德鲁伊 ---- 一个远古神秘的宗教

自然悲伤

In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. Druidic practices were part of the culture of all the tribal peoples called Keltoi and Galatai by Greeks and Celtae and Galli by Romans, which evolved into modern English "Celtic" and "Gaulish".
在凯尔特信仰里面，现代词语“德鲁伊教团员”或“德鲁伊教”是用来表示古代德鲁伊教的实践，祭司阶层在古代凯匀特社会里面是遍及西欧，从阿尔卑斯山到不列颠群岛。德鲁伊教实践的是所有部族成员文化的一部分，这个部族被希腊人称为“凯尔特族”，被罗马人称为高利，发展成近代英语的“凯尔特”和“高卢”。

                                 
Modern attempts at reconstructing practising druidism are called Neo-druidism.
正在努力尝试重建德鲁伊教的现代人就称为“新德鲁伊教”。
From what little we know of late druidic practice it appears deeply traditional, and conservative in the sense that the druids were conserving repositories of culture and lore. It is impossible now to judge whether this continuity had deep historical roots and originated in the social transformations of late La Tene time, or whether there had been a discontinuity and a druidic religious innovation. The etymological origins of the word druid are varied and doubtful enough that the word may be pre-Indo-European. The most widespread view is that "druid" derives from the Celtic word for an oak tree (doire in Irish Gaelic), a word whose root also meant "wisdom."
从琐碎的资料我们得知，它表现出深深的传统，保守派的德鲁伊教团员保存着知识和文明的仓库。现在不可能的就是判断这种连续性是否拥有深深的历史根源，起源于拉丁后期的社会转变中，或者中间是否出现过间断，以及德鲁伊宗教的改革。根据语源学，“德鲁伊”这个词的起源是各式各样，足可以怀疑这个词可能是出自印欧时期之前。更为普遍的观点就是“德鲁伊”是源自凯尔特的单调“橡树”（爱尔兰的盖子尔语），这个词的词根也是“智慧”的意思。
Their influence was as much social as religious. Druids used not only to take the part that modern priests would, but were often the philosophers, scientists, lore-masters, teachers, judges and councillors to the kings. The Druids linked the Celtic peoples with their numerous gods, the lunar calendar and the sacred natural order. With the arrival of Christianity in each area, all these roles were assumed by the bishop and the abbot, who were never the same individual, however, and might find themselves in direct competition.
他们的影响既是社会性，也是宗教性。德鲁伊教团员不仅履行现代祭司所做之事，而且还经常是哲学家，科学家，知识的主人，教师，国王的法官和议员。德鲁伊教团员运用众多的神，阴历与神圣的自然规律，凯尔特人们连接在一起。随着基督教进入每个区域，所有这些角色都被假装成主教和修道院，从来不是相同的个人，可能也会发现他们本身是处于直接的竞争中。
Our historical knowledge of the druids is very limited. Druidic lore consisted of a large number of verses learned by heart, and we are told that sometimes twenty years were required to complete the course of study. There may have been a Druidic teaching center on Anglesey (Ynys Mon) centered on magical lakes, but what was taught, whether poetry, astronomy or whether possibly even the Greek language, is conjecture. Of their oral literature of sacred songs, formulas for prayers and incantations, rules of divination and magic, not one verse has survived, even in translation, nor is there even a legend that we can call purely druidic, without a Christian overlay or interpretation.
我们有关德鲁伊教的历史知识十分有限。德鲁伊教的知识是由大量记住的诗句组成，我们也得知完成学习课程需要二十年的时间。盎格鲁可能曾经有过德鲁伊教导中心，以不可思议的湖作为圆心，但教导的内容，不管是诗，天文学还是歌曲，甚至很可能是希腊语，都只是猜想。他们的口头文献是神圣的歌，成为祷告者的客套语和咒语，预言和巫术的法则，并没有诗句保存下来，甚至没有译本，也没有一个可以称得上纯粹的德鲁伊教的传说，没有像基督教那样的覆盖图和解释。
Much traditional rural religious practice can still be discerned beneath Christian interpretation, nevertheless, and survives in practices like Halloween observances, corn dollies and other harvest rituals, the myths of Puck, woodwoses, "lucky" and "unlucky" plants and animals and the like. Orally-transmitted material may have exaggerated deep origins in antiquity, however, and is constantly subject to influence from surrounding culture.
然而，很多传统的乡村宗教实践在基督教诠释之下仍然可以洞悉到，仍然保持着传统，比如万圣节的庆祝，玉米洋娃娃和其他的收割典礼，还有精灵的神话，森林野狼，“幸运”与“不幸”的植物和动物等诸如此类。然而，口头流传的材料可能已经对古代起源进行了夸大，经常受到周围文化的影响。
         


