Druidic circles are regional, tight knit affairs, centered typically centered on a Nemeton serving numerous smaller communities. These, in turn, are part of a larger, informal network, meeting in annual conclaves and smaller arrangements to share knowledge and plan for the future. This conclave is overseen by the Arch-Druid, a lifetime role that is chosen via trial by combat when a new leader is selected.
Druidic ritual is often centered on the Nemeton, sacred places often centered around sacred groves and wells. While many Nemeton are natural spaces, others, particularly in urban areas, are constructed, with organic patterns and symbolism replicating the trees, foliage and standing stones found in older, more wild ritual spaces.
The Boléguéans act, almost universally, as the Druids of the Korrigan, filling in their roles within those communities.
Pantheon
Artio, The Bear Queen - Goddess of Wildlife and Abundance
Belenos/Belisama - The God of the Winter Sun and Goddess of Feth Fiada.
The Bodach - The Old Man. Husband of The Cailleach. A trickster and bogeyman. The god of beggars and spearmen.
Brigantia - Goddess of Weaving, the Seelie Court, and Summerule
The Cailleach Beira, Mother of Winter - Goddess of Winterule, Deer, and the Unseelie Court
Damona Flidias - Goddess of Sheep and Cattle
Esus - God of the Wetlands and River Deltas. He is often depicted cutting small branches with an ax
Hu-Ar-Braz - Father of Druids. A teacher of agriculture, founder of justice and the great institutions of humanity and the Korrigan, conqueror of giants and the protector in the darkness.
Koridwen - Mother of the Korrigans and Goddess of Bards. The Korrigan believe that she is the mother of all the Tuath. Her sons Mor-Vrau and Avrank-Du became the first Bediz and Fomorian, respectively, while her daughters Kreiz-Viou and Gwiou became the mothers of the Sidhe and Korrigan respectively.
Arianrhod/Blodeuwedd/Koridwen - Triple Goddess
Litavis - The Goddess of the Armorican Peninsula and protector of the Duchy of Letha
Meduna - The Goddess of Mead and intoxication
Morwenna/Morgwenn The White - Goddess of the Sea
Taranis - God of Thunder. He holds a thunderbolt and an eight-spoked wheel. He rides across the night sky in a chariot, and he created the Calendar
The Masked Woman - Goddess of Suffering. She holds her ever-bleeding heart in a silver basin.
Toutatis - The God of the Tribes. The god of civilization and agriculture.
River Goddesses
Segeta - Goddess of the Liger River
Sequana - Goddess of the Sena River
Ancestral Spirits
The Druids believe that the founder of a clan/settlement/house oversees and protects their descendants, acting as a Genius Loci over significant places to those peoples as long as they are continuing the "line and life" of the original peoples.
Sacred Trees
Oak (Dervenn) - The Oak is the most important sacred tree in the Druidic cosmology, the Ard Banrí of the Trees. A great oak is often the central focus of a Nemeton, either physically or symbolically. The Oak is a key portion of the Ritual of the White Bulls during Nedeleg celebrations, where druids travel deep into the forest armed with golden sickles to harvest mistletoe, caught on pure white sheets held below, never allowed to touch the ground. Oak is also a powerful amplifier of Arkane power and the tallest branches of the great trees are, after being struck by lightning, used for the creation of magical staves and wands. Daron is the goddess of Oak and the Queen of the Trees. Numerous creatures of Fae and Sluagh, such as the Iannic-ann-ôd cannot cross a barrier of oak. The Kornikaned prefer to reside in Oakwood.
Ash (Onenn) - The sacred Ash Tree is central to Kala-Hañv and is considered a vessel of fire. It cannot be harvested and used for construction, even when wood is scarce, because doing so would invite the fire spirits to burn down the structure when unleashed. The exception for this comes during the Kala-Hañv celebrations, where the fire spirits are drawn off by the large bonfires. Ashwood is resilient against magical attacks and for channelling fire magic. Its sap can be used for medicinal purposes and its seedpods are used in divination rituals.
