Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain

The ancient Druids of Britain left little evidence, allowing successive generations to reimagine and reinvent them. Historian Ronald Hutton's book explores two thousand years of Druid history and the evolution of British attitudes toward them. Druids have been portrayed as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests, with varying perceptions of their role in history. Hutton charts the Druids' historical presence, archaeology, and public consciousness, focusing on the romantic period when they dominated notions of British prehistory. The book is a captivating cultural study of Druids as catalysts in British history, filled with legends and images and new perspectives on ancient and modern times.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 492 pages
Publication date: 19 October 2022
Publisher: Yale University Press

The ancient Druids of Britain, who were crushed by the Romans in the first century A.D., left almost no reliable evidence behind. This has allowed succeeding British generations to reimagine, reinterpret, and reinvent the Druids. Historian Ronald Hutton's captivating book is the first to encompass two thousand years of Druid history and explore the evolution of English, Scottish, and Welsh attitudes toward the ambiguous figures of the ancient Celtic world. Druids have been remembered as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests, and have been portrayed as corrupt, bloodthirsty, or ignorant. 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 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.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300267754