"deep", spiritual, and philosophical questions, Druidism or another
form of neopaganism is often the only answer.
WHO WERE THE DRUIDS?
I suppose the main thing that can be said about the Druids is that
they were members of a professional class in their culture, the Celtic
Nations of Western Europe and the British Isles. They filled the roles
of judge, doctor, diviner, mage, mystic, and advisor to royalty.
Though through history we have lost much, if not most, information
about them, though this will be discussed later.
WHAT ARE THE CELTIC NATIONS?
Alba (Scotland), Breizh (Brittany), Cymru (Wales), Eire (Ireland),
Kernow (Cornwall), and Mannin (Man).
WHAT ARE THE SOURCES BY WHICH WE CAN KNOW THE DRUIDS?
The main sources we have on what they did are Roman historians, who
wrote on them as they were in the process of conquering Gaul (what is
nowFrance; a variant of gaelic is still spoken in Brittany) so there
is that political problem, and they equated Celtic deities with Roman
ones as well. The main authors are Julius Caesar, Pliny, and Taciturn.
But in my point of view, the best sources are the mythologies. There
we can read of what the Druids did, how they behaved, what some of
them said, and though the medieval manuscripts that preserved them
were written by Christian monks, much wisdom yet remains there. In
Ireland the chief myth cycles are the Ulster Cycle, the Fionn Cycle,
and the Invasion Races. In Wales, the major myths are contained in a
book called The Mabinogion. In this century, a number of folklore
collections were made of remaining oral-tradition stories, the best of
which are W.B.Yeats' "Mythologies" and Lady Gregory's "Gods and
Fighting Men".
If you were to expand your search to include historical and
archeological records, you might have more luck, and may arouse less
suspicion if your area is not very pagan friendly. In fact what you
will be doing is precisely what the Druids did, for they had to study
so many academic, legal, and spiritual subjects they became walking
encyclopaedias.
The problem is that the Druids were the subject of a number of
persecutions and conquests, not only by the Romans, but also by later
Christians. Some Druidic wisdom was censored, evolved into something
unrecognisable, or just plain lost. A modern person seeking the
Druid's path must attempt to reconstruct the wisdom based on the
sources discussed above. The Romans never invaded Ireland, so that
country became a haven for Druidic learning for a while. After St.
Patrick and St. Columcille, Ireland evolved an unique and beautiful
blend of Christianity and Druidism, headquartered on the Isle of Iona,
which was later to be eradicated by the invading English. Catholicism
eventually became a point of national identity in Ireland (and without
it they may never have become independant).
WHAT DO MODERN DRUIDS BELIEVE?
I don't know. There are so many different ways to be a Druid
nowdays....:) Actually, the reason for this is because of the problem
in reconstructing any ancient religion: there are so many ways to
interpret the record.
Since their beliefs included concepts like balance of forces in
nature, reincarnation, and the interaction of this world with the
Otherworld, it is safe to say that the ancient Druids would stand for
environmentalism, justice, spiritualism, etc. if they were alive
today. The Druids fostered artistic (particularly poetic) innovation,
and were excellent astronomers. Thus, many modern Druids are also
scientists and/or artists. Druidism provides a methodology to allow
one's artistic capability and scientific interest to become part of
one's spirituality.
DID THE DRUIDS PRACTICE HUMAN SACRIFICE?
The Romans recorded that they sacrificed humans, specifically
condemned criminals. They wrote that such victims were tied into huge
wicker man-shaped effigies and burned alive. The archeological record
does reveal a number of sacrificial deaths, such as "triple-deaths"
where the victim was drowned, stoned, and impaled on a spear
simultaneously. Some mythologies describe one person's life being
sacrificed so that a terminally ill VIP would survive, thus indicating
a belief in a cosmic balance of forces.
However, there is some debate over this; it may have been anti-Druid
propaganda. Julius Caesar had good reason to make the Druids look bad,
because, after all, he was trying to conquer them. It would fuel
interest in his campaign back home if he could prove that the Celts
engaged in such barbaric practices. On the other hand, the Romans
would kill people in gladitorial games, for the entertainment of the
people. The Druids, if they did sacrifice people, could claim
religious sanction.
