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Peter Berresford Ellis

A Brief History of the Druids (The Brief History) Paperback – April 10, 2002

by Peter Berresford Ellis (Author)

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Shrouded in legend, the mysterious cult of the ancient Druids continues to fascinate, inspiring latter-day imitators who often are only a poorly researched and romantic reflection of Druidic lore. In this compelling and readable history, respected Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis explores who the Druids really were and what role they played in the Celtic world. Ellis provides a fresh and convincing interpretation of the facts, based on both archaeological and etymological findings. "Remarkable ... offers much for the academician as well as the general reader. Fascinating reading!"—Joseph A. King, author of Ireland to North America

Print length

324 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Running Press
Publication date

April 10, 2002
Dimensions

5 x 0.75 x 7.65 inches
ISBN-10

0786709871
ISBN-13

978-0786709878
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Product details

Publisher : Running Press (April 10, 2002)
Language : English
Paperback : 324 pages
ISBN-10 : 0786709871
ISBN-13 : 978-0786709878
Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
Dimensions : 5 x 0.75 x 7.65 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #550,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #111 in Druidism
- #274 in Celtic Religions (Books)
- #4,039 in Great Britain History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
98 ratings

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Scott Kick

instead of just stating things like they're facts

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018

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This is THE book to get if you're looking for a historical argument for the truth behind who the Druids were. All other books I've purchased are full of conjecture and superstition. This one is the real deal... breaking down the WHY of the authors conclusions, instead of just stating things like they're facts. The truth is... we don't know a lot about the Druids, but a good detective can piece a picture together and that's exactly what this book does. THANK YOU!

12 people found this helpful

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K. Murphy

Good source on the Druids

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2007

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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.

22 people found this helpful

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Siobhan Olaoghaire Sannes

a perfect introduction to the subject

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2005

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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.

19 people found this helpful

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Elsa

Druidism

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2011

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The author is very precise, we can see he did research deep into Europe's ancient history.He really gives an accurate idea of the Celtic People and of how they spread into Europe and Asia?! I do not agree here, they did spread, not to Asia, they are Natural from Asia and spread to Europe. When they arrived in Europe, they already had their gods, similar to the hindu ones, even the druids sat cross legged like the orientals. So, if it was like historians say, they spread to Asia, "learned" their religion and myths, and then came back to Europe with brand new ideas??? I think not, they came from Asia and spread, not the other way.
Anyway, the book is excelent, I've learned quite a lot of the Celtic ways,the author is precise and non fictional.

One person found this helpful

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trysca

A patchy perspective on the Druids

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2018

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An interesting review and commentary of the historical - mainly Irish - sources and academic arguments. It necessarily covers aspects of pan - celtic culture but repeatedly skirts archaeological evidence , especially when that evidence is "English" - for example the so-called 'druid of Colchester' is conspicuously absent , and the physical evidence of Lindow Man and the Irish bog bodies are skirted in a rather strangely dismissive / defensive manner suggesting the author rejects entirely the probability of human sacrifice in iron age and later society entirely. The overall impression is of a very defensive anti-british anti-English bias to the extent that the Cornish Breton and Devonian lives and folktales by their omission are obviously regarded as inferior to the 'true blood "Celtic"' Irish Scots and Manx gaelic traditions as is so often found in books of this sort. As usual, francophone sources are missing for the extensive Gallic areas of knowledge. Oddly there is no mention of Sir Barry Cunliffes important theses on the western Atlantic development of Celtic culture which suggests that the author is not aware and sticks to the increasingly creaky Continental genesis tradition, even though this accords with the Irish origin myth. However the discussions of the [Irish] druidic philosophical traditions on early Christian continental thought are fascinating and little heard. Comparative discussions on the Otherworld sources is an area that would benefit from expansion- intersting but much too brief.

12 people found this helpful

Gearing

Food for Thought

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2015

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If you want to learn more about the druid culture, this is a good place to start. The book enables me to understand and applaud ancient history, and at the same time feel sad that we've apparently learnt nothing by it. The Romans have a lot to answer for, and so do the 17th Century English who occupied Ireland. I can understand why the Irish aren't great fans of the English. Our current world problems are only a repeat of what's happened before.

4 people found this helpful

Tracey Rhodes-Muir

Book of many words

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2019

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Excellent item and prompt delivery, but book didn’t really cover what I was interested in reading about

Bookaholic

5 Stars!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2017

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This book was a wonderful introduction to the Druids and it really got me thinking. I will certainly be coming back to it time and again. Peter Berresford Ellis is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors on the Druids and the Celts.

Wubb

Awesome and highly recommended

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2015

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A stunning analysis of what might have been, what could have been and what we do actually know about the subject. The author handles his subject masterfully leaving one with the feeling that you have spent profitable time in the presence of a deeply knowledgeable, highly articulate mind.
Awesome and highly recommended.

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