Customer Reviews

A Brief History of the Druids (The Brief History)

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I had tried unsuccessfully to read the Sister Fidelma murder mysteries by the author Peter Tremayne, but had a difficult time getting into the stories. It seemed too pedantic. Later, in doing a little research on the author for my Amazon review, I discovered that Peter Tremayne is the nom de plume of Peter Berresford Ellis, a Celtic scholar of some ability. Given my preference for expository prose anyway, I decided I might enjoy his more serious books in the field, so I bought A Brief History of The Druids for my library. As I suspected, I enjoyed this book much more than the mystery.

At the outset, let me say that The Druids is not a new age discussion of mystic powers, etc and anyone looking to "get in touch" with the ancient past will be profoundly disappointed. The book is a very carefully researched study of what the author has determined was a social class of Celtic society. These were the "philosophers, judges, educators, historians, doctors, seers, astronomers and astrologers; in fact,...the native intellectual class of Celtic society (p. 35)."

Ellis freely admits that very little of written documentation on the druids remains and much of what there is has come down to us from external sources not always favorable to the Celtic world, for one reason or another, or at best simply not "in the know" about it. He cites various primary sources from the Greek and Roman world: Hecateus and Herodotus, Poseidonios and Diordorus, Strabo and Laertius, Pliny the Elder and Julius Caesar among them. He also refers to various Irish, Welsh and Scottish mythologies regarding early leaders and ancient deities, various law codes still in existence into the Christian era, and rounds off his own conclusions regarding the nature of the druids, by quoting a number of secondary sources whose theories he discusses at some length. The works of Rhys, Wagner, and Chadwick as well as others are all given a pro and con inspection for the benefit of the reader.

For myself, I found my interest most engaged when the author kept to the historic or mythic data for the Celts and the Druids, but early history and mythology happens to be the area of my personal interest. When Ellis delved more into poetry and an examination of Celtic words and their meaning-something about which I have absolutely no knowledge-I tended to veg out. With little underlying knowledge of the material, I found the words just so much nonsense and his discussion tended to be meaningless to me. To someone with a Celtic family background or a knowledge of the language and culture of the time, these might be the passages that were the most interesting and informative.

One of the things the author discusses is the similarities between Hindu and early Celtic cultures, suggesting that the common factors between the two may reach back to their common Indo-European heritage. He also mentions an enclave of Celts living in Turkey and the degree to which Celtic traditions remained constant between this group and those with which Caesar was familiar. The author's discussion of the origin of the Celts at the head of the Danube reminded me of the book I'd read on the mummies of the Takla Makhan desert. Here another author suggested that an enclave of Celts may have settled as far east as China!

For those looking for TERM PAPERS in HISTORY, WORLD RELIGION, CLASSICS, ENGLISH LIT, etc. The Druids is an interesting book on a fascinating subject. It is well and thoroughly researched. The bibliography is lengthy and includes journal articles as well as books. For classical references, the author simply refers the reader to the Penquin Classics series. (I would tend to prefer the Loeb Classic series). Bibliographic material is dedicated almost entirely to modern secondary sources some of which are perhaps a little old and may be difficult for the interested reader to find unless he or she has access to a university library. Some of the sources are in French, a very few in German, but most are in English.

Few figures flit so elusively through history as do the druids. Enigmatic and puzzling, the paucity of knowledge about them has resulted in a wide spectrum of interpretations. Even today, the lack of information has allowed the rise of an extensive "druidic" movement, particularly in Great Britain. Scouring through a wealth of resources and applying many years' work in this attempt to clarify the image of the Druids. He applies solid resources, assessing them rigidly and uses well the evidence has come to light. He's keen to revoke commonly held views. Druids weren't a savage priesthood practicing human sacrifice or arcane mysteries. Instead, Ellis finds them the intellectual elite of the Celtic world.

In sweeping away false beliefs about the Celts and their Druid "priesthood", Ellis provides a fine overview of Celtic society. Instead of nomadic warriors, the Celts were generally pastoralists and farmers in a stable society. Displacements and opportunitistic alliances resulted in societal changes. From an egalitarian society in which leaders were democratically chosen, a hierarchical structure developed as a reaction to intrusions. Christianity, of course, sounded the knell of their open society by demanding an end to "pagan" beliefs. Once forced into this new role, the democratic society became patriarchal.

One major change he notes resulting from this change was the role of women. Unlike their Mediterranean counterparts, Greece and Rome, the Celts held women in high regard, even granting them leadership status in peace and war. How many women gained status in the Druidic elite remains unclear, but he asserts it was only logical that leadership would include intellectual capacity.

