All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

druids

Father Christmas enjoying the Christmas tradition. Date: circa 1860. Source: Archivist / Adobe Stock

Favorite Christmas Traditions PLUS Those You May Never Have Heard About

Every year as December rolls in, some 2 billion people start to feel the Christmas cheer. While the celebration is now primarily a Christian one honoring the birth of Jesus, its traditions merge with...
Close up of Old Croghan Man’s nails (National Museum of Ireland)

Why Does This Ancient Corpse Have a Manicure? (Video)

In central Ireland, beneath the looming presence of Croghan Hill, lies a mystery shrouded in history. Known simply as the Old Croghan Man , his true name remains a riddle lost to time. Archaeologists...
Druids. Source: Algol / Adobe Stock.

Bizarre Facts About the Druids (Video)

The Druids , often misunderstood as mystical figures, had a key role in ancient Celtic society . The term likely referred to individuals with extensive knowledge rather than wizards. They were...
Panoramic view of Stonehenge with rainbow - United Kingdom (muratart / Adobe Stock)

Roman Origins Of A Pot At The End Of The Rainbow

Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side? Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide. So we've been told and some choose to believe it...
Massacres have been a near constant in human history. Pieter Bruegel the Elder painting The Triumph of Death, circa 1562. Source: Public Domain

The Stories Behind Seven of the Worst Massacres in Ancient History

We all know that the ancient world was a violent place, but we often don’t appreciate just how violent it was. The world was in a near-constant state of bloodshed and warfare. Massacres and mass...
The Village Funeral by Daniel MacDonald (Public Domain)

Howling The Horror Of Loss: Keening And Death Lament Of The Irish

“ Bríg came and keened for her son. At first she shrieked, in the end she wept. Then for the first time weeping and lamentation were heard in Ireland .” The quotation comes from the ancient Irish...
Composite of in-article images.

Nine of the Finest: A Run Down of Recent Top Stories

In the recent top stories; A sunken Maya city, Costa Rica’s stone spheres, Mungo Man makes it home, a Jewish-style Alexander the Great, all Roswell’s witnesses, Anglesey Druid slaughter, Jesus death...
Detail of illustration showing Roman soldiers killing the Anglesey Druids, as described by Tacitus. Source: Public domain

The Conquest of Anglesey and the Destruction of Druidism’s Last Stronghold

With a reputation for their savagery, the destruction of the Anglesey Druids and conquest of the Welsh Isle of Anglesey by the Romans put an end to the last pagan corner of Wales in 77 AD. But was...
Stonehenge and surrounding earthworks.

Natural Harmony: How did the Stonehenge Druids Measure the Landscape?

What were the Proto-Druids up to at Stonehenge? Advances in GPS technology and other sophisticated mapping software allow their prehistoric surveying activities to be investigated in ways that were...
Wicker Man

The Fearsome Wicker Man: An Eerie Way Druids Committed Human Sacrifice

The wicker man is purported to be one of the means by which the ancient druids made human sacrifices. According to a number of classical authors, the druids partook in human sacrifice, though these...
Stonehenge Druids Pledge Sacrifice To Try To Stop Tunnel

Stonehenge Druids Pledge Sacrifice To Try To Stop Tunnel

Stonehenge Druids in England are planning to lie in front of bulldozers to prevent the new Stonehenge bypass tunnel. When the Romans invaded Britain in the early 1st century AD the island of Anglesey...
After a ten year run of bad luck, an Irish farmer was advised by University College Cork to contact druids to perform a ceremony. Source: heywoody / Adobe Stock

Cursed Irish Farmer Calls in The Druids

A Cork farmer has employed the services of druids to end his decade of bad luck after a bull damaged an ancient standing stone on his land. The Irish farmer, Donal Bohane, owns a 30-acre (12.1 ha.)...
British archaeoastronomer claims that the Blidworth Druid Stone “might” have been deliberately aligned with the sun, and that it “may” have been a central feature in ancient druid rituals. But more archaeological study is needed before reaching any conclusions. Source: Deborah McDonald / CC BY-SA 2.0

Blidworth Druid Stone: Sacred Altar or Lifeless Rock?

Referred to locally as the “Druid Stone” or “Altar Stone,” this monumental stone stands about 4 meters (13 feet) high on private land in the village of Blidworth, England, and is viewable from a...
Flying Rowan Tree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Power of the Flying Rowan Tree, Woe of the Witches

Why were certain plants raised from mere utility to reverence in the collective consciousness of various populations from different cultures? This elevation from purely physical use to the realm of...
The sacred Whiteleaved Oak near Ledbury has been destroyed by fire. Source: Ledbury Fire Station / Hereford Times

Famous Sacred Historic Oak Destroyed by Fire in the UK

In England a sacred historic oak has been reduced to a burnt stump after it was engulfed by fire. This tree was a local landmark and it was venerated by people from all over the world. This sacred...
Mistletoe branch. Credit: Vera Kuttelvaserova / Adobe Stock.

Mistletoe: From Toxin-Laced Darts to Fertility Symbol

Christmas and mistletoe: have you ever simply asked yourself … why? I have studied plant parasites like mistletoe for almost ten years, and I’m here to tell you that the answer is absolutely...
Bryn Celli Ddu

4,000-Year-Old Burial Revealed on Welsh Island Linked to Mysterious Druid Sorcerers

Excavations are underway on the 4,000-year-old Bronze Age burial cairn known as ‘Bryn Celli Ddu Bach’ on the British island of Anglesey, located off the north coast of Wales. Anglesey is famous for...
Gothic queen in red dress doing magic

Ancient Women Shamans of Ireland: Healers, Priestesses and Diviners

All around the world many of the oldest ceremonial megalithic sites are associated with women shamans and oracular tradition and prophecy. A good example of this is Napta Playa which was linked to...
Carving in Chislehurst Caves.

Were the Chislehurst Caves Originally Created By Druids?

The Chislehurst Caves are a series of subterranean tunnels , man-made rooms, and caverns located in the southeastern part of Greater London . Although the history of the caves stretches back much...
The Celts had many female warriors

Eight Surprising Things You Should Know About the Celts

The Celts were a distinct ethnic group made up of tribes spread across Europe. They shared similar languages, traditions, religions , and cultural practices and were known for their fierceness in...
 Women shaman of Ireland in trance - magic rotates the leaves.

Ancient Women Shaman of Ireland: Goddesses of Prophecy and Omens

The Celtic scholar Nora Chadwick notes that in Irish mythology the prophetess Fedelm tells Queen Medb that she has been in the land of Alba learning the art of the Filidect. Medb asks if she has...
The London Stone, as kept in the alcove of 111 Cannon Street

Legendary Landmark and Talisman ‘The London Stone’ to be Returned to Cannon Street

A mysterious ancient stone is to be returned to its home in London in the next few weeks. This enigmatic object, popularly known as the ‘London Stone’ has been one of the landmarks of the great...
Solar gods were worshiped in prehistoric Ireland.

Was Prayer to the Ancient Solar Gods enough to Change the Renowned Irish Weather?

Ireland’s history is rich in dramatic myth and mysterious legends. The significance of the natural world, and most importantly the sun, was obvious in the daily lives of the pre-Christian Irish...
All Giza Pyramids in one shot.

From the Pyramids to Stonehenge – were Prehistoric People Astronomers?

Daniel Brown / The Conversation Ever since humans could look up to see the sky, we have been amazed by its beauty and untold mysteries. Naturally then, astronomy is often described as the oldest of...

Pages