st patrick and the druids :: essays research papers

ST. PATRICK & THE DRUIDS OF IRELANDPatrick was a Christian priest whose job it was to metamorphose the population of Ireland to Christianity. The Druids, however, stood in his way. The Druids were very central people in Ireland at that time, and their symbol was the Snake of Wisdom. Druids could be priests of the old religion of Ireland, but at that place were also much more. One part of the Druid class were the "Bards", whose job it was to memorialize all of the history of the people, as well as to record incumbent events. Because the Irish Celts did non rely on a written language, everything had to be memorized. Bards were poets and musicians, and used music and poetry to help them remember their history exactly. Because of this, Bards were passing respected members of the Irish society. The Irish believed that history was very important, for if you didnt remember what had happened in the past, you couldnt safely plan for the future. Bards, therefore, held the fu ture of the people in safekeeping.Another important part of the Druidic class were the "Brehons". Brehons were the Judges and the Keepers of the Laws. The Celtic people had a highly complicated society, and with it, a highly developed beat of laws. Brehons trained for some years to learn the laws of the people, so that whenever there was a dispute, the Brehon could reasonably take root the matter and make peace. The laws were there to make sure that everyone man, woman, and child, were treated fairly and with respect. Because of the wisdom that the Brehons held, and the knowledge of the laws of the society, they too, like the Bards, were held with much respect.And, of course, there were the Druid non-Christian priests. This branch of the Druid set were the keepers of the knowledge of Earth and Spirits. It was their responsibility to learn the Spirit World, in enounce to keep people and Earth in harmony. Priests performed marriages and "baptisms", they were heale rs, and psychiatrists. The Priests were the wise grandparents to whom you could go with a problem. They were there to help you solve them, with the help of the Earth and the Spirit World.Into this orb of the Irish Celts entered a highly energetic and devoted Christian Priest named Patrick. Because he believed so strongly in the tenets of Christianity, he thought that anyone who was not Christian had to become one in order to be " salve".