Tuesday Intros and Teaser Tuesdays - 'Druidism' by Dudley Wright

I haven't done one of these in a few weeks now and I won't be able to drop by other blogs until after work. But then I will dedicate myself, promise! This week I will feature a book which I took out of my University library about a year and a half ago and haven't gotten around to reading yet. No one else has requested it though, so clearly I'm not taking it from anyone else. And now that University is ending I have to get onto it. The book I'm talking about is Druidism: the Ancient Faith of Britain by Dudley Wright. 

From the famous Coligny Calendar to the legendary mistletoe rite, to the magic of the Tuatha de Danann of Ireland and ancient "druidic" temples, Wright draws on comparative evidence from Gaul and beyond to give a detailed view of the ancient druids. First published in 1924, this Kindle edition includes the original plates and illustrations, and an extensive bibliography.

Tuesday Intros is hosted by Diane over at Bibliophile by the Sea and Teaser Tuesdays is hosted over at A Daily Rhythm.

Intro:

'It is problematic whether the question, asked so frequently both in the past and the present, as to what period in the history of the world witnessed the foundation of Druidism, will ever be answered with definiteness. Some writers have maintained that it was a development or offshoot of the Egyptian religion and, along with Freemasonry, originated in the sublime teachings of Ptah, which, by some, are believed to have been brought out of Egypt by Moses. Faber, in his Pagan Idolatry, expressed the opinion that the Druidical Bards were probably the founders of Freemasonry; certainly members of the Craft will be able to tace many analogies and similarities between Druidic and Masonic ceremonial and practices, but the extent, if any, to which the one has been drawn from, or is dependent upon, the other, must be more or less a matter of speculation.' p.1

It's obvious that this book is from 1924 because those sentences last forever! However, this beginning does get to the core of what I find interesting about Druidism: how rooted it is in world culture. I want to know how it developed and what it inspired.


Teaser:

'The ceremony of initiation, so far as can be gathered from the records, was solemn and arduous. The candidate first took an oath not to reveal the mysteries into which he was about to be initiated.' p.61

I would love to be initiated into all the mysteries. Whenever I see a film about secret societies everything inevitably goes wrong and yet I still want to be a part of it. Anyways, I want to know more about these records  and these mysteries so I will definitely be starting this book soon!

So, what are you reading and teasing? Also, would you read about Druidism or is it not for you?