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The ritual of oak and mistletoe is a Celtic religious ceremony, in which white-clad druids climbed a sacred oak, cut down the mistletoe growing on it, sacrificed two white bulls and used the mistletoe to make an elixir to cure infertility and the effects of poison. [1]
Tlachtga (Modern Irish: Tlachta) was a powerful druidess in Irish mythology and the red-haired daughter of the arch-druid Mug Ruith.She accompanied him on his world travels, learning his magical secrets and discovering sacred stones in Italy.
In Irish mythology, Uisneach is described as the sacred centre of Ireland, the burial place of Irish gods such as Lugh and the Dagda, the site of a sacred tree (the Bile Uisnig), and a place of assembly (the mórdáil Uisnig) associated with the druids, which, according to later tradition, was held during the festival of Bealtaine. [4]
Corleck Hill's Irish name is Sliabh na Trí nDée (the "Hill of the Three Gods"). [12] The literary evidence indicates that the hill was a significant druidic (the priestly caste in ancient Celtic cultures) site of worship during the Iron Age, [13] [14] and was traditionally known as once being "the pulse of Ireland".
The English word druid derives from the Latin word druidēs (plural), which was considered by ancient Roman writers to come from the native Gaulish word for these figures. [8] [9] [10] Other Roman texts employ the form druidae, while the same term was used by Greek ethnographers as δρυΐδης (druidēs).
In modern times, with the increase in polytheistic Druidry, and the widespread acceptance of goddess-worship, the word "Goddess" has largely replaced the word "God" in The Druid's Prayer; other variants include "God and Goddess" and "Spirit". [45] Some Druids regard it as possible to communicate with various spirits during rituals. [58]
Celtic paganism, as practised by the ancient Celts, is a descendant of Proto-Celtic paganism, itself derived from Proto-Indo-European paganism.Many deities in Celtic mythologies have cognates in other Indo-European mythologies, such as Celtic Brigantia with Roman Aurora, Vedic Ushas, and Norse Aurvandill; Welsh Arianrhod with Greek Selene, Baltic Mėnuo, and Slavic Myesyats; and Irish Danu ...
General deities were known by the Celts throughout large regions, and are the gods and goddesses called upon for protection, healing, luck, and honour. The local deities from Celtic nature worship were the spirits of a particular feature of the landscape, such as mountains, trees, or rivers, and thus were generally only known by the locals in ...