Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

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^^'^^ h^ish Religions,
couple of sacred hares engaged in devouring it. The
Berlin Museum has a representation of some rude satyrs
jestingly offering it to a woman. Artists, in the Middle
Ages, have shamelessly made it the plant presented by
the Angel to the Virgin Mary. The Bismarcks use the
shamrock with the motto " In trinitate robur." The sacred
Palasa of India has triple leaves. The French, like the
Irish, retained it as a national symbol. To this hour the
three-leaved, or Fleur-de-lis plant is preserved as a sacred
symbol in architecture, on altar-cloths, &c., the emblem
being now seen in Nonconformist churches as well as in
the Episcopalian.
It was the three-in-one mystery. " Adorning the head
of Osiris, it fell off at the moment of his death. As the
trefoil symbolized generative force in man, the loss of the
garland was the deprivation of vigour in the god ; or, as
some think, the suspension of animal strength in winter."
In the Dublin Museum is a beautiful copper vessel, or
plate, with the trefoil, from Japan. In the Mellor church
of Derbyshire is a very ancient font, with rude figures of
horses, and men with Norman helmets. The tails of the
horses, after passing round the body, end in a rude form
of trefoil, which another horse, with open mouth, is prepared
to eat, while its own long tail is similarly presented to the
open mouth of its equine neighbour. The shamrock was
mysteriously engraved on the neck of the oriental crucified
figure in the relic collection at Glendalough.
The Oak was also venerated by the early Irish. We
read of Kil-dair, the Druids' cell or church of the oak
Maig-adhair or Dearmhagh, the field of oaks ;
the Dairecalgaich,
now Londonderry, the wood of Calgac ;
Dairbhre
(now Valentine, Isle of Kerry), the place producing oaks.
Derrynane was Doire-FJdonain, the oak grove of the
Finian ; Doire-maelain, now Derryvullan, the grove of