The Fall of the Order of Druids

Honored colleagues,

It is with sadness and regret about me that you tell the story of the end of the great Order of Druids. It was not by the hand of foreigners who fell, but by our own blindness. I begin my story in Emain Macha, where Naoise and his brothers Ardan and Ainnle were paving the way for home and Deirdre with them.


Conchobar, Deirdre who loved more than she loved him, came to me and said, "Go, great Druid, where the children are making a killing Uisna between my guards and my fortress, a ruin and holds a spell over them, therefore, unless prevented, will destroy the men of Ulaidh forever. I will give you the word of a true hero: me not suffer any damage, but let me just make an agreement. " So I went and brought my knowledge and art to spread on them and put the likeness of a dark sea around them, with big waves that opposed them. And so were the Sons of Uisna, helpless and swimming against the land, although the men of Ulaidh not touch them until they drop their swords. And when their swords fell, Conchobar seized them and ordered them killed. With the sword of Naoise, that given him by Manannan, the son of Lir, they were beheaded at one stroke.

That day, Conchobar, the son of Nessa, betrayed their trust to me and to the men of Ulaidh. When the men of the Red Branch came to know of his betrayal, there was fighting in the field of Emain Macha and the fort was burned and many great warriors left the service of the King to place themselves under the orders of Medb of Cruachan. I realized that my place was no longer next to the King and that the time had come for me to return to the deep green forests, where I had made a home when young.

And Druids communicated to the children of Éire Uisna were dead and how it happened. Thinking of the Druids Hill Uisna like to know how I was involved with it, I told my story to historians and guardians of the forest. When finished my narrative, I left the room, they no longer trusted the mortal kings to give true judgments. "If good judgments is what you seek," I told them to leave, "seek them in the gray stones in the high trees and white clouds, and surging in the great sea, for they never find it in the hearts of kings."

Some of my students came with me to Emain Macha Uisna and talked at length at the top of the hill down to the sun to the west and the red clouds follow him there. And that's what they were saying that maybe I had been too hasty in leaving Emain, for kings can not move hand or foot without his Druids to tell them whether it is good or bad. "Conchobar no longer need a father," I said, "if it has to cause the death of his own cousins, because there is no greater crime than killing someone within his family." But one of my students said again: "Do not abandon the hope for all the warriors and kings, as can still see another to keep close to your heart Druidic wisdom that Conchobar forgotten." And I agreed with it, although we wanted to. "But I will not return again to the royal courts until such a king is found. And such a king," I said, "know what a strange way to win the love of a woman is to kill all other applicants!" And we laugh like children at fairs and dance until the division of master and apprentice disappeared as the breath in the wind and all that was left were fairies dancing under the moon, in a land of Druids, the Druids, with a song!

And the night turned into day and winter, summer and time passed. And I had a cabin to myself and to my dear this with my knowledge and art, and that near a lake. And every day I greeted the sun and never was it so warm for me in Emain Macha as beside the lake and it was a miracle for me because, even though the sun on me in court and in the forest, his voice was very clearer to me next to my pond, my apple tree branch in my hand and barefoot between me and the earth. And Conchobar called me to hear my advice on any matter of importance to him because I was committed to the earth before any commitment to the tribe. "And turn your royal court," I told him every time, "because it is where they belong. And the deer and salmon and the crane and the fox and the gray wolf is my tribe now. And it is a surprise to me that your tribe you allow to stay king, after what you did to the children of Uisna! " Conchobar and then left and became more and longer the time between your visits to me.

And my friend Olc Aiche, the druid, came to me once to tell me the story of his daughter Achtán. She conceived a child and Art son of Conn, was the father of the child. OLC Aiche sang with his lips and did this prophecy: "There will come, no doubt, a respectful son, so will call Cormac." So, I went into the mist on the lake that night to the first rays of the sun on the earth and the Men of Dea, who were waiting for me there told me that a child would be born and a great king of Éire and its all good thanks were with them.

OLC Aiche instructed to go where Cormac was born by his art and preparing to launch protections on it. This he did with five tracks from his forge protection against murder, drowning, fire, witchcraft and wolves. That done, a party was prepared to honor the newborn King.

I took my staff and Druidic disguised myself in the form of a wolf in order to reach the fortress where the festivities were taking place. And at night, I saw Achtán go to the field and falling asleep, was celebrated as much as young people do so often. I was annoyed with his little mind and great drinking and, therefore, did take the boy Cormac and put it under my own protection.