Rest assured that modern Druids do not sacrifice humans.
WHY HAVEN'T YOU CALLED THEM "PRIESTS" YET?
The best word for them would seem to be "priests", yet I am reluctant
to use it for two reasons" The Romans never used it, and because
Druids didn't preach to congregations as priests do. Rather, they had
a clientele, like a mystic or a shaman would have. Caesar and his
historians never referred to them as priests, but perhaps they could
not recognise them as such; the Roman priesthood, officiating over an
essentially political religion, were primarily teachers and judges,
with less emphasis on being seers or diviners.
WHAT ARE THE DRUIDIC HOLY DAYS?
There was a series of fire-festivals, occurring at 12-week intervals,
and spaced between the seasonal festivals of solstices and equinoxi
(thus, a festival every six weeks.) These fire-festivals would last
three days, beginning at sunset on the first day, and would be the
best time for sacrifices and divinations. They are:
* Samhain (Nov. 1) Feast of the Dead, and beginning of the new year.
Death came before Life in the Druidic cycle, because before new
growth can occur, there must be room for it. On this day the
boundry between this world and the Otherworld is thinnest, and so
it is a time to remember all those who died during the year.
* Imbolc (Feb 1) The Return of Light. The ewes begin lactating
around this time of year, and it is a sign that winter is coming
to an end. Perhaps divinations were cast to determine when spring
would come (from this practice we get Groundhog Day.)
* Beltaine (May 1) The Fires of Bel. Spring has arrived, and the
people give thanks. This was a day of fertility and life, often
the choice day for marriages.
* Lughnasad (Aug 1) The Feast of Lugh. The essential harvest
festival, to give thanks to the Earth for Her bounty. The name is
a reference to the Irish god Lugh of the Long Hand, son of the
Sun.
I have heard that Australians who practice these festivals do it in
reverse order, because these dates are for northern-hemisphere
seasons. It would make sense for them to celebrate Beltaine on Nov.1,
for example.
In Wales, there was an annual festival called the Eisteddfod, which
was a bardic musical and poetry competition. It still exists,
alternating between North and South Wales.
Great bonfires were built on hilltops and kept burning throughout the
whole of the fire festivals. By day, there would be carnival-like
celebrations, and by night, serious rituals. Cattle were driven
between bonfires to purify them, and couples would run and leap over
the flames, often completely naked, also for purification (and it was
fun!) Some sites were centers for the "perpetual chant", where Druids
in rotation would chant incantations without stop; during festivals
the entire community would join the chant.
WHAT DID THE ANCIENT DRUIDS BELIEVE?
The poetic tradition in Druidism comes from the method the Celts used
to trace their lineage and history. Written records were distrusted
for the most part, and though a runic writing system called Ogham did
exist, it wasn't used for much beyond burial markers and landmarks.
Druids in training had to learn all the Bardic poetry, in a manner we
would call sensory deprivation. Poetic inspiration was an important
spiritual practice, which the Welsh have focused on in their
eisteddfod. In Irish myth there was a deity of poetry (Brigid).
Oak was the most important symbol in druidic lore, as it is strong,
tall, and very long-lived. Mistletoe was said to have healing
qualities. Other important trees were the Yew, for its offspring grew
from the dead stump of its parent, representing
perpetually-regenerating life. The Ogham alphabet was a list of
tree-names. Trees are important because they are bridges between the
realms of Land and Sky, they communicate Water between these realms.
When the Realms of Land, Sea and Sky meet, as within a tree or at a
seashore for example, great power could manifest, and such places were
best for poetic composition or spellcasting. Stones could channel,
store, and direct earth-energy, and thus were used for markers, set in
circles, and libations were poured over them in sacrifice.
Fire-worship is strong as well, but doesn't fit the Greek four-element
picture. Fire is a thing unto itself, with the dual qualties of
destructiveness and cleansing power. It is a spiritual principle,
because it is always reaching up to the sky. This may be why they
built those hilltop fires. Poetic inspiration is said to be a fire in
the head, so Brigid is a fire-deity as well.
