Druidry

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Druidism is very firmly rooted in Celtic culture and dates back thousands of years. there are three levels in this religion. The Bards, the Ovates and the Druids. The original Druids were the bards, who were story tellers and very often the normal people of the village. Like the wise women who were branded witches back in the days.

The word Druid literally means 'oak wise'.This is a collaboration of 'dru' or 'drus', which is derived from the Indo-european language meanning oak, and the word 'wid'. which means 'to see' or 'to know'. It also has connections with 'dru' or 'drui' meaning 'firm' and'solid', these words also have 'true', 'oak' and 'tree' derived from them in the old language of the druids!

In earlier days, Dru could of been a term for any wise woman or man, with a suffix added to the word to describe their particular paths. they may of been a shaman, a herbalist, a midwife, a seer or a storyteller, but they would of all had 'dru' applied to them as it has a general meaning of 'wise one' or 'truthful' one! Also, a translation of 'wiccan' or 'witch' means 'wise one' or 'wise woman'.

Druids also have an affinity with trees, they represent many things on this path. Each tree has various correspondences, each has a mineral, a plant, a herb, a bird, an ancestor, a spirit, a season and many other things associated with it. For example, the ash tree is associated with air, the south quarter, midsummer, quartz crystal, the eagle, the feathered serpent, the burning spear and the God Lugh. these are derived mostly from the qualities and uses of the wood.

The ash can provide long, flexible and strong shafts of wood that are ideal for the handles of tools and weapons. As a spear the ash represents masculine power which in turn identifies it with midsummer and noon. As that is when our masculine influence, the sun, is strongest.


Each tree also represents a letter in the Celtic Ogham (alphabet) and was therefore used as speech.

Some say that the essence of this religion is to 'be a tree'. This means to dance with them and act as a tree would by staying still, waiting, listening, changing and living life with the wheel of the year!

One important thing about trees in general is that without them and so many other things that are naturally around us we could not survive.

They give us our life's essence by breathing with carbon dioxide and changing it to oxygen.

Below is a guide to the Celtic/Tree/Ogham alphabet with what letter(old and new)each tree represents, its pronunciation and its element. these all have their own personal symbol as to how it was written in days of old, i will try and scan these in as a file at a later date.

b beth birch air

l luis rowan air

n nion ash air

f fearn alder water

s saille willow water

h huath hawthorn fire

d duir oak fire

t tinne holly fire

c coll hazel fire

q quert apple air

m muin bramble earth

g gort ivy earth

ng ngetal reed water

z straiph blackthorn earth

r ruis elder earth

a ailm scotch-pine air

o ohn gorse fire

u ura heather earth

e eado poplar water

i idho yew water

blessings at your hearth


Posted by:triniti
Crossposted in 2002 SMRI/WWFN
Source: The Plythorium Hearth