PSYCHO
04-16-2004, 10:35
Ok we’ve all seen CA’s British Druid unit. So how do they stand up under critical scrutiny?
Areas of concern:
1)NOT FACTUAL:
Well, I believe there's good evidence to the contrary. They are factual
“Many people have taken one quote of Caesars and built their whole mental picture from it” – Ellis. Ellis is refering to the line in Caesar’s ‘D Bello Gallico’ where he states that Druids are exempt from military service. Many have interpreted that ‘exemption’ as a prohibition. There is a very big difference. All Celtic men of fighting age could be levied / conscripted at the descression of the Warlord / Cheiftain, King. The Druids were exempt from forced combat, but this did not mean they never fought and there is much evidence to suggest that they did volunteer to fight.
Again in quoting ‘D Bello Gallico, Book VI’, “All Druids are under one head, whom they hold in the highest respect. On his death, if any one of the rest is of outstanding merit , he succeeds to the vacant place, if several have equal claims, the Druids usually decide the election by voting, though sometimes they decide the matter by an armed struggle to the death”; Ellis makes a mockery of some of the fanciful concepts of Druids by stating “…now I can hardly envisage two old decrepit priests with long beards beating each other to death with mistletoe”.
The modern idea of non-combatant Druids comes from the work of Houston Stewart Chamberlain in his notorious ‘race history’ ‘Die Grundlagen des Neunzenhnten Jahrhundrets’ (Foundations of the Nineteenth Century, 1899) which became the basis for Nazi political philosophy. The Celts who had been attached to German ancestory, were sanitised of features that were “opposed to Aryan sentiment”. The Druids who practised such “uncivilised” activities as sacrifice were depicted as a foreign invading priesthood, racially different from the “racially pure Aryan (Indo European) Celts”. It was argued that these Druid priests perverted the Celts till the later’s warrior caste over-threw “the perversion” in the 1st Century BC. This theory is utter trash, yet many seem to still adhere to belief that the Druids were somehow completely isolated and removed from the rest of Celtic society and all it’s warlike traditions. .
Examples from History:
Ellis states that “This is complete fantasy. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest this. The Druids of Gaul in the first century BC were certainly not in decline and many Gaulish kings and military leaders have been clearly shown to have been both Druids and members of the military caste”. He cites many examples such as Divitiacus and Dumnorix of the Aedui, Gutuator of the Carnutes, Galba of the Suessiones, Boduognatus of the Nervii and even Concolitanos of the Gaesatae. Further, In Ireland a whole tribe of Druids called the Corco Mo-Druad (Seed of Druid) lived in north Clare and on the Bear Island in Cork and fought regularly with their neighbours.
Another piece of evidence lies in the wearing of the Tonsure, a strictly Druidic hair style. “In accepting the conception of Druids purely as priests, it’s no wonder that some commentators have found it difficult to work out why other professions including warriors, not simply religious functionaries, also wore a tonsure. This only confirms the contention that the Druids were not simply a priesthood but a class who could be part of the warrior elite”.- (History of the Druids, Dr Peter Berresford Ellis, 2002). Ellis later comments, “..we also find warrior champions of the Breton king Waroc’h II taking the field of battle with their head shaved with the Druidic tonsure”.
Ellis mentions that Druids are often recorded wearing torcs which are traditionally associated with the warrior caste.
Not to mention the number of references to great Druidic Warriors in Celtic Lore. So I believe one could effectively argue for the inclusion of such a unit.
2)NAME:
Needless to say, no individual, group or object was called British in this period..or for another several hundred years I might add. I doubt CA will call the Roman Praetorian Guard, Elite Vatican Infantry; nor the Carthaginian Sacred Band, Elite Tunisian Cavalry; nor Spartan Hoplites, Xenophobic Homosexual Greek Spearmen etc etc. All I ask is that the Druids, and the Germans and Celts in general for that matter, be given the same respect as other factions.
