Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

CHAPTER II: THE RELIGION OF THE CELTS 67Such an organisation would pass into Christianity of the typeestablished in Ireland with very little difficulty. The beliefin magical rites would survive—early Irish Christianity, as itscopious hagiography plainly shows, was as steeped in magicalideas as ever was Druidic paganism. The belief in immortalitywould remain, as before, the cardinal doctrine of religion. Aboveall the supremacy of the sacerdotal order over the temporalpower would remain unimpaired; it would still be true, as DionChrysostom said of the Druids, that “it is they who command,and kings on thrones of gold, dwelling in splendid palaces, are [84]but their ministers, and the servants of their thought.” 66Cæsar on the Druidic CultureThe religious, philosophic, and scientific culturesuperintended by the Druids is spoken of by Cæsar with muchrespect. “They discuss and impart to the youth,” he writes, “manythings respecting the stars and their motions, respecting the extentof the universe and of our earth, respecting the nature of things,respecting the power and the majesty of the immortal gods” (bk.vi. 14). We would give much to know some particulars of theteaching here described. But the Druids, though well acquaintedwith letters, strictly forbade the committal of their doctrines towriting; an extremely sagacious provision, for not only did theythus surround their teaching with that atmosphere of mysterywhich exercises so potent a spell over the human mind, but theyensured that it could never be effectively controverted.Human Sacrifices in GaulIn strange discord, however, with the lofty words of Cæsarstands the abominable practice of human sacrifice whoseprevalence he noted among the Celts. Prisoners and criminals,or if these failed even innocent victims, probably children, wereencased, numbers at a time, in huge frames of wickerwork, andthere burned alive to win the favour of the gods. The practice of66 Quoted by Bertrand, op. cit. p. 279.