WHAT GODS DID THE DRUIDS WORSHIP?
This depends on the nation you look at. Ireland had different gods
than Wales, who had further different gods than Gaul. Here is a brief,
by no means authoritative, list of deities.
In Ireland:
* the Tuatha de Danann (Tribe of the Goddess Danu) was the name of
the pantheon, for the Sidhe (faeries) were descended from Her.
Some names you may recognise:
* Lugh, the Long Handed, Son of the Sun.
* Dagda the Good (good not by his moral disposition but by the
diversity of his skills)
* Morrigu, Babd, and Macha (a triple goddess of War.)
* Brigid (a triple goddess of Fire, Poetry, and the Forge)
* Diancecht, god of healing
* Manannan mac Lir, god of the sea and master of magic
In Wales:
Welsh mythology tends to focus on the actions of heroes, and their
interaction with gods.
* Arawn, lord of the Annwyn (the underworld)
* Math ap Mathonwy, the quintessential wizard
* Pwyll, lord of Davyd
* Rhiannon, wife of Pwyll.
* Lyr, god of the sea
* Manawyddan
In Gaul:
Gaulish deities are the focus of Caesar's records. He drew analogies
between his own Roman gods and those he discovered in Gaul.
* Herne the Hunter
* Taranus, Teutates
* Esus, Hu'Hesu, the Dying God
* Cernunnos, Master of the Wild Hunt, or the Animal Lord/Green Man
* Epona, The Horse Goddess
Not all modern Druids worship the gods by name. There is some evidence
that the Druids of old believed in a kind of universal Life Force,
flowing from a central place (such as the Irish Well of Wisdom or the
Welsh Spiral of Annwyn), to and from all living things. Perhaps the
best modern description is Obi-Wan's description of the "Force", from
the famous Star Wars films. :)
WAS STONEHENGE A DRUIDIC TEMPLE?
Perhaps. The question of who build Stonehenge is one of academic
debate. The theory that most people find acceptable is that since
carbon-14 dating places the construction of Stonehenge before the rise
of Druidism, they did not build it, however that does not rule out the
probability that they knew how to use it. The solar and stellar
alignments Stonehenge embodies would not have been lost on an
intelligensia so well versed in astronomy.
WHAT ABOUT GLASTONBURY?
Some folkloric traditions and mythographic examinations suggest that
Glastonbury Tor is the mythic Isle of Avalon. If, for example, the
nearby river Boyne were to flood, the Tor would be an island. A
certain thorn tree is said to be the descendant of the staff of Joseph
of Arimathea, which was changed into a thorn tree when he set it there
(the Thorn is sacred to faeries!), when he brough the Grail to
Britain. Avalon means "Isle of Apples", and apple orchards do grow
there. Some archaeologists believe that, if one accounts for centuries
of erosion, the sides of the Tor are terraced into the shape of a
Cretan Maze pattern. Whether or not the region is Druidic, anyone who
has meditated by the nearby Chalice Well knows it is a holy place.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER DRUIDIC SITES?
There are hundreds of stone circles dotting Britain and Ireland. The
Hebrides of Scotland are famous for them. In Ireland, there are many
sacred wells dedicated to St. Bridget, am obvious borrowing from the
earlier goddess Brigid. There is Newgrange, a temple/tomb/center for
initiation rites in Ireland, thousands of years older than the
Pyramids, which is constructed to allow sunlight into the inner
chamber on Midsummer sunrise only.
WAS MERLIN A DRUID?
Yes, he was, and one of the last in Britain before the wisdom was
lost. The Arthurian legends are unique because they embody the
delicate transition period between Druidism and Christianity.
Christianity was well entrenched as the religion of the nobility, yet
Druidism remained in the form of folk-practices. Misty islands and
otherworldly hunting expeditions, which comprise much of Arthurian
legend, clearly originate from the older Celtic mythologies where such
encounters are signs of the presence of the Otherworld. And perhaps
all those "wise hermits", that the Knights are always running into,
are Druids in hiding.
WHAT MODERN DRUIDIC ORGANISATIONS EXIST?
