st patrick and the druids :: essays research papers

ST. PATRICK & THE DRUIDS OF IRELANDPatrick was a Christian priest whose job it was to shift the population of Ireland to Christianity. The Druids, however, stood in his way. The Druids were very important 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 there were similarly much more. One part of the Druid class were the "Bards", whose job it was to remember all of the history of the people, as well as to record current 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 highly 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 future 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 Gaelic people had a highly complicated society, and with it, a highly developed set of laws. Brehons trained for many years to learn the laws of the people, so that whenever there was a dispute, the Brehon could fairly decide 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 Priests. This stolon of the Druid set were the keepers of the knowledge of Earth and Spirits. It was their responsibility to learn the Spirit World, in order to keep people and Earth in harmony. Priests performed marriages and "baptisms", they were healers, and psychiatrists. The Priests were the w ise 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 world 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 "saved".