Wiccan Rede

Bide the Wiccan law ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust;
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill;
‘An ye harm none, do as ye will’;
Lest in self-defense it be, ever mind the rule of three;
Follow this with mind and heart;
And merry ye meet and merry ye part.

The Druids.

A class of people who played a not unimportant part among the nations in olden times. There were male and female Druids; the latter generally called Druides. Both the men and women laid claim to supernatural power and knowledge.

The Druids were expert at legerdemain, and, by their astonishing exploits, sustained among an ignorant people a reputation of being magicians. They devoted much time to the study of astrology, observing closely the heavenly bodies, through which they pretended they could predict events kept secret from ordinary mortals. The Druids exercised the functions of magistrates, priests, teachers, and physicians. As judges, their authority was unlimited. They desired the people to believe that not only had they the power of imposing punishment in this world, but that they might sentence offenders to torment in the world beyond the grave.

The Arch-Druid wore a gold chain round his neck, from which was suspended a gold plate, having engraved thereon, "The gods require sacrifice," and on the front of the Druid's cap was a golden representation of the sun, and a silver representation of a half moon.

They believed in one supreme being; supposed that the soul was immortal; and thought the spirit of man began to exist in the meanest insect, and that it proceeded through the lower orders of existence, rising at every new birth until it reached the human body. When the soul animated the human form, a knowledge of good and evil dawned upon the being, who then became responsible for the thoughts and actions of life. If one chose evil instead of good, the soul, it was asserted, went after death into an inferior grade of animal life, low in proportion to the sinfulness of that existence. Those who chose the better part became at last so exalted that evil had no power over them, and they were happy for ever and ever. It was also believed that the beatified soul retained the love of its country and relations, and that the spirits of the good sometimes returned to earth, and became prophets among mankind, that they might assist in teaching divine things, and oppose the evil one.

The Druids were worshippers of Bel, Beal, Bealan, from whence come the Beltane or Bealteine feasts, of which they observed four of considerable importance every year, viz. those of May-eve, Midsummer-eve, and of the eve of the 1st of November, and of the eve of the 10th of March. With Druidical religious rites were blended Arkite and Sabian superstition. Dancing round the May-pole, old authors say, took its rise from the Druidical custom of dancing on the green to the song of the cuckoo. Taliesin,the Druidical bard, informs us that those who joined in the mystical movements went according to the course of the sun, as they attached much importance to the ceremony of going three times round their sacred circle from the east to west. At the celebration of sacred mysteries there was a cauldron for the preparation of a decoction from plants held in high esteem. This liquor being holy, possessed rare virtues, one of which was the power of inspiring those who partook thereof, or to whom it was applied. The cauldron was kept boiling a year and a day. During this time, at certain hours and under particular planets, plants possessed of peculiar properties were collected and added to the caldron's contents.

Not only did the sacred liquor, properly applied, enable one to see into futurity, but it was supposed to confer immortality on those who bathed in it. Further, by its application, the dead might have been brought to life again. All the sacred utensils and the company assembled at mystical feasts were purified with the decoction.

Initiation into the Druidical mysteries was something dreadful. None but those of strong nerve could successfully pass through the ordeal, all of which took place at night. Every one admitted into the fraternity bound himself by a solemn oath, like a freemason, not to commit to writing or divulge the secrets revealed to him.

In various parts of the country there were "the goodmane's land and the guidman's fauld," to cultivate which it was supposed would be followed by dire calamities. These places were, according to popular opinion, frequented by fairies and other supernatural beings. Music was often heard, and dancing seen, at such places. There, too, people are reported to have been enticed into subterranean abodes, and retained for years. Places dedicated to gods and demi-gods lay uncultivated, though the surrounding ground bore good crops. For these acts of self-denial in permitting ground to remain[Pg 265] waste which might have been producing good fruit, "the good neighbours" sent untold-of blessings. To secure prosperity, goodmanes attached themselves to deserving persons and families, making their crops plentiful, causing their cows to have calves, and giving milk in abundance. We have an account of how offerings were presented to those demi-gods at stated occasions. The people made a circle on the ground, in which they kindled a fire, and then cooked a mess, consisting of milk, butter, eggs, and meal, for the beings whose favour they desired to secure for the first time, or whose continued good service was wished. Cakes were baked and offered to the manes in this manner: piece after piece was broken off the cake or bannock and thrown over the left shoulder, while the desire was expressed aloud, that those to whom the offering was made would preserve the cattle, horses, and other animals and substance from the power of evil spirits. In the same way, or after a fashion somewhat similar, beasts of prey were propitiated.

