The Druids: A History [Hardcover]

Pilgrim's review is incomprehensible to me. As someone who is familiar with all the source material, in the original languages, and the secondary literature, Hutton's book seems admirably scholarly and well-written to me. It is highly intelligent, elegant and enlightening.

As a druid I found this history a fascinating eye-opener. Hutton is not afraid to tear down sacred cows if their foundations are non-existent or weak.

The book is mainly a history of what people have written about druids, which is very interesting in itself.

As a Druid I think we should recognise the rich history of modern Druidry, as recounted in this book, and stop relying on minimal evidence from the past.

Ronald Hutton has published a string of fine works exposing fallacies we've held concerning ancient religions and mysticisms. This volume, the first of a pair on the Druids, is one of the most devastating to prejudiced thinking. At the outset, Hutton reminds us that what we know of the Druids was produced by their enemies. Julius Caesar, likely the most famous of those, declared them the leaders of Gaul's resistance to imperial Roman invasion. Through the years, archaeologists, historians and others have attempted to form a picture of who the Druids actually were. These efforts have produced notable failures, and Hutton has taken a different tack with this book. Instead, in a carefully researched and comprehensive study, he reviews how the Druids have fared at the hands of those wishing to use their myth to create new ones.

In this finely crafted study, the author subdivides the Druid myth into themes that have been used to characterise them over the past few centuries. There are the "Patriotic" and "Rebel" Druids, "Green" ones, while others are "Wise" or "Demonic". Each of these portrayals has been forwarded by scholars, poets, social commentators, and not a few charlatans. "Patriotic" Druids have been adopted by various writers to convey the notion that Druid rebellion against the Romans was a model for others rejecting imperial incursion, in Britain, notably against attempts by the Roman Church to overwhelm Anglican Protestantism. "Rebel" Druids, Hutton considers a modern phenomenon, a form of 20th Century counter-culture - "hippies with a cause". The extensive chapter on the "Wise" Druids, on the other hand, covers a range of views. Druids as teachers, religious leaders and intense observers of Nature granted their image great influence. According to a given writer's agenda, however, this might be seen as either positive or negative. The collection and imparting of knowledge can either contribute to a society, or rend it through challenges to accepted dogmas. Druids who claimed to understand the cosmos better than Christian priests would be viewed as "heathen".

Over the course of the 18th and 19th Centuries in the British Isles, interest in the Druids waned, then waxed. As the threat of domination by the Roman Church evaporated, Druids as leaders of guerilla forces protecting British society faded. As the British Empire began its expansion, however, segments of the United Kingdom found the Druids an inspiration for giving their heritage a sounder foundation. Wales, in particular, used the Druids as the basis for its bardic tradition. One "researcher" went so far as to fabricate an extensive collection of Welsh poetry, a massive invention that went undetected for many years. The Welsh weren't alone in inventing roles for the Druids - the Scots, Germans, Irish and, of course, the British all exhibited high levels of creative skill in using the Druids for their own ends.

Because Hutton intends this book for the general reader, to be followed by a second, more scholarly volume, the present work is almost conversationally written. Each chapter opens with a summary paragraph describing the theme it will address. There are sets of drawings and photographs enhancing the text. These include those by, and of, William Stukeley, one of the leading early figures of British Druidry. Stonehenge figures largely in the narrative, as it was long thought a Druid construction. In modern times, reality notwithstanding, Stonehenge has become the focal point for a Druidic resurgence. Ceremonies, even weddings are held in the area by those thinking they are following Druid rituals. He concludes this work with mild speculation about where Druidry might tend in the future. Although the book is clearly intended for those interested in history, it's excellent presentation and worldly viewpoint make it a fine read. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]