Customer Reviews

The Celtic Druids' Year: Seasonal Cycles of the Ancient Celts

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first reading of anything Celtic and I absolutely loved the book. My intention when I purchased the book was to find out about ancient agricultural societies and how they viewed the world, how they functioned as a whole, and what beliefs they held. Interestingly enough, my interest changed to actually enjoying the history behind the Druids and the society in which they were held in such high regard.

I enjoyed the book for several other reasons as well: King made a valid argument as to the location on the calendar as to where the Celtic year would begin and end. It is logical, to me at least, that for an agricultural society they would celebrate in the summer when food was plentiful and the days long; not in the winter when they were possibly starving and living off of the meager rations that they could eat from the salting of meat.

One of the other reasons that I liked this book so much was because it dealt with so much of the Celtic society in such a relatively short novel. King touches on religion, roman influence, cultural oversights by previous historians, and of course the calendar and their alphabet (which takes up a large portion of the later half of the novel for obvious reasons).

As a reviewer I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Celtic philosophy and Society who haven't read any or much Celtic history as of yet. What I got out of this book was that I wanted to read more about the society; to find out more about the Druids, the Bards (or Ovates) and their incredible---and sometimes magical---lives. Great read.

This work by Mr. King is a very interesting read, though difficult to get started into. It is full of factual information, scholarly discoveries and ideas that make even experienced followers of the path sit back and think. Despite the utility and genius of the book, there are a few things that I didn't like about it.

First, the title is deceiving. A little less than half of the book is actually about the cycles of the Celtic year, and even less about the holidays and rituals. The entirety of the first 4 5 chapters is general background information on the Celts and the Druids. While this information is useful, and accurate, it is also replicated in 100 other books.

Second, Mr. King makes an interesting case that the Druids were the remnant of a long-forgotten Pythagorean cult, at best a dubious proposition and a laughable one at worst. Though his points are interesting, it is all conjecture with very little solid information to back it up.

Lastly, Mr. King doesn't delve deeply enough into the various subjects he explores. Though the information is good as a primer, it is hardly an advanced book on the subject of the Celts and the Druids. Most of the information can be found in any other book.

I gave the book 4 stars because Mr. King makes some points that are glossed over, skipped or ignored by other writers. While its true that he does this to try to prove his pet theories correct, the information is made no less valid. The few unique things in this book turn out to be rare gems in the sand.

I picked this book up without knowing anything about it in advance. I was interested in the author's idea of what a "druid year" would be. That is reserved for the end of the book. The beginning half is a well-researched look at what functions druids performed in their society, and a general over-view of pre-Christian Celtic society. This half is perfect for the student who past asking what a druid is and does, but wants a firmer historical context on which to base further study. In particular, Pliny's popular "white-robe and golden sickle" description is questioned, and for the general student's purposes, disproved.

In the second half of the book the author presents his version of the Celtic Druid Year. King's most notable (and controversial) idea is that New Year Celebrations were held at mid-summer, contrary to the popular belief that New Year arrived at Samhain. This idea, however, is not unique to King. Ronald Hutton has also argued against the possibility that Samhain was the Celtic New Year. For each of the 8 feast days, King describes what the situation would have been for the community the Druid(s) "worked" for -- what foods would be available and concerns regarding weather conditions as manifestations of their gods' favour/ disfavour. This description added to his discussion of the feast days helps present to the reader the practical rather than purely spiritual or magical functions of the celebrations.

Overall, this is a well researched and honest book. However, the author's insistence that the druids were the decedents or an off-shoot of the Pythagorian Cult is the reason it did not earn 4 or 5 stars. While King's research shows similarities between the two groups, it is this reader's opinion that King is too eager to find a "legitimate" source for druidry, akin to those who wish to place the druids as the decedents of the citizens of Atlantis or one of the lost tribes of Israel.

John King was one of the authors that introduced me to the subject of ancient Celtic history. This book is a bit cumbersome for a complete novice, but provides a very nice start for jumping beyond simple interest in the druids to actually understanding their historical context. King makes good use of quotes and footnotes and provides ample material for further reading. The only downside here is that the book does not really revolve around the title -- half of the book is explaining about ancient Celtic society in general and about the druids in general. This is fine if this is what you are looking for, but actual information about ancient Celtic astrology/astronomy is rather scarce here, though there is a detailed discussion of the calendar, the agricultural year, and of mathematics. There are some rather large jumps made in the latter section where the (perhaps mythological) connections between the druids and Pythagoras are emphasized. Nonetheless, I found this an excellent book that has been well-researched and yet avoids being presented in an overcomplicated or overacademic way; this text is very suitable for the beginning student of the subject.

i am by no means an expert on history. if i was i would be writing the books not reading them. my view of this book is colored more by the ease of readability and essential information that the author imparts. he sticks to the subject matter at hand and does not delve into some of the more esoteric aspects of the academia jargon. its very digestable and straightforward in its execution and when the author is speculating or just floating an idea, he says so. there is plenty of explanation on timeline given in reference to the roman empire which for those of us starting our exploration of celtic history is very helpful. all things considered i enjoyed this book and felt it benefited my understanding of the druid practice.

I liked this book the first time I read it, many years ago. For those scholarly or purist druids disheartened by chapter 8, "The Eight Stations of the Year" there are well respected druids who say it was Ross Nichols (Founder of OBOD) who gave the idea/concept to Gerald Gardner (who jumped on it) at a time when the druids of Nichol's day pooh-poohed the concept. True, there is no evidence that the Druids celebrated the Vernal or Autumn equinoxes or the Winter solstice. Still, adopted as 'Wiccan' concept or not, I personally can not see how celebrating 8 holy days instead of the substantiated 5 (or 4) is such an awful thing. Druidry is after all, a 'living spirituality' which grows and evolves. Chapter 9 however, "The 13 Months of the Year," I agree should pretty much be ignored.

Although I generally liked this book, I was disheartened by chapter 8; "The Eight Stations of the Year." This is a Wiccan concept, unfamiliar to the Celtic/Druidic mindset. There is no evidence that the Druids celebrated the Vernal or Autumnal equinoxes or the Winter solstice.
I was similarly disheartened by chapter 9; "The 13 Months of the Year," which relies on Rob't Graves' good old "Celtic Tree Calendar," which, more recently, has been found to be pure claptrap. If you're interested in a Celtic calendar, look into the Coligny calendar.
Not bad overall, but these two later chapters belong in the garbage.