Is there druidism in Norse mythology? What do you do?

The word Dryad originally came from Druidism, that is, Druidism. Dryad in Roman and Greek mythology means the goddess of the forest. It is said that every oak tree is inhabited by elves, and these tree spirits pass the Oracle to human beings through tree demons. Therefore, Dryad usually appears as a tree spirit in his later literary works. Druids often appear in modern literature, movies, animations and games, such as Blizzard's famous games World of Warcraft and Diablo.

brief introduction

Druidism

The original meaning of the word druid is "someone who knows the oak tree". Historically, he was a Celtic priest. His main feature is that he lives in the forest and is good at using herbs for medical treatment. Oaks and acorns are sacred objects they worship. Celtic is a people scattered in Gaul, Britain, Ireland, Europe, Asia Minor and the Balkans from the 5th century BC to the 1 century AD. Druid priests are proficient in divination, meticulous in rituals, and good at calendars, medicine, astronomy and literature ... At the same time, they are also synonymous with law enforcers, bards and explorers. Both men and women can become druid priests, and they can act as priests, wizards or prophets within the family, and they also enjoy a high status in society. Some historians also equate Druid priests with Indian Brahmins, Persian monks (Magi), Egyptian priests (priests) and shamans. At first, because Celtic was a matriarchal society, only women could be druids, and then men gradually joined.

Historical origin

Europeans generally believe that druidism advocates nature and neutrality, and they regard the whole wasteland as a hermit at home. They let their special forces protect nature and balance the whole world. In modern fantasy literature, druids are worshippers and defenders of nature. In order to protect nature, they can fight against any force. Druid's English original name is Druid. The first half of druid means oak tree in Greek, and the second half is similar to the suffix "-wid" in Indo-European language family, which means understanding. Druids take acorns as sacred fruits, so the ancient meaning of Druids' names is people who are familiar with oak trees. The famous "Merlin" in King Arthur's time is said to be a wizard with extraordinary power. In fact, he should be a druid with considerable practice. The word "Merlin" originally refers to a druid wizard who is proficient in poetic art and visual art (divination).

In the first century A.D., Christian Romans attacked the Druid Celts. The Romans, as winners, washed away the druids, who were slaughtered in batches by Roman soldiers who rushed into the mysterious forest, and the bodies of priests were left in the sacred forest. Druids were destroyed by this massacre and have been dormant ever since. Druidism only appeared in later folk songs and poems. Since then, their prestige has fallen to the status of ordinary wizards for centuries, and their former glory is gone forever, so they can only recite sad elegies alone. Therefore, from then on to now, Druid is no longer like a religious or historical term, but has become a mythical figure. Nowadays, we can see their imitations in some interesting retro sports, but what really affects us is the caster in the game. Druids in modern fantasy literature and games are mostly based on legends before the first century A.D., and gradually evolved into a mysterious organization with natural forces.

system of selection

It can be said that the selection of druids is very cruel. It is said that there are three tests: drifting at sea for many days (without help from others) and being buried alive, so few people can survive. Relatively speaking, the result is of course very ideal, which proves that the ability to integrate with nature can be used as an outstanding priest of the Celtic nation (the king needs to consult their opinions on major issues).

wake up

In A.D. 17 17, William Stockley and john toland, who claimed to be the high priests of Druidism, rebuilt Druidism. Interestingly, druidism in the United States was established for a completely different purpose. 1963, the reformed druid church in North America was founded, but the church was founded only because a group of college students in Minnesota opposed the school forcing students to participate in religious services. Later, the organization developed into a Druidism advocating free religious belief, which has developed to this day.

descend

Around 1 century, the Roman Empire was afraid that the Celts would be strong and made a massive crusade. Tacitus once recorded that in the battle, the druids dressed in black jumped in the Celtic army, growled the names of the gods and cursed the Roman Empire severely. After the victory of Rome, not only all the Celtic soldiers were slaughtered, but also the druids were bloodbath, and their priests' bodies were abandoned in the sacred forest of the druids ... This battle made the druids fall apart in the following centuries, and in the following generations, their strength and status were no different from those of ordinary wizards ... Until 16 and 17 centuries, druidism still existed only.

In the17th century, the British archaeologist John Oberli pointed out that the druidism in Roman times may contain some older beliefs. It is said that they built the famous Stonehenge (the prehistoric huge stone pillars on the Salisbury Plain in England, just like those in Act 1 Si Tong Field) to worship the sun god! Although his statement was wrong, the revival movement of Druids finally began in the18th century.

In A.D. 17 17, William Stockley and john toland, known as priests of Druidism, rebuilt Druidism.