# Druids

Euros Rowlands, the drummer of Gorky's dad is the Archdruid, or maybe an Archdruid of/ in Wales. (Druidism is an ancient Celtic religion). I went into Swindon and spent an afternoon in the reference library in an attempt to find stuff out about them- namely their origins, role and organisation but I was not very successful. So this is a very potted history of the Druids, or as much as I could work out, and I had to wade through lots of ye olde English doomsday style books. And all knowledge on them in the entire world is based upon the writings of Caesar, Pliny and Irish literature, so in an afternoon I didn't really stand much chance.
ORIGINS:
source of debate in relevant circles, but they have been around since Greek and Roman times and a guy called Sotion wrote about them in 200 BC. Also arguments as to where Druidism sprang from- either Gaul or Britain (but they definitely did inhabit Wookey Hole for a while)
ORGAN ISATION:
I was least successful in trying to sort this one out (I had images in my head of my gcse RS diagram of the structure of the Catholic Church, but I couldn't find anything at all like that). All I basically know is that they are a closely organised priestly corporation and they wear white hooded robes and beards and carry sickles, sort of a grim reaper take on the Ku Klux Klan with additional facial hair.
PLACES OF IMPORTANCE:
Aveburv (which consists of a ring of stones and some grass for those of you who don't know) and
Stonehenae (likewise) which is their main temple (the word temple would seem to denote something paganistic to arrogant fuckwitted Christians who think churches are the only proper places of worship).
BELIEFS AND PRACTICES:
* redemption of one life by another, ie. human sacrifice
* magical spells
* shape shifting
* settling property succession, boundaries and controversies
* adjudging crime
* healing people and things
* invisibility
* control of the elements, raising storms
* producing of fertility
* inducing sleep, illness or death
* into Runes
* greatly powerful in religion and politics (helped with choice of monarchs in Ireland)
* opposed the Christian mission
* cannibalism
IMPORTANT SYMBOLS
* the pig (the bard Myrddin started his address to a disciple with the words 'listen little piggy')
* the oak tree
* mistletoe
The reality of Druid life now a days is probably almost entirely removed from all of this as I can't really see them getting away with cannibalism or sacrificing people. Obviously their role in today's society is what I had wanted to find out but none of the books I read were very recent so I'm sorry I can't tell you exactly, or even remotely, anything that Mr. Rowlands senior does. However the wizardry, spells, magic and ideas of invisibility possibly explain where Gorky's got their penchant for dressing up, as well as possibly some of their stranger lyrics.

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