A day in the life of a Celtic Druid - Philip Freeman — Transcript

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1. 0:07As the sun rises on a fall morning in 55 BCE,
2. 0:12Camma lays two pigeons on the altar at the center of her village.
3. 0:17She offers a prayer to Matrona mother goddess of the Earth,
4. 0:20and Lugus chief of the gods.
5. 0:23Then, she wrings the birds’ necks
6. 0:25and cuts them open to examine their entrails for divine messages.
7. 0:30Camma is a druid.
8. 0:32This means she conducts religious rites,
9. 0:35but she also serves as a judge, healer, and scholar,
10. 0:38teaching children and mediating conflict between Celtic tribes.
11. 0:43She began her studies as a child,
12. 0:45memorizing the countless details necessary to perform her many roles,
13. 0:49since the druids’ knowledge is considered too sacred to record in writing.
14. 0:55Like many druids, she spent years studying in Britain.
15. 0:58Now, she is a resident Druid of the Veneti tribe
16. 1:01in a small farming village near the western coast of Gaul,
17. 1:05in what is now France.
18. 1:07Since returning to Gaul, she has received many offers of marriage–
19. 1:11but she has decided to devote herself to her work, at least for now.
20. 1:16This morning, the omens are troubling.
21. 1:18They tell of war and strife, as they often have in recent months.
22. 1:23A neighboring tribe, the Redones,
23. 1:25have raided their village and stolen cattle in broad daylight twice this fall.
24. 1:30The children have gathered around to watch her work.
25. 1:34Camma plays her lyre and sings to them.
26. 1:36She weaves stories of the powerful kings who once ruled their land –
27. 1:40brave warriors who were slain naked in combat but who will be reborn,
28. 1:45as will all the Celts.
29. 1:47When the children go off to help in the fields,
30. 1:49Camma heads across the village to visit an old woman with an eye infection.
31. 1:54On the way to the old woman’s hut,
32. 1:56she passes men salting pigs for the winter food supply
33. 2:00and women weaving clothing from dyed wool.
34. 2:03She delivers a remedy for the injured eye–
35. 2:05it’s made from mistletoe, a sacred healing plant,
36. 2:08but deadly if used incorrectly.
37. 2:11From there, Camma visits the chieftain to discuss the omens.
38. 2:15She convinces him to go and talk through their problems with their neighbors.
39. 2:18Accompanied by several warriors,
40. 2:20they head through the forest and demand a meeting
41. 2:23outside the Redones’ village walls.
42. 2:25The Redones’ representatives bring their own druid,
43. 2:28who Camma recognizes from the annual gathering in central Gaul
44. 2:32where head druids are elected.
45. 2:34The chieftains immediately begin to argue and threaten each other.
46. 2:38Camma steps between the opposing sides to stop them from fighting—
47. 2:42they must honor her authority.
48. 2:44Finally, the Redones agree to pay Camma’s tribe several cattle.
49. 2:48In spite of this resolution, Camma still feels uneasy on the long walk home.
50. 2:54As they approach the village walls, a bright streak shoots across the sky—
51. 2:58another omen, but of what?
52. 3:01Back home, Camma sits among the elders for her evening meal of porridge,
53. 3:05a bit of meat, and a cup of wine.
54. 3:08While they were out during the day, an intercepted parchment arrived.
55. 3:12Camma recognizes the writing immediately.
56. 3:16Although the druids are forbidden from recording their knowledge,
57. 3:19she and many other young druids can read Latin.
58. 3:23From the message, she learns that the Romans are drawing closer to their lands.
59. 3:28Some of the elders say that the tribe should flee to the nearby hills and hide,
60. 3:33but Camma counsels them to trust in the gods and remain in their home.
61. 3:37Privately, she has her doubts.
62. 3:39Should the Romans reach them, her power to help might be limited.
63. 3:43Unlike the other Celtic tribes,
64. 3:45Roman legions have no regard for the druids’ sacred role as peacemakers.
65. 3:50Before going to bed,
66. 3:51she observes the course of the planets and consults her charts,
67. 3:55trying to make sense of the meteor she saw earlier.
68. 3:58The signs are converging on a larger threat than their neighbors.