In the U.K., there is the Order of Bards, Oviates, and Druids. OBOD
was founded in 1717, and has a correspondance course available
worldwide. Write to:
OBOD
PO box 1333
Lewes, E. Sussex, England
BN7 3ZG
In the U.S.A., there is Ar nDraiocht Fein, meaning roughly "Our Own
Druidism". ADF is the fastest growing Druid organisation in the world.
Write to:
ADF
PO box 516
E. Syracuse, NY 13057-0516
INTERNET CONTACTS:
ADF: kithoward@delphi.com
OBOD: oaktreepress@e-world.com
Nemeton-L (a mailing list): majordomo@pentagon.io.com
Other copies of this FAQ: bmyers@uoguelph.ca
READING LIST
Attribution note: I got this list from BranwenHF@aol.com on
Nemeton-L. I've left the authorship notes within it as intact as
possible.
from Lone Star / Val LS : [reformatted by Raven]
Celtic reading list I pulled from PODSnet Wicca a couple of years ago:
By: Rowan Moonstone UPDATED 6 JULY 1991
*** Marks especially good books. Read these FIRST!! Keep in mind, this
is simply a listing of the books that I have found useful. Question
everything.
* A.E.(GEORGE RUSSELL); "The Candle of Vision", Quest Books,
Theosophical Pub. 1975
* ALFORD, VIOLET; "The Hobbyhorse & Other Animal Masks", Merlin
Press 1978
* AMERICAN CONFERENCE FOR IRISH STUDIES; "Guide to Irish Studies in
the U.S.A." 1987
* *** ANWYL, EDWARD; "Celtic Religion in Pre-christian Times",
Archibald Constable & Co. 1906
* ARTOS, ALLEN; "Arthur, The King of Light", Lorien House 1986
* ASHE, GEOFFREY; "The Ancient Wisdom", London 1977
* BAIN, GEORGE; "Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction", Dover
Pub. 1973
* BARBER, CHRIS; "Mysterious Wales", Paladin Press 1983
* BOASE, WENDY; "Folklore of Hampshire & the Isle of Wight", Rowman
& Littlefield 1976
* BONWICK, JAMES; "Irish Druids and Old Irish Religion", Arno Press
1976
* *** BORD, JANET & COLIN; "The Secret Country", Grenada 1978 ***
* *** BORD, JANET & COLIN; "Mysterious Britain", Grenada 1974 ***
* *** BORD, JANET & COLIN; "Earth Rites", Grenada 1983 ***
* *** BORD, JANET & COLIN; "Sacred Waters", Paladin Books 1986 ***
* BREFFNY, BRIAN DE, ed.; "Ireland, A Cultural Encyclopaedia",
Thames & Hudson 1983
* BREFFNY, BRIAN DE; " The Irish World", Thames & Hudson 1986
* BRIGGS, KATHERINE; "Abbey Lubbers, Banshees, & Boggarts", Pantheon
1979
* BRIGGS, KATHERINE; "Nine Lives; Cats in Folklore" Rudledge & Kegen
Paul 1980
* BROWN, PETER, ed. & selected by; "Book of Kells", Alfred A. Knopf
1980
* CAMPBELL, J.F. & GEORGE HENDERSON; "The Celtic Dragon Myth"
Newcastle Pub. 1981
* CARMICHAEL, ALEXANDER; "Celtic Invocations", Vineyard 1972
* CASTLEDEN, RODNEY; "The Wilmington Giant", Turnstone 1983
* CHADWICK, NORA; "The Celts", Pelician 1970
* CHANT,JOY; "The High Kings", Bantam 1983
* CHMELOVA, ELENA; "Celtic Tales", Exeter Books 1982
* CLARE, T.; "Archelogical Sites of Devon & Cornwall", Moorland Pub.
1982
* COGHLAN, RONAN; "Dictionary of Irish Myth and Legend", Donard
Press 1979
* COHANE, JOHN PHILLIP; "The Key", Crown Pub. 1969
* COLLUM, PADRAIG; "Treasury of Irish Folklore", Crown Pub. 1967
* COLLUM, PADRAIC; "Treasury of Irish Folklore", rev. ed. Killenny
Press 1967
* COLLUM, PADRAIC; "The King of Ireland's Son", McMillian & sons
1933
* CONWAY, D.J.; "Celtic Magic", Llewellyn Pub. 1990
* COOKE, GRACE & IVAN; "The Light in Britain", White Eagle Pub.
