Priests and ministers of an ancient Celtic religion which did not disdain to employ the humble allurement of human sacrifice. Very little is now known about the Druids and their faith. Pliny says their religion, originating in Britain, spread eastward as far as Persia. Caesar says those who desired to study its mysteries went to Britain. Caesar himself went to Britain, but does not appear to have obtained any high preferment in the Druidical Church, although his talent for human sacrifice was considerable. Druids performed their religious rites in groves, and knew nothing of church mortgages and the season-ticket system of pew rents. They were, in short, heathens and -- as they were once complacently catalogued by a distinguished prelate of the Church of England -- Dissenters.

A member of an order of priests in ancient Gaul and Britain, who appear in Welsh and Irish history and legend as a priestly class of prophets and sorcerers.

A class of wise men, physicians, and moral philosophers, who were the teachers and religious leaders of the Celts

Thought to come from the Greek drus, meaning oak, but most likely comes from the old Indo-European word dru which means “steadfast” or “forthright.” The precise role of the Druids is still unknown. It is known that they were the Celts' priest class, consisting of magicians and writers, poets and royal advisors. Their power flourished from the second century BCE to the second century CE. They are credited with the creation of the Celtic Tree Calendar, communicating with faeries, and possessing powerful divination skills which required living sacrifices. Eventually they insisted that only men be Druids, which paved the way for the Roman church's victory over the British Isles.

Members of an ancient order of pre-Christian priests.

the judges and priests of the Celts

Pre-Christian initiate priests of Celtic Europe.