Sacred Plants & Animals

Celtic druids are not “forest lovers” for its own sake (as most rpg druids tend to appear), yet they hold nature in high esteem. They believe that everything has a purpose and reason. As such, when killing an animal nothing should go to waste, but everything could be used, from providing food to making clothes, medicinal or talismans. Then plants and trees may be used for magic, construction, and healing.

Celtic Druids and the Tuatha de Dannan

By Dominique Crouzet

• Sacred Plants: Plants and trees hold a central role in the druidic rituals and life, as each tree or plant is connected to special powers or properties. In fact the tree is a primary symbol of druidism, and each species of tree known to the druids has a meaning of its own. The tree is the connection between all elements. It reaches from the earth to meet the sky, representing balance as well as a bridge between the Sky and the Underworld, the material world and The Otherworld.

Here are some example of plant properties:

• — Hazel Tree: the hazel-tree is associated to Wisdom and to the Sacred Salmon (of knowledge).
• — Oak: the oak (king of the forest) has a special role among all other plants. The Carnuti forest is made of oaks, and there the druids gather once a year, and close or under an oak the druids teach their lessons. Its celtic name (“Duir”) means doorway, and the oak symbolizes a doorway to mysteries and strength. Moreover, the oak is the supporting tree for the mistletoe, probably the most sacred plant within the druidic tradition.
• — Walnut-Tree: the walnut-tree is feared among Celts because it is believed to be dangerous to fall asleep under its shadow. Witches often use its leaves for witchcraft.
• — Willow: the willow is related to the gift of second sight and prophecy.
• — Yew: the yew is connected with the death and the birth, and also stands between this world and The Otherworld. From its wood the druids sometimes make magical tablets that act as magical scrolls.
• — Mistletoe: the mistletoe is held in great reverence by the druids. It is a rather ugly, poisonous plant that grows amongst the branches of the oak or the yew, seemingly without sustenance. Then, growing high off the ground without roots, it is considered the sacred plant of the sun. Hence, a tree that hosts a mistletoe plant is a tree marked as particularly sacred by the gods. When the druids discover it on a tree, they will gather it with great ceremony, in separating it from the Oak with a purified knife (normally a golden sickle). The Mistletoe must be cut only at some particular periods, and it is sought by the druids only when they have visions that lead them to the sacred plant. Mistletoe that is gathered in such a fashion has magical properties, enhancing spells and magic that protect against all kind of evil. That is, provided the DM allows a PC druid to harvest some mistletoe in this manner (dependent upon campaign circumstances), he will get enough of it for 2d4 spells. These must be spells used to attack or protect from undead and evil outsiders. In using mistletoe when casting the spell, the spell gets the benefit of one of the following metamagic feats (without increasing the spell’s level): Spell Penetration, Empower, Enlarge, Extend, Heighten, or Maximize.

Sacred Animals

The character and vitality of certain animal species seems to have been considered numinous. Certain spirits were very close to the animals with which they were associated: the names of Artio the ursine goddess and Epona the equine goddess are based on Celtic words for ‘bear’ and ‘horse’. Animals were perceived at the same time similar to and very different from humans. Certain creatures were observed to have particular physical and mental qualities and characteristics, and distinctive patterns of behavior.

An animal like a stag or horse could be admired for its beauty, speed or virility. Dogs were seen to be keen-scented, good at hunting, guarding and healing themselves. Snakes were seen to be destructive, fertile and having a curious habit of seeming to regenerate themselves by sloughing their skin. Birds were keen-sighted, and by flight, able to leave behind the confines of the earth. Beavers were seen to be skillful workers in wood. Thus admiration and acknowledgment for a beast’s essential nature led easily to reverence of those qualities and abilities which humans did not possess at all or possessed only partially.

For Celtic druids, all animals have meaning and special attributes. However, certain animals more than others hold special symbolism.

These are:

• — Boar: the boar represents fierceness, strength and boldness, and all qualities necessary for warriors and battle. It often represents those who partake in such events.
• — Cow: cattle have various meanings from economic stature to fertility.
• — Crow: crows are primarily associated with The Otherworld and as such often accompany deities with strong ties to The Otherworld.
• — Deer: the deer sometimes indicates the presence of an entrance into The Otherworld. It represents the unconditional faith and trust necessary to enter.
• — Dog: dogs mostly are an integral part of human companionship. Many druids have a dog as animal companion, though usually such dogs tend to be exceptional individuals of their race.
• — Horse: horses, especially white horses, are sacred to the goddess Rhiannon / Epona.
• — Salmon: the salmon is a symbol of Wisdom; e.g.: the “Salmon of Knowledge”.
• — Serpent and Dragons: the serpent and the dragon represent those deepest inner abilities that people hold within themselves.

Sanctity of hunting

Hunting deities whose role acknowledges the economic importance of animals and the ritual of the hunt highlight a different relationship to nature. The animal elements in half-human, antlered deities suggest that the forest and its denizens possessed a numinous quality as well as an economic value. For this reason they were deified as gods. Some scholars explain shape-shifting and magical motifs in terms of Celtic beliefs about rebirth and the afterlife, but it is more likely that such deities had a regenerative function. Attributes like fruit and grain imply fecundity,
while animals such as snake and deer (who shed their skins and antlers) suggest cycles of growth.