EP: 202 Festival of the Dead with Luke Eastwood
Blurry Creatures
The decline and resurgence of the druids in Ireland
In ancient times, only the high king's druid could speak before him due to their high status. They underwent a complex learning process, studying laws, genealogy, and poems. However, with the arrival of St. Patrick in the 400s, paganism slowly declined over the course of 400 years. Pagan graves continued to exist, indicating the persistence of some pagans. As the Christian church gained power, druids gradually disappeared, leaving their knowledge in historical records. In the 1700s, there was a renewed interest in druids in Britain, led by figures like John Toland. This modern druid movement, despite its romanticized image, differed greatly from the original druids, as its members didn't speak Welsh or Irish. Translations of ancient texts shed light on the true nature of druids.