Considering that Anglesey was the centre for the Druidic teaching in Briton at the time, I believe it would be better to name the unit something akin to "Anglesey Seanchai" (Meaning “Druid Custodian of Anglesey”), thus giving them a name set in the correct historical context. I understand there are many here that would cite Shakespeare and claim a rose would smell as sweet by any other name, but that is not the case here. As the aforementioned example of Praetorians elucidates, modern simplicity detracts rather than adds in this case. I’m not suggesting that every RTW unit be named in a long winded / abstract label in an archaic language, just that due consideration is given to the historical realities of the period and that CA’s clients be given a little more credit.
3)SICKLE SWORD:
It is obvious that CA have drawn heavily from the accounts of Pliny the Elder in depicting their “British Druid” with a sickle. Pliny (d 79 AD from Mt Versuvius) was obsessed with magic and was fascinated by the Druids. He collected all sorts of hearsay, some third and forth hand information. In his ‘Naturalis Historia’ he wrote:
“Mistletoe is, however, very rarely found, and when found, it is gathered with great ceremony and especially on the sixth day of the moon…They prepare a ritual sacrifice and feast under the tree, and lead up two white bulls whose horns are bound for the first time on this occasion. A priest attired in a white vestment ascends the tree and with a golden pruning hook cuts the mistletoe which is caught in the white cloth. Then next they sacrifice the victims praying that the gods will make their gifts propitious to those to whom they have given them. They believe that if given in drink the mistletoe will give fecundity to any barren animal, and that it is predominant against all poisons”
Thus from the "prunning hook" reference, we have Sickle wielding Druids.
Ellis states that “if the Gauls did revere mistletoe and this ceremony was as important as Pliny indicates , then it is interesting that no other source corroborates this. Pliny himself merely cites Plyhistor (Alexander Cornelius b.c 105 BC) as an authority on mistletoe but he too is merely quoting someone else since lost to the historic record”
Celtic Historian, Nora Chadwick calls this passage “picturesque fantasia that ranks with the stories of King Alfred and the cakes, of Cnut and the waves, and of Bruce and the spider, among the classics of universal popular knowledge. Taken with the uncritical nature of Pliny’s writings generally. Should make us hesitate to attach too grave credence to the passage of the mistletoe in association with the Druids”
I believe it better to depict them with a Celtic long sword and staff. If CA do wish to depict them with a weapon with ‘spiritual’ significance, why not a double handed war hammer as carried by the Celtic god Sucellos (“he who strikes with good effect”); why not a large double handed long sword so often mentioned in Celtic legend being carried by Druidic warriors?
4)CLOAK:
Yes, the Druids were renown for such attire. Cassius Dio mentions that the emperor Aurelius Antonius (211-217 AD) invoked the Gaul god Grannos (god of healing and solar worship) and was given the nick-name ‘Caracalla’, derived from the long hooded cloaks once worn by Druids in Britain.
For what it’s worth, the cloak on the “British Druid” should be much longer, at least to the carves.
5)UNDER GARMENT:
Numerous authors of antiquity mention that Druids wore white garments when undertaking official duties, so the “British Druid’s” white under shirt is correct in my understanding. The only difference is that the garment would be a long sleave garment as so often attested with the upper classes of Celtic Society. I would also have the garment hang to just above the knees, beneath the chain mail shirt.
