Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

192 Old Irish Religions,
—
A stone was dug up in the road from Glasgow to Edinburgh,
on which was an inscription to Granniits, the Latin
form of grian, the sun. Enclosures in the Highlands
were called Grianan, the house of the sun. On Harris
Island is a stone circle, with a stone in the centre, known
as Clack-iia-Grcine, the stone of the sun. At Elgin, the
bride had to lead
her husband to the church following the
sun's course.
But did the Irish indulge in this form of idolatry ?
Some writers, zealous for the honour of their countrymen,
have denied the impeachment. Even the learned
O'Curry was of that school, declaring— " There is no
ground whatever for imputing to them human sacrifice
none whatever for believing that the early people of Erinn
adored the sun, moon, or stars, nor that they worshipped
fire."
But what was St. Patrick's teaching }
The Saint is recorded to have said of the sun, "All
who adore him shall unhappily fall into eternal punishment."
In his Cojifessio, he exclaimed, " Woe to its
unhappy worshippers, for punishment awaits them. But
"
we believe in and adore the true Sun, Christ !
Morien, the modern and enthusiastic Welsh Bard, is
equally desirous to remove from his sires the reproach of
being sun-worshippers.
" One of the Welsh names of the
sun," he remarks, *' proves that they believed in a personal
God, and that they believed He dwelt in the sun. That
name of the sun is Huan^ the abode of Hu " (the Deity).
Elsewhere he writes, " There was no such a being as a Sun-
God in the religious systems of the Druids. They named
the sun the House of God (Huan-Annedd Hu)." Again,
" The Gwyddon {High Priest)^ was emblematical of the
Spirit of God in the sun. The Gwyddon was clad in a
robe of virgin white, symbolizing light and holiness.
His