Celtic Social Classes

Bards - Bards were the poets, musicians, storytellers and record-keepers of Celtic society. They kept laws and long family genealogies for the benefit of other members of society. These bards were educated by druids for long periods, sometimes up to twenty years, which is how long druids were required to study. Much of this time was spent working the memory. The bards were required to be able to perform what was called the "three noble strains." In other words, this was music to inspire laughter, tears, or sleep. Peasants were required to offer hospitality and housing to passing bards. If a bard was ever insulted by anyone, it was within his right to compose a satirical poem, tarnishing the offender's reputations for many generations.

Druids - Though Celtic druids are often compared to priests of other civilizations, once major difference should be noted. Unlike priests, the druids did not minister to congregations. Their duties were to preserve culture, religion and history, to enforce laws and preside over judicial court, and to pursue scientific knowledge. They were also in charge of education. A candidate was required to undergo twenty years of oral instruction and memorization before becoming a druid. Once in this office, the druid was held in high esteem by all due to the sacred nature of his position. The druid's skills were considered to belong to the tribe and not to the druid. Thus, druids were not required to pay taxes or fight in wars, though the druid was given a special task at the start of any war. He was supposed to use his powers of divination to see plans and movements of the enemy and advise the chief. He also summoned elemental powers to help his tribe. If he determined a war to be unjust, the druid could decide to put an end to it. With the rise of the Celtic civilization, the druids left the ancient temples built by the priests of previous nations and instead held their rituals in natural places such as springs and groves, for their main study was of the earth, the sky, and of nature in general. They studied the weather and were expected to advise the tribal chief about the different agricultural seasons and the time of their coming. Transmigrational rituals were carried out by them, rituals dealing with birth, maturity, marriage, and death. In their society, death was just an ordinary stage of life, as they believed that the soul was immortal and the dead would eventually be reincarnated. They even allowed those with outstanding debts to wait until the next lifetime to pay them back. Druids could be either male or female, and were led by one chief druid. This druid was elected for a lifetime. When no decision could be reached among the druidic order, the highest candidates had physical battles over the position.

Fianna - The Fianna were a class of warriors separated from regular society. This group usually consisted of young adults and teens. Rather than just a career, being a Fianna was a way of life. Young people often joined Fianna bands to escape society for a few years and then return. When a young hopeful entered a group of Fianna, "surities" were established between the warrior's tribe and the Fianna band. The surities amde it certain that any damage caused by the new member would not be held against the tribe, and non would seek revenge against them. One legendary king of the Fianna was Finn mac Cumhail. There are many legends dealing with hunting expeditions of the Fianna which ended in the Otherworld. Hunters would come upon some white animals with red ears and chase them. After the chase had ended, the hunters found themselves in the Otherworld. The Welsh myth of Pwyll, for instance, brings him into Annwn, the Welsh Otherworld after he chases a white stag.

King - In some tribes, a king was chosen by the tribe to rule for a lifetime. The potential candidates had to be descendants of past kings. Among the other tribes, the tradition was for the king to pass his crown to his son. The kings, often called "sacred kings," had to wed the local goddess of the land. He had to rule wisely and fairly in order to satisfy his immortal spouse and was also required to be free of greed. If he failed to meet this condition, his kingdom would become a barren wasteland with infertile soil. It was thought that if the king was generous, nature would respond in kind, and the response was similar if the king was not so generous. In order for the tribe to prosper, the king also had to obey a geas. One additional condition was that an unhealthy king had to abdicate the throne. One example is Nuada, a mythological king who was forced to leave the throne after his hand was chopped off. A druidess was usually chosen to represent the land goddess as the king's wife, but one king in Donegal, Ireland married a horse, which represented his area's goddess.

Vates - The Vates were a class of philosophers and interpreters of sacrifice. They carried out many divinations. They were also astute astrologists and mathematicians, and so it is believed that they were the ones who kept the calendar.