The story of Vortigern as reported by Nennius is one of the very few glimpses of Druidic survival in Britain after the Roman conquest. After being excommunicated by Germanus, the British leader invites twelve Druids to assist him. In Irish literature, however, the Druids are frequently mentioned, and their functions in the island seem to correspond fairly well to those of Gaul. The functions of Druids we here find distributed amongst Druids, bards and poets, but even in very early times the poet has usurped many of the duties of the Druid (at least to judge from poetry) and finally supplants him with the spread of Christianity.
Nennius（南尼纽斯）报告的Vortigern故事是罗马人征服之后，英国幸存的德鲁伊教的其中非常中的见闻。在被德国逐出教会之后，这位英国领导者邀请十二位德鲁伊教团员去帮助他。然而，在爱尔兰文学，却频繁地提出到德鲁伊教，看来它们的作用在岛上是与高卢人是相当协调的对应。我们在这里发现了德鲁伊教的作用分布在德鲁伊教团员，吟游诗人和诗人当中，可是甚至在非常早的时期，诗人已经篡夺了很多德鲁伊教团员的职位（至少是作诗的判断），最终随着基督教的传播而排挤了他。


The most important Irish documents are contained in manuscripts of the 12th century, but the texts themselves go back in large measure to about 700.
最重要的爱尔兰文献包含了十二世纪的手稿，但文献本身要很大尺度地回溯到比十二世纪要早七百年的时候，也就是五世纪的时候。


In the heroic cycles the Druids do not appear to have formed any corporation, nor do they seem to have been exempt from military service. Cathbu (Cathbad), the Druid connected with Conchobar, king of Ulster, in the older cycle is accompanied by a number of youths (100 according to the oldest version) who are desirous of learning his art.
在各种英雄人物时期的故事中，德伊鲁教看上去似乎并未形成任何社团，也没有免除服兵役。Cathbu (Cathbad)，是德鲁伊教与阿尔斯特（原为爱尔兰一地区）的康纳尔王（爱尔兰传说中公元初期阿尔斯特国王）发生联系的人，在更古老的时期，是由众多年轻人陪倍着（依照最古老的版本，是100个），渴望学习他的艺术。


The Druids are represented as being able to foretell the future: before setting out on the great expedition against Ulster, Medb, queen of Connaught, goes to consult her Druid, and just before the famous heroine Derdriu (Deirdre) is born, Cathbu prophesies what sort of a woman she will be.
德鲁伊教团员被描绘成能预言未来；在离开阿尔斯特的伟大远征之前，仅是著名英雄迪尔德丽出生之前，康纳尔王的王后玛布请教了她的德伊鲁教团员，Cathbu就预言到她将会是哪种类型的女人。


Druids also have magical skills: the hero Cuchulainn has returned from the land of the fairies after having been enticed thither by a fairywoman named Fand, whom he is now unable to forget. He is given a potion by some Druids, which banishes all memory of his recent adventures and which also rids his wife Emer of the pangs of jealousy. More remarkable still is the story of Etain.
德鲁伊教团员也拥有不可思议的技巧：英雄Cuchulainn被一位名为Fand的仙女精灵长期诱惑之后，已经从精灵之地返回。他从德鲁伊教团员手上得到一服药，会消除他最近经历的记忆，也会摆脱掉他的妻子伊玛嫉妒的悲痛。更加不可思议的就是Etain的故事。


This lady, now the wife of Eochaid Arem, high-king of Ireland, was in a former existence the beloved of the god Mider, who again seeks her love and carries her off. The king has recourse to his Druid Dalgn, who requires a whole year to discover the haunt of the couple. This he accomplished by means of four wands of yew inscribed with ogam characters.
这位女士，现在是爱尔兰最高国王Eochaid Arem的妻子，在至爱之神密特（Mider）形式上的存在之物里面，又再次地去寻找她的爱，并且得到她的芳心。国王求助他的德鲁伊教团员Dalgn，建议需要一整年的时间去发现这对神出鬼没的夫妻。这回他需要依靠四条记下欧甘文字（古爱尔兰人用的一种文字，共20个字母）的紫杉木棒子来完成。