Then there were sacred cairns, consisting of stones thrown together by passers by, every one adding his stone. If any one removed these cairns, or part thereof, superstitious people predicted evil to the spoiler. The late Rev. James Rust, in his Druidism Exhumed, mentions that circles stood on the spot where one of the extensive manufactories at Grandholm, near Aberdeen, has been built. The people, shocked at the removal of the Druidical works, predicted retributive justice to those who disturbed the sacred relics. For a long time every misadventure to the company, or to individuals connected therewith, was attributed to the sacrilegious action.

Trees were sometimes dedicated to demons. The people worshipped such trees, holding them in the highest esteem that any earthly thing could be regarded. It was a capital offence to cut off a branch or shoot from one of them.

In the year (1649) the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland appointed a commission of their own number to report to the next General Assembly as to the Druidical customs observed at the fires at Beltane, Midsummer, Hallow-e'en, and Yule. All the old customs were ordered to be discontinued, and the people warned against kindling fires for superstitious purposes.

CELTIC

ANGUS OF THE BRUGH Also OENGUS OF THE BRUIG God of youth, son of
the Dagda. In Ireland, Angus is the counterpart of Cupid. Angus' kisses turn into singing
birds, and the music he plays irresistably draws all who hear.
ARIANRHOD "Silver Wheel," "High Fruitful Mother." One of the Three Virgins of Britain,
her palace is Caer Arianrhod, the Celtic name for the Aurora Borealis.
BADB A goddess of war. One of a triad of war goddesses known collectively as the
Morrigan. Bird shaped and crimson mouthed, Badb uses her magic to decide battles.
Badb lusts after men and is often seen at fords washing the armor and weapons of men
about to die in combat.
BRIGHID also BRIGIT. Goddess of healing and craftsmanship, especially metalwork. Also
a patron of learning and poetry. In Wales she is Caridwen, who possesses the cauldron of
knowledge and inspiration. The Celts so loved Brighid that they could not abandon her
even when they became Christians, and so made Brighid a Christian saint.
CARIDWEN also HEN WEN; in Wales "White Grain," "Old White One." Corn
goddess. Mother of Taliesen, greatest and wisest of all the bards, and therefore a patron
of poets. The "white goddess" of Robert Graves. Caridwen lives among the stars in the
land of Caer Sidi. Caridwen is connected with wolves, and some claim her cult dates to the
neolithic era.
CERNUNNOS Horned god of virility. Cernunnos wears the torc (neck-ring) and is ever in
the company of a ram-headed serpent and a stag. Extremely popular among the Celts,
the Druids encouraged the worship of Cernunnos, attempting to replace the plethora of
local deities and spirits with a national religion. The Celts were so enamored of Cernunnos
that his cult was a serious obstacle to the spread of Christianity.
DAGDA Earth and father god. Dagda possesses a bottomless cauldron of plenty and
rules the seasons with the music of his harp. With his mighty club Dagda can slay nine
men with a single blow, and with its small end he can bring them back to life. On the day
of the New Year, Dagda mates with the raven goddess of the Morrigan who while making
love straddles a river with one foot on each bank. A slightly comical figure.
DANU Mother goddess, an aspect of the Great Mother. Another of a triad of war
goddesses known collectively as the Morrigan. Connected with the moon goddess Aine of
Knockaine, who protects crops and cattle. Most importantly, the mother of the Tuatha de'
Danann, the tribe of the gods.
DIAN CECHT A healer. At the second battle of Moytura, Dian Cecht murdered his own
son whose skill in healing endangered his father's reputation. The Judgments of Dian
Cecht, an ancient Irish legal tract, lays down the obligations to the ill and injured. An
agressor must pay for curing anyone he has injured, and the severity of any wound, even
the smallest, is measured in grains of corn.
