Druidry Myths Dispelled

Like with most religions, particularly Pagan religions, there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about the history of Druidry and its practices and traditions, both past and present. On this page we will attempt to clarify some of those misconceptions and misunderstandings as well as provide other critical information about the tradition.

Some historical information about the Druids is spotty and even unknown, or we have to rely on theories from historians as the Druids did not leave us a written record. As always, this page and the information contained within it may evolve over time as more discoveries are made about our historical counterparts, and be sure to read with your pinch of salt as we have. We simply present what we have compiled to the best of our knowledge. Please form your own opinions based on a number of sources from a variety of places. Please see our books page for a list of books on Druidry you may find interesting.

MYTH:
The Druids built Stonehenge.
THE FACTS:
Stonehenge was built by a prehistoric group of Britons who predate the Celts and the Druids. There is believed to have been a wooden formation on the location prior to the stones. While the possibility exists that the Druids may have used Stonehenge, they certainly did not build it, and most likely prefered to use groves and other more forested and natural locations for worship.

MYTH:
The Druids did not sacrifice animals or people.
THE FACTS:
Its pretty safe to say that the Druids did sacrifice animals and people. Discoveries of the 'bog bodies' and the site at Gournay-sur-Aronde and such suggest ritual sacrifice, and while Druids of old were a part of a religious system that is appealing to many of us in many ways, they were still products of their time and society.

MYTH:
Druidry is a type of Wicca or Witchcraft.
THE FACTS:
Druidry falls under the religious umbrella term "Paganism", as do both Wicca and Witchcraft, along with a large number of other polytheistic faiths. However, Druidry is completely independant of Wicca and Witchcraft. It is referring to the polytheistic religion that is known to have been prominent in Celtic Britain and Gaulish Europe, and which has become popular again with the current 'Neo-Pagan Revolution'. Wicca was created some 50 or so years ago (in 1950) by a man named Gerald Gardiner. Traditional Witchcraft is older than Wicca, but shares some similarities. There are many fundamental differences in key areas of belief between Druidry and Wicca and Witchcraft. Druids obviously do not follow the Wiccan Rede. Druids do not cast circles. Druids do not cast spells. Druids following a more reconstructionist path often tend to focus more on the four main holidays (Beltaine, Lunasadh, Samhain, Imbolc) rather than the solstices and equinoxes.

MYTH:
Only men could (or can) be Druids.
THE FACTS:
This is a mistruth propogated mainly by a bunch of old men whose idea of the Druids basically revolved around the Victorian 'fairy tale' picture. Many of these men were members of male-exclusive clubs like the Masons, and many pushed this a step further, saying you hat to be a blonde white guy...preferably with blue eyes. The most notorious of these in Druid circles today is a guy named Douglas Monroe (don't even bother reading his books). In Celtic Britain and Gaul, there are suggestions that females were a part of the Druidic heirarchy, and females held a relatively decent status in society in general - they were able to own land and property in some instances, and even divorce on some occasions. Their rights are fully detailed in the Irish law tracts. Obviously as a result in modern day females can be Druids too.

MYTH:
Druids wore white robes and carried golden sicles.
THE FACTS:
Its highly unlikely that druids wore gleaming white robes. Some sort of ritual robe of undyed cloth? Maybe. But certainly nothing like what we are used to seeing used in some groups today and in the media. The golden sicle thing seems silly to me. Gold is a terribly soft metal.

MYTH:
You can become a Druid in a really short period of time, by taking "course X", writing their book report, and paying their fee.
THE FACTS:
While this is more a matter of personal opinion, it is generally believed that the path of a Druid is one of life-long knowledge and learning and that one cannot simply become a Druid because you pay a fee to some organisation and write a book report. It was often thought it took somewhere around 30 years to become a Druid in Celtic Britain and Gaul. This time included basic education like is recieved by most people in first world countries today, and so it is generally thought these days about 15 years of dedicated study is adequate for one to establish ones self in the Druid discipline of the three Druidic disciplines (Bard, Ovate, Druid).

MYTH:
One must progress through the Druidic disciplines linearly (from Bard to Ovate, from Ovate to Druid).
THE FACTS:
The disciplines are streams of study, and contrary to popular belief, you don't HAVE to do one and then some special test before moving on to the other. For example, if you have an interest in the Bardic arts (poetry and music) you may never really go beyond being a Bardic Druid, because that is what you are good at. If you find yourself having or being good at interpreting visions, and being interested in the healing and herbal arts, you may choose to study the Ovate path of Druidry, etc. It is obviously beneficial to have knowledge or training in all areas, but focusing down into a stream where your talents get put to a good use and where you are happy is important.

MYTH:
Druids cast spells (particularly things like you find in a Dungeons & Dragons handbook).
THE FACTS:
Druids are not Wiccans or Witches and thus do not cast spells, and many of us do not believe in magic(k) in that sort of sense, rather in something more subtle and ingrained in all things. Druids certainly do not cast spells like shooting fireballs from their hands, or lightning bolts from their fingers, or such things. Many of us have received e-mails from people asking us to tell them how to cast such spells for ludicrous reasons of sorts - It just isn't going to happen. Keep rolling that d20.

MYTH:
The Druids used Ogham as their 'secret language' to write stuff down.
THE FACTS:
Ogham, a runic language of sorts named for the god Ogma, was mainly used to mark gravestones, crossroad standing stones and the like. It was an impractical language for writing anything more than a few words or phrases, and thus was not used to write documents. Also, the Druids were of an oral tradition. Each letter or rune in Ogham had a correspondence to a type of tree. These days it is often used for divinitory purposes in the form of 'ogham sticks' that work similarly to futhark runes.