The following description of the band of Cathbus Druids occurs in the epic tale, the Tain bo Cuailnge: The attendant raises his eyes towards heaven and observes the clouds and answers the band around him. They all raise their eyes towards heaven, observe the clouds, and hurl spells against the elements, so that they arouse strife amongst them and clouds of fire are driven towards the camp of the men of Ireland. We are further told that at the court of Conchobar no one had the right to speak before the Druids had spoken. In other texts the Druids are able to produce insanity.
以下是描述发生在史诗故事Tain bo Cuailnge里的迦布斯（Cathbus）德鲁伊教团员：侍奉者（团员）举起他的眼睛，望向天空，观察着云层，回答着他周围的人。他们都举起双目，望向天空，观察着云层，用力地念着靠着这些元素的咒语，因此他们会唤起在他们之中的斗争，点燃的云层被驱赶到朝向爱尔兰人阵营的方向上。我们更进一步地被告知在康纳尔王的宫廷上，没有人有权在德鲁伊教团员说话之前先开口。在另一本文献上，德鲁伊教团员能够制造精神错乱。
                                    
William Stukeley created this version of a Druid - shortening the beard, removed the mistletoe, turned the bag at his side into a sort of bottle or gourd, and placed an axe-head in his belt.
William Stukeley创造了这个德鲁伊教团员的版本——短胡子，远离槲寄生，挂着一个袋子，里面是一种瓶子或葫芦，系在带子上。

In the 18th century, England and Wales experienced a Druid revival, inspired by e. g. John Aubrey, John Toland and William Stukely. There is strong evidence to suggest that William Blake was involved in the Druid revival and may have been an Archdruid.
十八世纪，英格兰和威尔士经历了一场德鲁伊教的复兴，是由约翰奥布里，约翰托兰，以及William Stukely得到灵感而引发。有明显证据暗示了威廉布莱克是涉及到德鲁伊教的复兴，还有可能是主要成员。


Aubrey was the first modern writer to connect Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments with Druidry, a misconception that shaped ideas of Druidry during much of the 19th century.
奥布里是首位涉及到史前巨石阵和其他德鲁伊教巨石纪念碑的现代作家，在十九世纪期间，一种误解发展出了一种对德鲁伊教的想法。


Modern Druidic groups have their roots in this revival, and some claim that Aubrey was an archdruid in possession of an uninterrupted tradition of Druidic knowledge, though Aubrey, an uninhibited collector of lore and gossip, never entered a corroborating word in his voluminous surviving notebooks.
现代德鲁伊教团体在这次复兴上拥有他们的根源，一些声称奥布里是一位主要成员，持有德鲁伊教知识的不间断的传统，尽管奥布里，一位不受禁止的知识和闲谈的收藏家，在他保存下来的内容庞杂的笔记本里。


Toland was fascinated by Aubrey's Stonehenge theories, and wrote his own book, without crediting Aubrey. He has also been claimed as an Archdruid. The Ancient Druid Order claim that Toland held a gathering of Druids from all over Britain and Ireland in a London tavern, the Appletree, in 1717.
托兰被奥布里的巨石阵理论迷住，但没有相信奥布里，并且写了自己的书。他也被声称为一位主要成员。古代德鲁伊律法声称托兰持有从整个英国到爱尔兰的德鲁伊教知识收集，于1717年在伦敦的一间酒馆里面。


The Ancient Order of Druids itself was founded in 1781, led by Henry Hurle and apparently incorporating Masonic ideas.
古代德鲁伊律法本身也是在1781年建立的，由亨利哈里领导，明显是合并了共济会的思想。


A central figure of the Druidic revival is Edward Williams, better known as Iolo Morganwg. His writings, published posthumously as The Iolo Manuscripts (1848), and Barddas (1862), remain influential in the contemporary Druidic movements. Williams claimed to have collected ancient knowledge in a "Gorsedd of Bards of the Isles of Britain" he had organized, but in the 1970s, draft manuscripts of the texts were discovered among Williams' papers, exposing the texts as his own compositions.
一个德鲁伊教复兴的中心人物就是爱德华威廉斯，最为大家熟悉的是Iolo手稿，他的著作在死后发表，比如Iolo手稿（1848年），还有巴达斯（1862），在同时代的德伊鲁运动中仍然有影响力。威廉斯声称在他组织的“英国爱尔兰吟游诗人吟游诗集会”已经收藏有古代知识，但在上世纪七十年代，文献的草拟手稿被发现在威廉斯的论文里，暴露了手稿是他自己的杰作。
                                
This nineteenth-century painting shows a Druidess holding both the sickle and a sprig of mistletoe. She is also standing next to a megalithic structure - a dolmen. Many Druids were women; the Celtic woman enjoyed more freedom and rights than women in any other contemporary culture, including the rights to enter battle, and divorce her husband.
这幅十九世纪的绘画描绘了一位女祭司手拿着镰刀和一些槲寄生的枝叶。她也站在一座巨石建成的建筑物旁——史前巨石阵。很多德鲁伊教团员是女性，凯尔特女性比任何同时代文化的其他女性拥有更多的自由和权利，包括参加战争的权利，还有与丈夫离婚的权利。