What is a Female Druid Called? Uncovering the Mystical World of the Druidesses

Druids have captured the modern imagination as the wise elders of the ancient Celtic tribes, but less is popularly known about the women of their mystical order. Who were these mysterious female druids and what was their role in Celtic society, religion and magic? Dig deeper with me into the shadowy realm of the druidesses.

A Light in the Dark Ages

The Celts thrived across Europe over 2,500 years ago before the rise of the Roman Empire. These were the so-called “Dark Ages” of European history, with few written records surviving. Our knowledge about the druids comes mainly from oral traditions passed down through generations and observations by Greek and Roman commentators.

But the lack of written records obscures many details about the Celts’ culture and religion. The druids themselves preferred knowledge to be memorized and transmitted orally. So much has been lost to the mists of time.

Despite this, fascinating clues remain about the powerful women who served as druidesses alongside their male counterparts in positions of influence and authority. Let’s unravel the threads of history and myth to illuminate this little understood part of Celtic society.

Who Were the Druids?

First, some context on the druids themselves before zeroing in on the female contingent. The druids served as the intellectual and spiritual leaders of the Celtic communities that arose in England, Wales, Scotland and continental Europe. The Romans and Greeks described them as:

• Philosophers, scholars and teachers
• Political advisors to kings and chieftains
• Keepers of lore, law, medicine and magic
• Priestly figures mediating between humans and gods
• Poets, musicians, genealogists and historians
• Prophets, astrologers and diviners

Becoming a druid took up to 20 years of intensive training in diverse subjects including philosophy, astronomy, law, medicine and religious rituals. Their knowledge was never written down, requiring prodigious feats of memory.

Druids could be male or female. Evidence suggests both sexes could serve in various capacities as scholars, priests, counselors, healers, magistrates and magic practitioners.

Rare Equality for Women as Druids

Ancient Celtic societies exhibited greater gender parity than other early cultures where women were more subordinate to men. Many academics believe that women and men among the Celtic tribes were on more equal footing socially, sexually and politically.

The elevated status of women among the druids exemplifies this relative equity. Compared to other religions of the time, women could enjoy prominent roles and powers forbidden to them in cultures like Greece and Rome.

Consider that female druids in Celtic society could:

• Become priests, poets, judges, physicians, and political advisors
• Own property and manage finances independently from fathers or husbands
• Get divorced freely from their spouses
• Have multiple sexual partners and take lovers
• Go to battle and even divorce their husbands
• Compose works of literature and train as philosophers

This contrasts starkly with cultures like Rome where women could not vote, own land, inherit wealth or obtain a divorce. Celtic women seemingly had opportunities via the druids to attain professional and social freedoms most ancient women could scarcely imagine.

Titles and Terminology for Female Druids

Female druids went by several names in Celtic languages and myths. Some included:

• Bandrui – “Female druid” in Irish legends like the Táin Bó Cúailnge
• Ban-drui – “Woman-druid” in tales such as Serglige Con Culainn
• Bodhmall – A renowned druidess in the Fenian Cycle stories
• Bandorai – Used for female druids in medieval Irish texts
• Tlachtga – Powerful daughter of the druid Mug Ruith and namesake of a Celtic fire festival
• Geal Chossach – “Fair-legged Cossa”, buried in a cairn in County Donegal
• Birog – A shapeshifting druidess described as insane and dangerous

These varied terms indicate female druids were not a fringe phenomenon but an established institution in Celtic culture before the Roman conquest.

The Secret Knowledge and Powers

Little firsthand documentation exists about the actual spiritual practices and magical abilities attributed to druidesses in Celtic religion. But Irish myths and archaeological evidence provide intriguing clues.

Female druids were likely believed to possess knowledge of:

Divination – Foretelling the future through signs, omens and rituals

Shapeshifting – Transforming physically into animals or shifting consciousness into other realms

Charm Casting – Blessing or cursing objects and individuals with spoken charms

Spirit Communication – Connecting with and channeling entities in other worlds

Herbalism and Midwifery – Healing arts using medicinal plants, potions and salves

Weather Control – Influencing forces of nature like rain, wind, lightning and the seasons

Necromancy – Contacting and communing with the spirits of the dead

Together with their male counterparts, female druids served as the repositories of all magical knowledge and keepers of Celtic tradition.

Initiation Rites and Training

To begin training as a druidess, a young Celtic woman would likely have undergone initiation rites before being accepted by a mentor into an apprenticeship. As mentioned earlier, the process of becoming a druid took up to 20 years of memorizing spells, law, lore and more.

The initiations may have involved fasting alone in the forest, brewing potions, divining omens in the stars, chanting before ancestral shrines and demonstrating the calling to serve the gods. Not all who wished would succeed. But for those who did, a lifetime of respect and spiritual authority among their tribe lay ahead.

Dress and Adornments

No definitive records exist of how female druids actually dressed, but we can make some educated guesses based on Celtic art, texts and archaeology:

• Long hooded robes or cloaks fastened with engraved brooches
• Shawls or capes likely woven with plaid tartan patterns
• Torcs, neck rings, bracelets and amulets signifying spiritual status
• Staves, wands and scepters inscribed with ogham script
• Garments dyed colors like white, black, green and blue

One Roman account described female druids along the shore wearing “black tunics” chanting curses with disheveled hair as the Romans attacked the Isle of Anglesey.