Inevitably, Ellis concludes with the "revival" of the Druid concept in modern times. He sees many direct comparisons between the Celts and Hindu society as a modern example. The "caste" system he finds in both societies underwent changes in their respective locales. The mythology of a "mystical Druid" imagery was revived in Western Europe. This image permeated thought among British intellectuals beginning in the 17th Century. From a view of Celts and the Druids as savages, a new concept arose portraying them as "keepers of wisdom". Welsh, Cornish and Irish traditionalists enhanced this view leading to today's outlook of Druidism as a spiritual revival.

This thorough and insightful account of an unknown, but highly mythologised element of Western society is fundamental to an understanding of the Celts and their Druid sub-culture. Ellis keeps the account lively and captivating. Although his scholarship is thorough, it never overwhelms the reader. It should remain an important work for some time. [stephen a. haines, Ottawa, Canada]

I have no problem freely admitting how much I admire this author. Let me tell you why.

Most "Celtic scholars" seem to have been educated by the Classics Departments of their respective universities, which means that their understanding of the Celts is limited to the writings of a hostile, self-glorifying, invading nation and their assimilated underdogs. Also, the main purpose of Classics departments seems to be to glorify their field of study rather than to critically analyze it.

There have been some pretty assinine statements made by Roman "historians", taken unquestioningly at face value by the dewy-eyed, glory-of-Rome-loving Classics folks, such as when Josephus is describing the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in Israel. Rather than admit that the Roman general desecrated a temple, something the Roman people would have been up in arms about, Josephus states that non only did the Jews burn down their own temple, but threw themselves into the flames! (cf Eisenman's James, the Brother of Jesus)

The works of Roman "historians" are riddled with inaccuracies and fabrications; Josephus and others even freely admit that in choosing between accuracy and glorifying Rome that they choose to glorify Rome, yet this doesn't turn on the light bulb in the minds of Classics scholars to be discerning in their adoption of Roman writings as fact.

Now that we can clearly establish the need for Celtic scholars who actually have an interest in the Celts themselves and not the Celts as perceived through hostile foreign eyes, we can at last turn to Peter Berresford Ellis. Ellis is, quite simply, brilliant on the historical (and prehistorical) front. His The Druids is quite simply the most comprehensive and probably the most accurate work on the Druids to date.

Chapters: 1. The Celtic World; 2. Origins of the Druids; 3. Druids Through Foreign Eyes; 4. Druids Through Celtic Eyes; 5. Female Druids; 6. The Religion of the Druids; 7. The Rituals of the Druids; 8. The Wisdom of the Druids (Druidic Schools, Druidic Books, Druids as Philosophers, Druids as Judges, Druids as Historians, Druids as Poets and Musicians, Druids as Physicians, Druids as Seers, Druids as Astronomers and Astrologers, Druids as Magicians); and 9. Reviving the Druids.

If you have read Stuart Piggott (definitely a Classicist writing on the Druids, albeit a rather brilliant one), you might find that in places Ellis covers some of the same ground, but this seems to be part of his effort at completeness in this work, and Ellis often diverges from there.

I do have a couple issues with this work - Ellis plays "the name game". Philology, which is the silly science of history, assumes that every word with similar parts in it has a causal relationship. For fun, take a book in English and start comparing words with similar parts and create your own common origins for those words - "elevator" and "alligator", for example. I find the name game irritating, but you'll find it in virtually every book written on the Celts.

The second is that Ellis seems to show a marked Markalian leaning (although Markale is erroneously spelled Markle throughout this book) - that means that when dealing with mythology, certain personal beliefs are put forward with little or no persuasive evidence to back them up. I have mentioned these points for someone who may be newer to this topic and not so familiar with the territory. I have left the rating for this book at 5 stars as these points are common in most books on the Celts/Druids, but did not significantly affect my enjoyment of this book. It is easily the best book on the Druids that I have ever read.

It was a pleasure reading on the Celts for who they were and what they did, rather than as the sacrifical goat of an imperial war machine. Nobody (sane) reads the writings of 1930's/1940's Germany to come to an understanding of the Jews, but "scholars" don't seem to hesitate to use the Roman writings and again, the writings of their assimilated underdogs, the Greeks (who were terrified of the Celts) to depict the Celts.

Other than the two points regarding philology and the creative interpretations of myth listed above, this is a fabulous work and one of my top recommendations. I am a big fan of Ellis because he has achieved what (virtually) no one else has - produced far-reaching histories of the Celts without the racial bias. You can match this up with Ellis' The Celtic Empire (somewhat of a tongue in cheek title referring to the rapid expansion of the Celts and their loose confederation but strong and widespread intertribal ties) for a great study of the Celts.

