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Celtic Mythology and Religion

by Professor W.J. Watson

by Professor W.J. Watson

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THE " DRUID ' CIRCLES. 200.<br />

•<br />

any <strong>Celtic</strong> or Druidic temple, as far as I know<br />

the inference from this might be that the <strong>Celtic</strong><br />

temples were like the Roman temples, or more<br />

probably like the <strong>Celtic</strong> houses — " great houses,"<br />

as Strabo says, " dome-shaped, constructed of<br />

planks <strong>and</strong> wicker, with a heavy thatched roof."<br />

The houses were wooden, except in the Gaulish<br />

towns, <strong>and</strong> so would the temples be in rural districts<br />

<strong>and</strong> in Britain, which was in a more primitive state<br />

than Gaul in respect to towns. The Druidic argument<br />

may be put in this form—We are not told<br />

what kind of temples the Celts <strong>and</strong> their Druids had ;<br />

therefore, the Druids worshipped in the stone circles.<br />

Or the matter may be put in<br />

this way—We know<br />

but little of the Druids, <strong>and</strong> we know nothing of<br />

the circles ;<br />

therefore, the Druids worshipped in the<br />

stone circles. But why should they worship in<br />

stone circles? Well, the answer is this, as given<br />

by the Druidic theorists : It is the solar circle<br />

these circles have a solar reference ; the sun was<br />

worshipped in them. Others think these avenues<br />

<strong>and</strong> circles are signs of a worship of snakes <strong>and</strong><br />

dragons, <strong>and</strong> the whole system of Baal-worsbip<br />

<strong>and</strong> such like<br />

was transplanted from Phenicia <strong>and</strong><br />

Egypt into Gaul, <strong>and</strong> more especially into Britain.<br />

Besides the fact that the Druidic argument proceeds<br />

on vicious logical premises, I<br />

will later on prove that<br />

<strong>Celtic</strong> priests could have nothing to do with the<br />

building of rude stone circles.<br />

And if we look abroad<br />

at the circles of India, Algeria, <strong>and</strong> Arabia, did the

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