History

Let’s Hope The Modern Ones Don’t Follow Suit

10 Comments

There’s accumulating evidence that ancient Druids engaged in cannibalism and human sacrifice.

There seems to be something missing here, though:

By the early centuries of the first millennium A.D., the Celts’ defeat and absorption into the Roman Empire was nearly complete across Europe.

Today, their once wide-ranging culture lives on mainly in the traditional languages of Ireland, Wales, and Brittany, France.

Why no mention of Scotland?

10 thoughts on “Let’s Hope The Modern Ones Don’t Follow Suit”

  1. Perhaps because the passage was speaking of traditional languages. Some native languages were mowed over many years ago. They exist, they just aren’t used significantly anymore. ‘Sides, the Scots have golf, what else do they need?

  3. Yes they do. However…

    Today, their once wide-ranging culture lives on mainly in the traditional languages of Ireland, Wales, and Brittany, France.

    Today Gaelic is exactly what you said…in pockets. Its definitely not mainstream anymore. Tis a shame too, but it is what it is.

  4. The traditional language of Scotland was Pictish, which is extinct. The Gaelic-speakers in the Highlands and Western Isles are immigrants who came over from Ireland around a thousand years ago. Interesting that the Scots who returned the favor and went to northern Ireland four hundred years ago are considered imperialist settlers while the Gaels in the highlands are considered authentic natives. Of course that’s all due to Sir Walter Scott. Before he popularized them the lowland Scots referred to the Highlanders as “the Irish”, or more simply, “the savages”.

  5. There is not, I repeat, not any cannibalism in Her Majesty’s Royal Druidic Society — JENKINS!!! *chomp chomp chomp*

  6. I’d thought that Druidic (Druish? “She’s a Druish Princess!”) human sacrifice was pretty well established already, from contemporary sources.

    Not so much the cannibalism, I guess.

  7. This have anything to do with the Irish Bog Bodies? There was this Nova PBS thing on them, and the known ones appeared to be wealthy people (judging by lack of calluses for hard labor, adornment) who were tortured and put to death for some unknown reason — human sacrifice? punishment for opposing the King? Other?

  8. The Irish Bog bodies were an ancient family, known in Gaelic as Kaen-a-Dee. They were wealthy, did not work or produce anything of value and finally after generations reached a point where their incessant bloviation finally pissed off the other Irish families such that they took the entire useless Kaen-a-Dee clan and dumped them into a bog from an island bridge. Problem solved. Sadly, we never learn from history.

  9. …they took the entire useless Kaen-a-Dee clan and dumped them into a bog from an island bridge. Problem solved.

    I’m not so sure. They apparently missed a few, one of whose descendants is the senior Senator from Massachusetts.

  10. wealthy people (judging by lack of calluses for hard labor, adornment) who were tortured and put to death for some unknown reason

    Maybe Jonathan Swift (“A Modest Proposal”) and P.J. O’Rourke (“Eat the Rich”) — both of Irish ancestry — weren’t kidding after all?

    (Disclaimer: I’m 3/4 Irish, or as they say in the old country, 150-proof.)

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