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What are druids
Generally speaking, a druid was one of the members of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids are best remembered as religious leaders, legal authorities, lore keepers, adjudicators, medical professionals, and even political advisors. The druids are said to have been literate. Some believed that they had been prevented by doctrine from recording knowledge in a written form.
What are the druid symbols?
Most world religions usually have a symbol which serves to represent the particular religion both for the outside world and for its adherents as well, for example, the Cross or Crucifix of Christianity, the Star and Cresent for Islam, the Star of David for Judaism, the Eight-Spoked Wheel for Buddhism, etc. Even Pagan and Neopagan revival movements have their symbols, such as the three moons of Wicca, the fasces for Nova Roma, Mjollnir for Asatru, the Ankh, or Eye of Horus for the Egyptian gods. Except for the Wicca symbol, these signs are based on real characters from the Iron Age or even earlier, when these religions were prominent.
However, Druidism is in a bind when deciding on a standardized symbol of the faith. That is mainly because of the lack of archaeological evidence for a universal symbol. Some gods had a sign associated with them, such as the triskelion or triskele of Manannan mac Lir, also the Taranis's sun wheel. Still, there is no universal symbol that represents Druidism as a whole and can be found in all parts of the Celtic homelands. The reason for this is due to two significant factors:
- The first reason is the lack of togetherness in the Celtic world. As it is known, it was based on tribal systems, not empirical or national networks. Though some gods were familiar to most tribes (Lugus, Brigantia, etc.), some tribal gods had different symbols and names.
- The second reason is the prohibition against religious recordings and writing. Thus, modern Druidism (or so-called neo druidism) has had to make its druid symbols. One of the earliest signs that used to represent Druidism is known as "Awen."
Awen
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Here you can copy the druid symbol Awen directly from here:
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Meaning of Awen symbol: The left ray of Awen represents man, the right - represents woman, while the middle ray signifies the Divine. Concerning the three dots, they are the three drops that fell on the thumb of Gwion Bach, causing divine inspiration. It is also called "The Light of Three Rays." That druid symbol seems to have been devised by the forger Iolo Morgannwg (his translator) in the 18th century, or the hypothetical Llewelyn Sion in the 16th century. However, either way, the earliest appearance of the druid symbol Awen's representation is seen in the book of Barddas, published in the early 19th century.
The design of the Awen symbol has some precedent in the Kabbala's Tree of Life. For instance, Awen's left ray represents the masculine, while the right ray the feminine, and the middle ray of Awen stands for a union of the two. Later, this design was adopted by the meso-druidic community, those the 18th-century men, who used Druidism as part of a Welsh nationalist movement. The symbol has survived within the modern era. It is somewhat approved by most groups (notably the Order of Bards, Druids, and Ovates), despite the lack of "authenticity" of the symbol and association with the Druidic Renaissance. Maybe since it is relatively easy to draw that symbol, works upon a genuinely Celtic feature, and the character's importance is number three.
Druidic Sigil
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The 2nd symbol that was used in Druidism is called "Druidic Sigil." There are two lines, sometimes represented as logs or sticks upon which there is a superimposed circle, that is sometimes described as a wreath. In 1963, the Druidic Sigil symbol was first devised by David Fisher. It is the symbol for either the Reformed Druids of North America and the Henge of Keltria, two of the largest Druidic organizations based in the United States. That druid symbol is held to be a feminine symbol, reflective of the goddesses of Druidism.