6)FOOTWEAR:
The black at the front of the “British Druid’s” shoes gives one the impression that he is wearing modern brown runners. Maybe this gives us some insight into how CA intends on having them opperate http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-surprised.gif Oh Brave Sir Robin
7)CRESCENT SHIELD:
Well, one understands how CA have come to depict the “British Druid” with a crescent shield when such a moon has so much religious significance to the Celt, but it is hardly ideal. If the Druids carried anything other than their weapons into battle, it would have been a standard Celtic shield. I would rather see them wielding a huge War Hammer or Double-Handed Sword (both of which were wielded by Druids in Irish Lore)than the Sickle and Crescent Shield. It would definitely make gameplay a lot more ‘fun’ http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/bigthumb.gif
my2bob
Areas of concern:
1)NOT FACTUAL:
Well, I believe there's good evidence to the contrary. They are factual
“Many people have taken one quote of Caesars and built their whole mental picture from it” – Ellis. Ellis is refering to the line in Caesar’s ‘D Bello Gallico’ where he states that Druids are exempt from military service. Many have interpreted that ‘exemption’ as a prohibition. There is a very big difference. All Celtic men of fighting age could be levied / conscripted at the descression of the Warlord / Cheiftain, King. The Druids were exempt from forced combat, but this did not mean they never fought and there is much evidence to suggest that they did volunteer to fight.
Again in quoting ‘D Bello Gallico, Book VI’, “All Druids are under one head, whom they hold in the highest respect. On his death, if any one of the rest is of outstanding merit , he succeeds to the vacant place, if several have equal claims, the Druids usually decide the election by voting, though sometimes they decide the matter by an armed struggle to the death”; Ellis makes a mockery of some of the fanciful concepts of Druids by stating “…now I can hardly envisage two old decrepit priests with long beards beating each other to death with mistletoe”.
The modern idea of non-combatant Druids comes from the work of Houston Stewart Chamberlain in his notorious ‘race history’ ‘Die Grundlagen des Neunzenhnten Jahrhundrets’ (Foundations of the Nineteenth Century, 1899) which became the basis for Nazi political philosophy. The Celts who had been attached to German ancestory, were sanitised of features that were “opposed to Aryan sentiment”. The Druids who practised such “uncivilised” activities as sacrifice were depicted as a foreign invading priesthood, racially different from the “racially pure Aryan (Indo European) Celts”. It was argued that these Druid priests perverted the Celts till the later’s warrior caste over-threw “the perversion” in the 1st Century BC. This theory is utter trash, yet many seem to still adhere to belief that the Druids were somehow completely isolated and removed from the rest of Celtic society and all it’s warlike traditions. .
Examples from History:
Ellis states that “This is complete fantasy. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest this. The Druids of Gaul in the first century BC were certainly not in decline and many Gaulish kings and military leaders have been clearly shown to have been both Druids and members of the military caste”. He cites many examples such as Divitiacus and Dumnorix of the Aedui, Gutuator of the Carnutes, Galba of the Suessiones, Boduognatus of the Nervii and even Concolitanos of the Gaesatae. Further, In Ireland a whole tribe of Druids called the Corco Mo-Druad (Seed of Druid) lived in north Clare and on the Bear Island in Cork and fought regularly with their neighbours.
Another piece of evidence lies in the wearing of the Tonsure, a strictly Druidic hair style. “In accepting the conception of Druids purely as priests, it’s no wonder that some commentators have found it difficult to work out why other professions including warriors, not simply religious functionaries, also wore a tonsure. This only confirms the contention that the Druids were not simply a priesthood but a class who could be part of the warrior elite”.- (History of the Druids, Dr Peter Berresford Ellis, 2002). Ellis later comments, “..we also find warrior champions of the Breton king Waroc’h II taking the field of battle with their head shaved with the Druidic tonsure”.
Ellis mentions that Druids are often recorded wearing torcs which are traditionally associated with the warrior caste.
Not to mention the number of references to great Druidic Warriors in Celtic Lore. So I believe one could effectively argue for the inclusion of such a unit.
2)NAME:
Needless to say, no individual, group or object was called British in this period..or for another several hundred years I might add. I doubt CA will call the Roman Praetorian Guard, Elite Vatican Infantry; nor the Carthaginian Sacred Band, Elite Tunisian Cavalry; nor Spartan Hoplites, Xenophobic Homosexual Greek Spearmen etc etc. All I ask is that the Druids, and the Germans and Celts in general for that matter, be given the same respect as other factions.