I also enjoyed Dillon's and Chadwick's Celtic Realms and Hutton's Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles.

Happy Reading!

Like his previous work, "The Celts", Peter Berresford Ellis has managed to pack a great deal of information in a small package. The book begins with a good basic overview of the Celts themselves and then possible origins of the Druids. The next two chapters relates the commentaries of non-Celts about the Druids, and then comments about the Druids from Celts themselves. There are discussions of female Druids, their religion and rituals (given a careful survey considering what little we know about these aspects), and then better than half the book covering a section on the Wisdom of the Druids. The book closes with a review of the Druid revival.

Ellis' gives his subject a balanced treatment, presenting both sides of an argument if there is more than one theory. There are some fascinating sections in this book including the section detailing ancient Celtic law and the final chapter on the revival of Druidism is practically worth the price of the book as I have never seen this aspect of Druidry presented so cleanly and succinctly. Modern practitioners of Druidry are given a fair, if somewhat jaundiced treatment, in the book's final pages.

I used think of druids as mystical priestly figures in Celtic societies. Having read this book I came to change my view. In general Peter Berresford Ellis suggests that the druids were actually less mystical than we may popularly think. At the same time their sphere of influence and interests extented far beyond religious matters. The writer presents the subject matter in very scholarly fashion and without the all too usual over-glorification and mystification of anything Celtic. Logical argumentation and the fact based approach to druids and druidism convinced me. Despite being scholarly Berresford Ellis's text is very enjoyable to read. If you want an objective account on druids and druidism, read this book.

This is probably the best treatment the Druids have received from any book I have read, though it suffers from Ellis' typical tendency to focus on tiny details, be sceptical of Classical sources, and repeat the same points constantly.

It was Ellis' book 'The Celtic Empire' that first sparked my interest in the Ancient Celtic (particularly Gaulish) world several years ago, and this book is written and outlined similarly. The subject of the book is of course the 'priestly caste' of the pre-Christian Celtic world, who have been long known for several centuries as mistletoe-worshipping, human-sacrificing barbarian philosophers with huge beards.

As I imagined he would, Ellis fiercely challenges the stereotypes, often at the expense of the writings and observations of various Classical and British scholars. He uses the culture and religion of Ancient India to show their common Indo-European roots with the Celts and reveal their common religious heritage, and how many of the features of Druidism were actually to be found across ancient Europe, even in the Classical World.

I do not agree with how Ellis handled the subject of human sacrifice in the Celtic world. He paints it to be a rare occurence yet he gives us an account of the barbaric slaughter of Greek prisoners by a Galatian warband, and several other similar incidents. He then goes into Gaelic myth, which only records one case of human sacrifice (to Crom Cruach, which was incidentally overthrown by the Druids), and lastly concludes with the matter of human sacrifice in the Romano-Greek world. In my opinion, giving a dozen scattered examples of Roman and Greek sacrifices does not even need to be in a book on Celtic religion; it is straying away from the whole thrust of the chapter. Overall, I found the author's treatment of this subject to be less than adequate, or fair to the Classical World.

Overall, however, I was deeply impressed with the content and scope of this book. The author does not dig deep into a bunch of kinky new-age mystic stuff, but simply presents that which is known about the Druids in a readable manner. He touches on a variety of interesting topics, including the true meaning of the name 'Druid', the role of Christianity and female Druids in Druidism, and, most interesting to me as a student of the Roman-era Celtic world, the role of the Druids in the 1st-4th Century Roman Empire. Were the Druids wiped out by the righteously indignant Roman legionaries, as tradition tells us, or did they simply come to occupy different social roles? The author's answer to this question is provocative and informative.

The Book's chapters are: Introduction (Identifying the Druids); the Celtic World; Origins of the Druids; Druids through Foreign Eyes; Druids through Celtic Eyes; Female Druids; Religion of the Druids; Rituals of the Druids; Wisdom of the Druids (further divided into 10 sections); and Reviving the Druids. It also contains a comprehensive bibliography and index.

I recently completed a movie script that takes place in pre-Christian Europe. This book was an absolutely essential tool in my research.

Berresford Ellis is a thorough and careful scholar, but he writes clearly, and engagingly. Occasionally, he takes on other scholars and he does repeat that the Romans' authority on Celtic matters is highly biased. Given that almost all academic research on pre-Medieval matters relies heavily on Roman sources, Ellis's insistance on their fallibility is important. He carefully traces several fallen chestnuts of "knowledge" to their sources. Likewise, he uncovers many good ancient accounts of ancient (mostly Greek) encounters with Druidism that differ radically from the received (mostly Roman) knowledge.

The book was an eye-opener on that score. I have not found a more reliable source of information on Druidic matters than this one.