Trust 1983
* COSMAN, MADELEINE, PELNER; "Medieval Holidays and Festivals",
Charles Scribmer & Sons 1981
* CROSSLEY-HOLLAND, KEVIN, ed.; "Mabon of the Mabinogion", Thorsen
Pub. 1984
* *** CUNLIFFE, BARRY; "The Celtic World", McGraw Hill MCMLXXIX ***
* CURTAIN, JEREMIAH; "Myths and Folk Tales of Ireland", Dover Books
1975
* DAMES, MICHAEL; "The Avebury Cycle", Thames & Hudson 1977 ***
* *** DANAHER, KEVIN; "The Year in Ireland", (Leinster Leader, Ltd.
1972) Mercier Press 1972 ***
* DANIEL, GLYN & PAUL BAHN; "Ancient Places - The Prehistoric &
Celtic Sites of Britian", Constable 1987
* DAVIDSON, THOMAS; "Rowan Tree and Red Thread", Edinburgh 1949
* DAVIES, EDWARD; "The Mythology and Rites of the British Druids",
J. Booth 1809
* DELANEY, FRANK; "The Celts", Little Brown & Co. 1986
* DILLON, MYLES; "Early Irish Literature", U. of Chicago Press 1948
* DINNENN, REV. PATRICK S.; "Irish- English Dictionary", Irish
Textes Society 1927
* DUGGAN, COLM; "Treasures of Irish Folklore", Mercantile Marketing
Consultants, Ltd. 1983
* DYER, JAMES; "The Penguin Guide To Prehistoric England & Wales",
Penguin Books
* *** EVANS-WENTZ, W. Y.; "The Fairy Faith in Celtic
Countries",University Books 1966 ***
* FELL, BARRY; "America, B.C.", Wallaby Books 1976
* FITZPATRICK, JIM; "The Silver Arm", Paper Tiger Press 1981
* FITZPATRICK, JIM; "The Book of Conquests", E.P. Dutton 1978
* FLOWER, ROBIN; "The Irish Tradition", Clarendon Press 1947/1978
* FORDE, JOHNSTON J.; "Prehistoric Britian & Ireland", W.W. Norton &
Co. 1976
* FRAZIER, SIR JAMES GORDON; "The Golden Bough", (The Macmillan
Company, 1951) Avenel 1981
* FRENCH, J.M.F.; "Prehistoric Faith and Worship", London 1912
* FROUD, BRIAN & ALAN LEE; "Faeries", Harry M. Abrams 1978
* GANTZ, JEFFERY; "Early Irish Myths & Sagas", Penquin 1982
* GERALD OF WALES; "The History & Topography of Ireland", Penquin
1982
* GLASSIE, HENRY; "Irish Folk History", U. of Pennsylvannia Press
1982
* GREGORY, LADY AUGUSTA; "Visions and Beliefs in the West of
Ireland", Colin Smythe 1920/1979
* *** GREGORY, LADY AUGUSTA; "Gods and Fighting Men of the Celts",
John Murray 1913 ***
* GUARD, DAVID, "Dierdre: A Celtic Legend", Celestial Arts 1977
* HERM, GERHARD; "The Celts", St. Martin's Press 1975
* HIGGINS, GODFREY; "Celtic Druids", Philosohpical Research Society
1977
* HOPE, MURRY; "Practical Celtic Magic", Aquarian Press 1987
* IRISH TEXTES SOCIETY; "Poems of Egan O'Rahilly", Rev. P.S. Dinnenn
& T.O. Donough 1966
* IRISH TEXTES SOCIETY; "Duanaine Finn", Vol VII, part 1, ed. &
trans. Eoin MacNeil
* IRISH TEXTES SOCIETY; Keating, "History of Ireland, Vol 1-4,
1902/1987
* IRISH TEXTES SOCIETY; "Adventures of Suibhne Geilt", ed. & trans.