Considering that Anglesey was the centre for the Druidic teaching in Briton at the time, I believe it would be better to name the unit something akin to "Anglesey Seanchai" (Meaning “Druid Custodian of Anglesey”), thus giving them a name set in the correct historical context. I understand there are many here that would cite Shakespeare and claim a rose would smell as sweet by any other name, but that is not the case here. As the aforementioned example of Praetorians elucidates, modern simplicity detracts rather than adds in this case. I’m not suggesting that every RTW unit be named in a long winded / abstract label in an archaic language, just that due consideration is given to the historical realities of the period and that CA’s clients be given a little more credit.
3)SICKLE SWORD:
It is obvious that CA have drawn heavily from the accounts of Pliny the Elder in depicting their “British Druid” with a sickle. Pliny (d 79 AD from Mt Versuvius) was obsessed with magic and was fascinated by the Druids. He collected all sorts of hearsay, some third and forth hand information. In his ‘Naturalis Historia’ he wrote:
“Mistletoe is, however, very rarely found, and when found, it is gathered with great ceremony and especially on the sixth day of the moon…They prepare a ritual sacrifice and feast under the tree, and lead up two white bulls whose horns are bound for the first time on this occasion. A priest attired in a white vestment ascends the tree and with a golden pruning hook cuts the mistletoe which is caught in the white cloth. Then next they sacrifice the victims praying that the gods will make their gifts propitious to those to whom they have given them. They believe that if given in drink the mistletoe will give fecundity to any barren animal, and that it is predominant against all poisons”
Thus from the "prunning hook" reference, we have Sickle wielding Druids.
Ellis states that “if the Gauls did revere mistletoe and this ceremony was as important as Pliny indicates , then it is interesting that no other source corroborates this. Pliny himself merely cites Plyhistor (Alexander Cornelius b.c 105 BC) as an authority on mistletoe but he too is merely quoting someone else since lost to the historic record”
Celtic Historian, Nora Chadwick calls this passage “picturesque fantasia that ranks with the stories of King Alfred and the cakes, of Cnut and the waves, and of Bruce and the spider, among the classics of universal popular knowledge. Taken with the uncritical nature of Pliny’s writings generally. Should make us hesitate to attach too grave credence to the passage of the mistletoe in association with the Druids”
I believe it better to depict them with a Celtic long sword and staff. If CA do wish to depict them with a weapon with ‘spiritual’ significance, why not a double handed war hammer as carried by the Celtic god Sucellos (“he who strikes with good effect”); why not a large double handed long sword so often mentioned in Celtic legend being carried by Druidic warriors?
4)CLOAK:
Yes, the Druids were renown for such attire. Cassius Dio mentions that the emperor Aurelius Antonius (211-217 AD) invoked the Gaul god Grannos (god of healing and solar worship) and was given the nick-name ‘Caracalla’, derived from the long hooded cloaks once worn by Druids in Britain.
For what it’s worth, the cloak on the “British Druid” should be much longer, at least to the carves.
5)UNDER GARMENT:
Numerous authors of antiquity mention that Druids wore white garments when undertaking official duties, so the “British Druid’s” white under shirt is correct in my understanding. The only difference is that the garment would be a long sleave garment as so often attested with the upper classes of Celtic Society. I would also have the garment hang to just above the knees, beneath the chain mail shirt.
6)FOOTWEAR:
The black at the front of the “British Druid’s” shoes gives one the impression that he is wearing modern brown runners. Maybe this gives us some insight into how CA intends on having them opperate http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-surprised.gif Oh Brave Sir Robin
7)CRESCENT SHIELD:
Well, one understands how CA have come to depict the “British Druid” with a crescent shield when such a moon has so much religious significance to the Celt, but it is hardly ideal. If the Druids carried anything other than their weapons into battle, it would have been a standard Celtic shield. I would rather see them wielding a huge War Hammer or Double-Handed Sword (both of which were wielded by Druids in Irish Lore)than the Sickle and Crescent Shield. It would definitely make gameplay a lot more ‘fun’ http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/bigthumb.gif
my2bob