The Religion of the Ancient Celts Part 35

The existence of such priestesses and divineresses over the Celtic area is to be explained by our hypothesis that many Celtic divinities were at first female and served by women, who were possessed of the tribal lore.

Later, men a.s.sumed their functions, and hence arose the great priesthoods, but conservatism sporadically retained such female cults and priestesses, some G.o.ddesses being still served by women--the Galatian Artemis, or the G.o.ddesses of Gaul, with their female servants.

Time also brought its revenges, for when paganism pa.s.sed away, much of its folk-ritual and magic remained, practised by wise women or witches, who for generations had as much power over ignorant minds as the Christian priesthood. The fact that Caesar and Tacitus speak of Germanic but not of Celtic priestesses, can hardly, in face of these scattered notices, be taken as a proof that women had no priestly _role_ in Celtic religion. If they had not, that religion would be unique in the world's history.

FOOTNOTES:

[1002] Pliny, _HN_ xvi. 249.

[1003] D'Arbois, _Les Druides_, 85, following Thurneysen.

[1004] D'Arbois, _op. cit._ 12 f.; Deloche, _Revue des Deux Mondes_, x.x.xiv. 466; Desjardins, _Geog. de la Gaule Romaine_, ii. 518.

[1005] Caesar, vi. 13.

[1006] Pliny, _HN_ x.x.x. 1.

[1007] Rh[^y]s, _CB_{4} 69 f.

[1008] Gomme, _Ethnol. in Folk-lore_, 58, _Village Community_, 104.

[1009] Sergi, _The Mediterranean Race_, 295.

[1010] Reinach, "L'Art plastique en Gaule et le Druidisme," _RC_ xiii.

189.

[1011] Holmes, _Caesar's Conquest of Gaul_, 15; Dottin, 270.

[1012] Diog. Laert. i. 1; Livy xxiii. 24.

[1013] Desjardins, _op. cit._ ii. 519; but cf. Holmes, 535.

[1014] _Gutuatros_ is perhaps from _gutu_-, "voice" (Holder, i. 2046; but see Loth, _RC_ xxviii. 120). The existence of the _gutuatri_ is known from a few inscriptions (see Holder), and from Hirtius, _de Bell.

Gall._ viii. 38, who mentions a _gutuatros_ put to death by Caesar.

[1015] D'Arbois, _Les Druides_, 2 f., _Les Celtes_, 32.

[1016] Ausonius, _Professor._ v. 7, xi. 24.

[1017] Lucan, iii. 424; Livy, xxiii. 24.

[1018] Diod. Sic. v. 31; Strabo, iv. 4. 4; Timagenes _apud_ Amm. Marc.

xv. 9.

[1019] Cicero, _de Div._ i. 41. 90; Tac. _Hist._ iv. 54.

[1020] _Phars._ i. 449 f.

[1021] _HN_ x.x.x. i.

[1022] _Filid_, sing. _File_, is from _velo_, "I see" (Stokes, _US_ 277).

[1023] _Fathi_ is cognate with _Vates_.

[1024] In Wales there had been Druids as there were Bards, but all trace of the second cla.s.s is lost. Long after the Druids had pa.s.sed away, the fiction of the _derwydd-vardd_ or Druid-bard was created, and the later bards were held to be depositories of a supposit.i.tious Druidic theosophy, while they practised the old rites in secret. The late word _derwydd_ was probably invented from _derw_, "oak," by some one who knew Pliny's derivation. See D'Arbois, _Les Druides_, 81.

[1025] For these views see Dottin, 295; Holmes, 17; Bertrand, 192-193, 268-269.

[1026] Diog. Laert. i. proem. 1. For other references see Caesar, vi. 13, 14; Strabo, iv. 4. 4; Amm. Marc. xv. 9; Diod. Sic, v. 28; Lucan, i. 460; Mela, iii. 2.

[1027] Suet. _Claud._ 25; Mela, iii. 2.

[1028] Pliny, x.x.x. 1.

[1029] D'Arbois, _Les Druides_, 77.

[1030] Diod. Sic. v. 31. 4.

[1031] See Cicero, _de Div._ i. 41.

[1032] Diod. Sic. v. 28; Amm. Marc. xv. 9; Hippolytus, _Refut. Haer._ i.

22.

[1033] Amm. Marc. xv. 9.

[1034] Caesar, vi. 14.

[1035] Diog. Laert. 6. Celtic enthusiasts see in this triple maxim something akin to the Welsh triads, which they claim to be Druidic!

[1036] Bertrand, 280.

[1037] Caesar, vi. 13.

[1038] _Trip. Life_, ii. 325, i. 52, ii. 402; _IT_ i. 373; _RC_ xxvi.

33. The t.i.tle _rig-file_, "king poet," sometimes occurs.

[1039] Caesar, vi. 14.

[1040] Caesar, vi. 13; Strabo, iv. 4. 4.

[1041] Strabo, xii. 5. 2.

[1042] Their judicial powers were taken from them because their speech had become obscure. Perhaps they gave their judgments in archaic language.

[1043] Diod. Sic. v. 31. 5.

[1044] Caesar, vii. 33.

[1045] _IT_ i. 213; D'Arbois, v. 186.