J.G. O'Keefe 1913
* IRISH TEXTES SOCIETY; "Poems on the Marcher Lords", ed. Anne
O'Sullivan & Padrain O'Riain 1987
* *** IRISH TEXTES SOCIETY; "Labor Gabala Erenn", parts 1-4, Trans.
R.A.S. MacAlister 1941
* JACKSON, KENNETH HURLSTONE; "A Celtic Miscellany", Penguin 1980
* JACKSON, KENNETH HURLESTONE; "The Oldest Irish Tradition; A Window
on the Iron Age", Cambridge 1964
* JACOBS, JOSEPH; "Celtic Fairy Tales", Dover 1963
* *** JONES, GWYN & THOMAS; "The Mabinogion", Dragon's Dream 1982
***
* *** JOYCE, P.W.; "Social History of Ancient Ireland", Vol 1 & 2
Benjamin Blum Pub. 1968 ***
* KERR, MILDRED L., HARNES, ELIZABETH & ROSS, FRANCES; "Giants &
Fairies", Charles E. Merrill Co. 1946
* *** KINSELLA, THOMAS; "The Tain", Oxford Univ. Press 1969 ***
* KNEIGHTLY, THOMAS; "The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and
Other Little People", Avenel Press 1978
* KNIGHT, GARETH; "The Secret Tradition in Arthurian Legend",
Aquarian Press 1983
* KRUTA, VENCESLAS & VERNER FORMAN; "The Celts of the West", Orbis
1985
* LEAMY, EDMUND; "Golden Spears", Desmond Fitzgerald 1911
* LEHMANN, RUTH P.M.; "Early Irish Verse", University of Texas Press
1982
* LOGAN, PATRICK; "The Old Gods", Apple Tree Press 1981
* LONSDALE, STEVEN; "Animals & the Origin of the Dance", Thames &
Hudson 1982
* LUCY, SEAN; "Love Poems of the Irish", Mercier Press 1977
* *** MACALISTER, R.A.S.; "Tara; A Pagan Sanctuary of Ancient
Ireland", Charles Schribner & Sons 1931 ***
* MACCANA, PROINSIAS; "Celtic Mythology", Hamlyn Pub. 1970
* MACCULLOCH, JOHN ARNOTT; "Religion of the Ancient Celts", Folcroft
Library, 1977rep.
* MACCULLOCH, JOHN ARNOTT; "The Mythology of all Races in Thirteen
volumes; Celtic, Volume III.", Cooper Square Pub. 1967
* MACLENNAN, MALCOLM; "A Promouncing & Emtylogical Dictionary of the
Gaelic Language", (Scots Gaelic) Aberdeen Univ. Press 1979
* MACMANUS, SEUMAS; "The Story of the Irish Race", Devin-Adair Co.
1981
* *** MACNEILL, MAIRE; "The Festival of Lughnasa", Oxford, 1962 ***
* MARKALE, JEAN; "Women of the Celts", Inner Traditions Int'l Ltd.