Their clothing likely reflected traditional Celtic textile crafts and expressed their powers and group identity.

Gods and Goddesses of the Celts

The druids served as priests and priestesses honoring and making offerings to Celtic gods and goddesses tied to forces of nature and the realms of spirits. Some of the key deities in their pantheon included:

Danu – The mother goddess connected with fertility, wisdom, magic and the earth’s bounty. She gave her name to the legendary Tuatha Dé Danann tribe.

Belenus – The shining sun god associated with healing, restoration and insight. His name derives from the Celtic word for light.

Damona – Goddess of sacred wells and springs linked to healing, prophecy and fertility.

Sucellos – The forest god representing the wild forces of nature, plants, wildlife and agriculture.

Edain Echraidhe – An Irish goddess strongly revered by female druids as a patron. She protected midwifery and children.

Through these gods and others, the druids mediated between human and divine realms, calling on their power to bless, heal and curse.

Feared and Revered Magic Users

Druids were said to possess great magical powers and abilities. Some of their feats included:

• Controlling winds – Raising or calming storms at sea

• Combat cursing – Inflicting grave wounds on enemies during battle with incantations

• Divining the future – Interpreting omens and prophesying based on rituals

• Shifting shapes – Taking on animal forms like ravens, wolves and bears

• Casting illusions – Cloaking realities in mystical disguises and false appearances

• Brewing potions – Crafting remedies, poisons, and herbal oils for various effects

• Banishing evil – Exorcising malicious spirits and dark entities

• Nature communion – Meditating to commune with plant and animal spirits

Druidesses likely specialized in shapeshifting, childbirth aids, herbal healing and summoning helpful spirits. These powers inspired equal measures of terror and awe in medieval Celtic society.

Harmony with Nature

Unlike major religions today, Celtic druidry revered the natural world. The sun, stars, trees, rivers and wildlife all had deep spiritual meaning. Druids served as stewards tending the balance between humanity and wild nature.

The old stone circles and dolmens across lands once inhabited by the Celts indicate their sacred astronomy. Female druids were possibly considered embodiments of nature’s cycles of fertility and rebirth.

As a tech professional today, I think much can be learned from the druids’ ethic of environmental kinship and sustainability. Their mysticism arose from close observation of nature, not attempts to conquer it.

Legends of Female Druids

Many Irish myths and legends feature powerful female druid characters. Some of the most famous include:

• Biróg – A dangerous sorceress who could render men insane or shift into the form of a gigantic bird

• Tlachtga – The daughter of Mug Ruith who gave birth to triplets by different fathers at the site of an ancient druid fire ritual

• Bé Chuille and Dornoll – Transformed warriors into supernatural birds allowing them to defeat their enemies at the First Battle of Moytura

• Fedelm – Prophesied the exact sequence of events during Queen Medb’s cattle raid in the epic Tain Bo Cuailnge

• Bé Chama – As a satirist, she could verbally blister enemies’ faces with pus, blemishes and scarring through just the power of her words

Though mythical, these tales reveal the perceived gifts and influence these women wielded in Celtic legend.

The Fall of The Druids

Sadly, the coming of Christianity and the Roman Empire led to the decline of druidry. As the Romans solidified control of Celtic lands in Britain and Europe over the first centuries AD, druidism was actively suppressed.

The Roman leaders viewed the druids as potential leaders of resistance. So druids were targeted for execution, persecution and marginalization under Roman rule as part of taming Celtic society.

Female druids suffered greatly during this period of repression. The Romans were deeply suspicious of women in positions of authority within a spiritual context. As the druids faded, the social freedoms and status Celtic women had enjoyed also eroded.

Revival and Remembrance

Centuries later in the 1700s, modern interest in ancient druidry began to emerge in England and Wales. Over the 19th and 20th centuries, neo-pagan groups formed to recreate druidic practices as part of Celtic cultural revivalism.

Many modern druid organizations now accept both male and female members. Women participate through:

• Coordinating rituals based on seasonal cycles and astronomy
• Practicing traditional skills like herb-lore, poetry, music and prophecy
• Studying Celtic deities, symbolism, nature reverence and ethics
• Conducting weddings, funerals, meditations and spiritual counseling
• Providing education and community services

So while ancient druidess culture died out, their legacy continues to inspire women and men seeking spiritual connection to nature and Celtic heritage.

Illuminating the Shadows

The scarce surviving evidence makes it challenging to conclusively reconstruct the world of the female druids. But tantalizing clues speak to their power and achievements in Celtic society, even if the details remain murky.

Their story gives me hope that even in oppressive times, groups like the druids could elevate women beyond constraints faced in other ancient cultures. The druidesses followed their vocation as they communed with gods, nature and spirits just as their male peers did.

These women walked proudly in the forest groves, by the sacred wells and within their circle of stones all those centuries ago. Their chants, spells and wisdom echo down through time in the legends left behind, reminding us of mysteries yet to be fully revealed again.