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Although since Christian times Druids have been identified as wizards and soothsayers, in pre-Christian Celtic society they formed an intellectual class comprising philosophers, judges, educators, historians, doctors, seers, astronomers and astrologers. The earliest surviving classical references to Druids date to the 2nd century B.C.
The word "Druidae" is of Celtic origin. The Roman writer Pliney the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus) believed it to be a derivative of the Greek word "drus", meaning "an oak." "Dru-wid" combines the word roots "oak" and "knowledge". "Wid" means "to know" or "to see". The oak was an important sacred tree to the Druids. In the Celtic social system, Druid was a title given to learned men and women possessing ""oak knowledge" or "oak wisdom".
The Druids emerged from the ancient Celtic Tribes, at a time when the people had to live close to nature to survive. In the deep woods the Druids would gather. Bringing together their mysticism and philosophy,......

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Approximate Word Count: 2493
Approximate Pages: 10 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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