Apple (Aval) - The Apple Tree is a symbol of bounty and immortality, a tree of great bounty. Apples are one of the greatest sources of Foyson in the world and are highly prized as a result Applewood is used for staves and wands useful for earth arkane. Emain Ablach, the Isle of Apples, takes its name from a magical variety of apple tree, which grows with silver branches and golden fruit, found throughout the isle.
Hazel (Kraoñklevezenn) - Hazel Trees are symbols of balance, reflecting the state of the land, a tree crossing the border between life and death. Hazel trees grow at the heads of the seven chief rivers of Emain Ablach, as well as near sacred wells.
Hazel leaves and nuts are commonly included in burials throughout the North. Hazel trees without leaves are thought to be evil, associated with decay, the running sap becoming a deadly poison. Burning hazelwood in a hearth is considered taboo. Hazel wands are considered badges of office for Fae heralds, and carry an aspect of water. The Hazel is thought to be the source of wisdom and the bard of the trees and is sacred to poets and artists, as its nuts are said to grant mystical inspiration and insight.
Alder (Gwernenn) - Associated with resurrection, Alderwood is used for healing staves and wands, and is favoured by specialists in Fis.
Elder (Skavenn) - Also called the Faerie Tree, the Elder Tree is the gatekeeper of Faerie and the Guardian of the Trees. Nemed is said to have left Old Faerie by passing through and archway of two Elder Trees. Its wood is used in defensive Arkane. When harvesting its wood or other trees nearby, permission is ritually asked of the Elder with a gift of rags tied around the tree. If a ritual cut bled sap, the tree could not be cut down.
Yew (Ivinenn) - The poisonous Yew is a symbol of Death and shelter. The scythe and wagon of the Ankou are made from Yew, and are said to be able to interact directly with Anaon (souls). The canopy of the Nemeton are often dominated by the interlocking branches of the Yew.
Anaon
An important concept of Druidism, the Anaon is the Foyson of a Bediz, their quintessential essence, lifeforce and identity, akin to a soul. The Anaon is an largely indestructible energy, tied not merely to an individual as they exist presently, but all their incarnations prior and future. With the death of a mortal, their Anaon will be collected by The Ankou to begin the journey across the Great White Plain of Mag Mor. In the past, the Anaon of great warriors slain in battle, and more recently the pious, were believed to be sped along the plain in the Ankou's cart, reaching their unknown destination faster than others.
Lethaned believe that an Anaon takes 9 generations to cross Mag Mor. Warriors killed in battled and the especially pius are carried across in the Ankou's cart in three generations.
The Anaon is highly tied to the concept of Fis, with the Name of a discrete entity being only one part of the Fis of the Anaon.
There is some debate as to what awaits a soul crossing Mag Mor. Some claim that an otherworldly paradise awaits at the far end of its infinite vastness, while others believe that souls return to a cycle of reincarnation and rebirth in new forms. Lost Anaon are thought to manifest as Herla or Envorad, while other Sluagh, such as Fear Gorta are thought to be husks devoid of Anaon.
Of similar, or greater, theological debate, is whether or not the creatures of Faerie possess Anaon or something similar.
Druids maintain a number of roles within their communities, acting as priests, judges, teachers, storytellers and lore keepers. Druids are especially trained in the ways of Fáistine, interpreting the signs present in nature to provide counsel for agriculture and community development.
Sacrifices, both communal and private, require the attendance of a druid, an intermediary between the material world and the divine.
Joining the Druids
A prominent feature of the Druids is the strict oath to maintain secrecy and tight control over their rituals, spells and knowledge. Druids are forbidden from putting their knowledge to text, instead relying on a robust ritual of oral tradition among a select and small group of acolytes. While this instills a great sense of purpose among their membership, and often creates an elite class of experts, it also can lead to disaster, with the knowledge of generations lost to sickness and sword, resulting in the spread of the Faith among the survivors. However, the Druidic tradition is still strong in some regions, such as Letha.
A druid aspirant must commit to perfect memory at least 700 poetic sagas, laying flat on their backs beneath a heavy stone to train their bodies along with their minds.
Druids hold a significant place in the political structure of their communities, acting as local judges and arbiters for disputes. They are trusted and often obeyed when negotiating terms of war and peace. Druids have the power of exile over their communities, a more localized form of excommunication.
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