1986
* MARRIS, RUTH; "The Singing Swans & Other Irish Stories", Fontana
Lions 1978
* MARSH, HENRY; "Dark Age Britain", Dorset Press 1970
* MATTHEWS, CAITLIN; "The Elements of The Goddess", Element Books
1989
* MATTHEWS, CAITLIN; "The Elements of The Celtic Tradition", Element
Books 1989
* McNEIL, F. MARTIN; "The Silver Bough, Vol 1.: Scottish Folklore &
Beliefs", Cannon Gate Classic 1956/1989
* O'BRIEN, CHRISTIAN; "The Megalithic Odyssey", Turnstone 1983
* O'CONNOR, FRANK; "Short History of Irish Literature", Capricorn
Books 1967
* O'CONNOR, NORREYS; "Battles & Enchantments", Books for Libraries
Press 1922/1970
* O'DRISCOLL, ROBERT; "The Celtic Consciousness", George Braziller
1982
* O'SULLIVAN, DONALD; "Carolan: The Life & Times & Music of an Irish
Harper", Vol 1 & 2, Celtic Music 1983
* PEPPERS & WILCOCK; "A Guide to Magical & Mystical Sites - Europe &
the British Isles", Harper Colophon Books 1977
* POWELL, T.G.E.; "The Celts", Thames & Hudson 1980
* QUILLER, PETER & COURTNEY DAVIS; "Merlin, The Immortal", Spirit of
Celtia 1984
* *** REES, ALWEN & BRINLEY; "Celtic Heritage", Oxford 1971 ***
* RHYS, JOHN; "Celtic Folklore, Welsh & Manx, Vol.I"
* ROLLESTON, T.W.; "Myths & Legends - Celtic", Avenel Press 1985
* *** ROSS, ANNE; "Pagan Celtic Britian", Rudledge & Kegen Paul 1967
***
* *** ROSS, ANNE, & DON ROBBINS; "The Life & Death of A Druid
Prince", Summit 1989 ***
* RUTHERFORD, WARD; "Celtic Mythology", Aquarian Press 1987
* *** RUTHERFORD, WARD; "The Druids, Magicians of the West",
Aquarian Press 1978 ***
* SEYMOUR, ST. JOHN; "Irish Witchcraft and Demonology", 1913
* SHARKEY, JOHN; "Celtic Mysteries", Thames & Hudson 1975/1987
* *** SJOESTEDT, MARIE-LOUISE; "Gods and Heroes of the Celts",
Methven & Co. Ltd. 1949 ***
* SMITH, LESLEY M.; "The Dark Age: The Making of Britian", Schocker
Books 1984
* SPENCE, LEWIS; "The Minor Traditions of British Mythology", Rider
& Co. 1948
* SPENCE, LEWIS; "The Magic Arts in Celtic Britain", Anchor Press
* SPENCE, LEWIS; "British Fairy Origins", Aquarian Press 1946
* *** SQUIRE, CHARLES; "Celtic Myth & Legend, Poetry & Romance",
Newcastle 1975 ***
* STEWART, R.J.; "Book of Merlin", Blandford Press 1988
* STEWART, R.J., ed.; "Merlin & Woman", Blandford Press 1988
* STEWART, R.J.; "Mystic Life of Merlin", Arcana Press 1986
* STEWART, R.J.; "The Underworld Tradition", Aquarian Press 1985
* *** SUTHERLAND, ELISABETH; "Ravens & Black Rain", Corgi Books 1985
***
* THURNEYSON; "Old Irish Reader", Dublin Institut for Advanced
Studies 1968
* *** TOULSON, SHIRLEY; "The Winter Solstice", Jill Norman &
Hobhouse 1981 ***
* *** WHITE, CAROLYN; "A History of Irish Fairies", Mercier Press
1976 ***
* WHITLOCK, RALPH; "In Search of Lost Gods", Phaidon Press 1979
* WILDE, LADY; "Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, & Superstitions of
Ireland With Sketches of the Irish Past" Chatto & Windus 1925
* WILLIAMS, GWYNN A.; "Madoc, The Legend of the Welsh Discovery of
America", Oxford Univ. Press 1987
* *** WILLIAMSON, JOHN; "The Oak King, the Holly King & the
Unicorn", Harper & Row 1974 ***
* *** WOOD-MARTIN, W. G.; "Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland,
Vols 1 & 2", Kennicat Pub.1902/1970 ***
* YEATS, W.B.; "Fairy & Folktales of Ireland", Pan Books 1882 &
1882/1973
* YEATS, W.B. & LADY GREGORY; "Irish Myth, Legend, & Folklore",
Avenel Press 1986
* YOUNG, ELLA; "The Wondersmith and His Son", David McKay Co. 1927
You might start with the bibliography in the back of Pattalee's book.
Also check out Anwyn & Brinley Rees's "Celtic Heritage", Lewis
Spence's "Magick Arts in Celtic Britain" is also a good one as is his
"Minor Traditions of British Mythology." Happy Hunting.
-- Raven (JSingle@Music.Lib.MATC.Edu). [All standard disclaimers
apply]" Branwen Heartfire na Dalriada