Blood and Mistletoe : The History of the Druids in Britain

by Ronald Hutton

• ISBN13: 9780300170856
• ISBN10: 0300170858
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2011-05-24
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Crushed by the Romans in the first century A.D., the ancient Druids of Britain left almost no reliable evidence behind. Because of this, historian Ronald Hutton shows, succeeding British generations have been free to reimagine, reinterpret, and reinvent the Druids. Hutton's captivating book is the first to encompass two thousand years of Druid history and to explore the evolution of English, Scottish, and Welsh attitudes toward the forever ambiguous figures of the ancient Celtic world. Druids have been remembered at different times as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests; sometimes portrayed as corrupt, bloodthirsty, or ignorant, they were also seen as fomenters of rebellion. Hutton charts how the Druids have been written in and out of history, archaeology, and the public consciousness for some 500 years, with particular focus on the romantic period, when Druids completely dominated notions of British prehistory. Sparkling with legends and images, filled with new perspectives on ancient and modern times, this book is a fascinating cultural study of Druids as catalysts in British history.

Author Biography

Ronald Hutton is professor of history, University of Bristol, and the author of many books including Witches, Druids, and King Arthur: Studies in Paganism, Myth, and Magic, and Debates in Stuart History. He lives in Bristol, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vi
Acknowledgements	p. ix
Introduction	p. x
The Raw Material	p. 1
The Druids Take Shape	p. 49
The Druids Take Over	p. 86
The Druids Take Flesh	p. 125
Iolo Morganwg	p. 146
Interlude: A Pair of Williams	p. 183
The Apogee of the English Druids	p. 210
Iolo's Children	p. 241
The Downfall of the Druids	p. 287
Druidic Afterglow	p. 313
The Universal Bond	p. 348
Druids and Archaeologists	p. 374
Conclusion	p. 418
Notes	p. 423
Index	p. 473
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