t. A student could train to be a Priest, a Bard or an Ovate. The Bards were the keepers of tradition through oral art. After basic training they would study grammar fortwelve years. They would memorize hundreds of stories, poems, and philosophicalproverbs. They would keep the history of the Celtic people and were considered to bevery important to society (2,5).The Ovates were the sorcerers of the Druid order. They were the healers of theCeltic people. They specialized in divination, conversing with the spirits andprophesising the future. They practiced magic through the powers of nature. The mostadvanced Ovates were said to be able to control the weather, levitate various objectsincluding themselves, and change their shape into something else, most commonly acrow (2,5).The Priests formed the professional class of Celtic society. They were theteachers, the ambassadors, the astronomers, the philosophers, the theologians, thescientists, and the judges. They led all public rituals, which were held within fencedgroves of oak trees. They were not mediators between man and god. They served asguides of wisdom and directors of ritual. Each Celtic person has his or her ownconnection with the devine (2,5).Women were allowed to become Druids as well. The female Druids were held inthe same regard as the male Druids. In Celtic society, women could own land and rule atribe. The ancestry was traced maternally and women were able to divorce theirhusbands. The strength of the Celtic women can be seen in Boudicca. She was one of thefirst people to lead a revolt against the Romans in Britian (3,4).Druid magic is the result of an in-depth awareness of nature, and the spirits andgods who live in nature. A Druid must be able to understand the language of nature andabsorb its ever flowing wisdom. All other wisdom follows from that. The main principlebehind their magic was to appeal to the gods for a particular service in return for anoffering.The Druids beli...