DIS PATER Originally a god of death and the underworld, later the cheif god of the Gauls.
The Gauls believed, as their Druids taught, that Dis Pater is the ancestor of all the Gauls.
DONN Irish counterpart to Dis Pater. Donn sends storms and wrecks ships, but he
protects crops and cattle as well. Donn's descendents come to his island after death.
EPONA Horse goddess. Usually portrayed as riding a mare, sometimes
with a foal. Roman legionaires, deeply impressed with Celtic horsemanship, took up the
worship of Epona themselves and eventually imported her cult to Rome itself.
ESUS A god of the Gauls "whose shrines make men shudder," according to a Roman
poet. Human sacrifices to Esus were hanged and run through with a sword. For unknown
reasons, Esus is usually portrayed as a woodcutter.
GOVANNON The smith god. The weapons Govannon makes are unfailing in their aim
and deadliness, the armor unfailing in its protection. Also a healer. Those who attend the
feast of Govannon and drink of the god's sacred cup need no longer fear old age and
infirmity.
LUG also LUGH, LLEU A sun god and a hero god, young, strong, radiant with hair of gold,
master of all arts, skills and crafts. One day Lug arrived at the court of the Dagda and
demanded to be admitted to the company of the gods. The gatekeeper asked him what
he could do. For every skill or art Lug named, the gatekeeper replied that there was
already one among the company who had mastered it. Lug at last pointed out that they
had no one who had mastered them all, and so gained a place among the deities,
eventually leading them to victory in the second battle of Moytura against the Formorian
invaders. (The Formorians were a race of monsters who challenged the gods for
supremacy in the first and second battles of Moytura.) The Romans identified Lug with
Mercury. The most popular and widely worshipped of the Celtic gods, Lug's name in its
various forms was taken by the cities of Lyons, Loudun, Laon, Leon, Lieden, Leignitz,
Carlisle and Vienna.
MACHA "Crow." The third of the triad of war goddesses known as the Morrigan, Macha
feeds on the heads of slain enemies. Macha often dominates her male lovers through
cunning or simple brute strength.
MEDB "Drunk Woman." A goddess of war, not one of the Morrigan. Where the Morrigan
use magic, Medb wields a weapon herself. The sight of Medb blinds enemies, and she
runs faster than the fastest horse. A bawdy girl, Medb needs thirty men a day to satisfy
her sexual appetite.
MORRIGAN war goddess, forerunner of the
Arthurian Morgan La Fey. Like Odin, fickle and unfaithful, not to be trusted. A hag with a
demonic laugh, the Morrigan appears as a grotesque apparition to men about to die in
battle. Her name is also used for a triad of war goddesses, who are often thought of as
different aspects of the Morrigan.
NEMAIN "Panic." A war goddess.
NUADHU also NUD, NODENS, LUD. "Nuadhu of the silver arm." God of healing and
water; his name suggests "wealth-bringer" and "cloud-maker." At the first battle of
Moytura, Nuadhu lost an arm, and Dian Cecht replaced it with a new one made out of
silver. Because of this, Nuadhu was obliged to turn leadership of the Tuatha de' Dannan
over to Lug. People came to be healed at Nuadhu's temple at Lydney, and small votive
limbs made of silver have been found there.
OGMIOS also OGMA "Sun Face." A hero god like Hercules, a god of eloquence,
language, genius. Generally portrayed as an old man dressed in a lion skin. From his
tongue hang fine gold chains attached to the ears of his eager followers.
SUCELLUS Guardian of forests, patron of agriculture. His consort is Nantosvelta, whose
name suggests brooks and streams. Sometimes considered synonomous with Cernunnos
or Daghda.
TUATHA DE' DANANN The divine tribes and people descended from the goddess Danu.
Skilled in druidry and magic, the Tuatha de' Danann possess four talismans of great
power: the stone of Fal which shrieked under the true heir to the throne; the spear of Lug
which made victory certain; the sword of Nuadhu which slays all enemies; and the ever full
cauldron of Daghda from which no man ever goes away hungry.

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