Thinking that Cormac needed a better home than I could give, because I was no longer young and the young are the tribe of Danu, let him run with the wolves to where he was caught by Luigne Fer Tri, a hunter from Fianna in whom I trusted, and took it home, where he spent the years. But he was found by Achtán to end, and she took it north to Fiachnae Cassan, adoptive father of Art son of Conn. When she crossed the mountain at midnight, put on the shape of wolf hunters and myself to return the child by force. For, as I was thinking, the forest and the forest would be better parents than to Cormac bards and knights of the royal court. However, the Knights of Another World went out of their mounds in the shape of wild sheep on themselves to protect him. And the house of Fiachnae Cassan he was for thirty years.

It was a lucky day that Cormac made his way to Temhair to claim his rightful inheritance. On the same day, Mac Conn gave a fake trial, saying that the sheep of a woman should be punished for eating the garden of the queen. But Cormac has a real trial, exchanging one for another shearing and wool was shorn sheep in exchange for the queen's garden. Upon hearing this news, I thought there might be some of the wisdom of the Druids with him and that Cormac was the king who would bring honor to the royal courts that Conchobar had lost. So I went to the hill of Teamhair and shape of a stranger was about me through my druidic arts and asked her questions that I might know your thoughts. I told him: "O Cormac, grandson of Conn, I want to know how should I behave myself among the wise and foolish, among friends and strangers, between young and old, between the innocent and the wicked."


It is not hard to tell, said Cormac.
Do not be too wise or too foolish,
Do not be too cocky, or too timid,
Do not be too proud or too humble,
Do not be too talkative or too silent,
Do not be too harsh nor too weak.
If you are wise, will expect too much from you.
If you are very foolish, will be achieved.
If you are very convinced, think they're annoying.
If you are very humble, think that you have no honor.
If you are very talkative, you will not care.
If you are very quiet, you will not be estimated.
If you are too rigid, it will be broken.
If you are very fragile, you will be crushed.



I knew then, in my heart, the wisdom of the Druids was with him. I told it to my friends who had accompanied me in my shelter in the forest. And this is what they said, they were pleased to have again a wise king on the throne. Maybe I imagined that he had learned wisdom while in the woods with hunters and comigo.Mas if I did not take long to get away from that idea.
Soon, Cormac imposed a double tribute to the province of cattle Mumhan and when they were not able to afford it, he broke with his entourage of Mumhan court druids and soldiers. The wind sent a warning to Ruith Moghadam, the old blind druid who had left his royal court, as I had left my many years, and moved beside the still waters and the forest. Although Moghadam Ruith were blind in this world, he saw clearly in several other worlds, and when the battle was combined, he was quick to accept the challenge. I would not join me to deal with them that day because he had aged since the days of Emain Macha, but my vision was able to show me the battle. Moghadam Ruith Druids and made ​​great poems against each other and much heroism was seen and many were lost on both sides. Cithruad, the Druid of the Great King, dried up all the rivers of Mumhan, but Mogh Ruith caused a torrent of water burst the banks, holding and releasing false Druids Druids true. In the end, who was pronounced Mogh Ruith strongest poems, for he spoke of the earth. Cithruad spoke with feathers and bells, and the mantles pins and was so covered by the ornaments and decoration of the Druids that their footsteps were heavy on the ground. And while he sang like a silver bell, Mogh Ruith thundered like a gray rock. I saw him climb the pillar of smoke from the fire of his report and manifest your ultimate magic spell of combat:


Form-and-mouth plays a spell,
His power of clouds, a form
Rain of fire on a man.
Be good the wound.
Be incited the crowd to drown shaking,
Drown in the rapids
The strength of each fighter.
Let there be a supreme power of poetry.
Oh man too vile, remains on the run forever.
The triumphs of the armies,
A blessing above all on the Great Eoghan.
Moghadam Corg is repulsed, necessarily vanquished, overthrown.
What is a proverbial saying, sovereignty will spread,
Form-and-mouth plays a charm!



Oh Druid of the future, hear this warning of mine. It was the betrayal that I left my place beside my king, but it was my decision that stayed away. It was not to lose sight of the land, not to break my relationship with her and she lived to witness these events when they occurred. And I saw more than that, because when they reach the priests of the god called Christ our sacred island, and Lonchru Lucet Mael were buried so deeply in politics who have lost their connection with the land and thus could not defend themselves and were overwhelmed.

Oh Druid of the future, hear this warning of mine. There are those who wear the name Druid as a cloak, and there are those who drink the name Druid as water. If you would be Druids, do not try to live as we live. Do not try to see how we see. Be as you are. Do as we did. The Fog of Manannan can carry you, but can also confuse you Be ever vigilant of the earth and all her mysteries and Danu welcome you in their tribe.

Oh Druid of the future, hear this warning of mine. Do not lose the land, for then ye are lost.

Cathbad, and Writing the Woods season Lughnasad the year 1999.


Source: http://bellovesos.multiply.com/journal/item/83/A_Queda_da_Ordem_dos_Druidas
Translation by me.