Mr. Ellis does an excellent job of removing the superstitions and old wives tales surrounding the Druids. Although Ellis is a scholar, his book reads like a good fiction book. My favorite section of the book was Chapter 5 "Female Druids" but I thought the whole book was great. If you have any interest whatsoever in the Celts and/or Druids, this is a must-have book. I enjoyed it immensely and I think you will too.

PBE is a foremost authority on the Celts. He has made a name for himself with The Celtic Empire (1990), Celt & Saxon (1993), Celt & Greek (1997), Celt & Roman (1998) and The Ancient World of the Celts (1998). Despite the modest title of the present work, the author has scoured dozens of classical sources (Latin, Celtic etc.) to flesh out this well informed study of Druidism.

This book first appeared in h/cover format in 1994, receiving good reviews. Now retitled 'A Brief History of the Druids' and re-issued in p/back(2002), this carefully researched yet immensely readable book will reach an even wider readership. It has won good reviews on both sides of the Atlantic, the sheer catholicity of its appeal amazing, be it praise from the 'Times Higher Education Supplement,' in a review by Count Nikolai Tolstoy (descendant of the renowned Russian author) or the report in the 'Fortean Times,'praising Ellis's book for the 'wealth of material' in its pages. Colin Wilson, well known for his writings on alternative religion etc. described Ellis's arguments as "sensible and convincing, his chapter on the wisdom of the Druids. . . the highlight of the book " (review in the London Evening Standard).


This book is eye opening, exploring the many faceted dimensions of Druidism as a religion on par with Brahminism, evidently sharing some sort of ancient Aryan ancestry. How startlingly exact this can be, at times, is evident in the account of the Classical Indian musicologist who had been listening to a particular form of ancient Irish music, convinced that it was Indian, until alerted to the fact it was indeed Irish!

Ellis concedes that 'new age Celt' and 'neo-Druidism' poses certain problems - when much of the popular literature appears to be home-grown, with slender roots in the Celtic tradition. He reminds us that out of sixteen million Celtic people still living in their native places, only two and a half million actually speak a Celtic language. Centuries of suppression have taken their toll. Still, it is not all bad news. While there are no precise figures to go on, it seems that the number of people learning a Celtic language - is on the rise, if we include non-Celtic people currently learning a Celtic language. A percentage of such people are likely to venture into the Druidic or Bardic sources - or what can be gleaned of them, and while this raises questions about authenticity, we ought not to conclude that such ventures will invariably fall on barren ground. Ellis notes the work of Colin Murray, who presented us with a Celtic Tree Oracle, based on his study of Ogham script etc. Murray found the basis for his Tree Oracle in the Beth Luis Nion or ancient Celtic 'Tree alphabet.' While Ellis accords respect to Murray's work, he questions Murray's claim that such Ogham material dates back to 600 B.C., arguing that 'there is simply no evidence that Ogham was used prior to the third or fourth centuries A.D.' What Ellis probably meant to say, is that no stone inscriptions have been found, using Ogham, dating back to 600 B.C. But that does not rule out the possibility that Ogham was used in other ways i.e. - on wood. Ellis identifies Ogham with the Beth Luis Nion alphabet, but it could equally well be used to represent the Boibel-Loth. It is worth remembering that the modern re-discovery or 'recovery' of Ogham, was the work of Charles Vallancy, a non-Celt. As such, it doesn't necessarily follow that a Druidic revival would be out of the question - in non Celtic hands. The Christianisation of Britain did not necessarily wipe the slate of Druidic culture. Irish monasteries, particularly, seemed to retain a strong element of Celtic-Druidic culture, the great reputation for learning accorded to Irish monks appearing to be a legacy of Druidic tradition. Ellis notes that Pelagius, who had opposed Augustine over his determinist views, was advocating an earlier, Celtic interpretation of Christianity, which accorded a greater place to free will. It is easy to mock at things like a 'Druidic revival', but bearing in mind Blake's 'dark satanic mills' and the consequences of the Industrial Revolution, a religious philosophy which accords a sacred function to nature and her processess does seem to have redeeming virtues. That people still feel the need for such nourishment would explain the demand for books such as this.

Great book...but rather technical in terms of history and geography, so if you are looking for an "easy" or "light" reading, this is not the book for you. I found it to be incredibly informative. I have loaned it out many times and at this point have to beg it back (after 4 months) from the last person who borrowed it. It has been loved by all who have borrowed it (as a matter of fact I've had to work pretty hard to get it back from everyone!) It contradicts some theories I have heard before, but gives excellent support for the author's theories of culture development. Great for sociological discussion. Highly recommend for teaching situations involving Celtic culture and history.