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druid
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Color illustration of five ancient Celtic druids in white robes and green wreaths, one seated and gesturing upward, surrounded by trees with ritual objects on the ground. Engraving by W. Walker after Susanna Duncombe shows two hooded druids in robes walking under a tree along a rugged English coastline, each holding branches. Julius Caesar Black and white woodcut from 1832 showing a giant wicker figure filled with people, surrounded by druids and onlookers, illustrating a reported druidic human sacrifice ritual. Roman attack on druids Three druids in white robes stand outdoors, with one holding a staff and gesturing toward gold vessels, a serpent, and a painted curtain hanging from a tree. Handcolored engraving by Verico. Arthur Pendragon, dressed in ceremonial robes, leads a group of people in a ritual at Stonehenge during the Winter Solstice celebration, with the stone monument visible behind them. Roman soldiers attacking Druids
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Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
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Color illustration of five ancient Celtic druids in white robes and green wreaths, one seated and gesturing upward, surrounded by trees with ritual objects on the ground.
Artist's imagination of druids “Druids, Or British Priests,” color plate from Pictures of English History, George Routledge & Sons, c. 1850.

druid

ancient Celtic culture
Written by
Ethan Doyle White
Possessing a PhD in Medieval History and Archaeology from University College London, Ethan Doyle White writes on religion, folklore, history, and archaeology, with a particular focus on areas of cultural...
Ethan Doyle White
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

druid, ancient religious leaders active in Ireland, Britain, and Gaul during the western European Iron Age. They existed from at least 200 bce and in some areas may have survived to about 400 ce. Although little is known with certainty about the druids, they probably constituted a predominantly or exclusively male priesthood that played an important role in the polytheistic religions of these Celtic-speaking societies. Much of what is known about the druids comes from...

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