The Mistery of Belicena Villca instruction is communicated orally , but for certain propositions they had a written language , in which they used the Greek characters . The President of the Order , whose office was elective and for life , exercised over all the individuals that formed it a supreme authority . The Druids taught that the soul was immortal . Astrology , Geography , Theology , and Physical Sciences were their favorite studios . The Gauls did not make human sacrifices except in very rare cases , and in them great criminals were sacrificed . All that is known about the religious doctrines taught by the Druids boils down to some fragments found in various works by writers of the antiquity , and particularly in Caesar , Diodorus of Sicily , Valerius Maximus , Lucanus , Cicero , etc . From these fragments it turns out that they believed , as already has been said , in the immortality of the soul and its existence in another world , being death nothing else than the point or moment of separation of two existences . From this belief it is only natural that it would derive that of the prize and punishment in the afterlife , a belief that naturally explains the indomitable courage of the Gauls and their contempt for death . They taught the position and movement of the stars and the magnitude of Heaven and Earth , that is to say that they were dedicated to the study of Astronomy , and without a doubt that of Astrology . Cicero says that they also devoted themselves to the study of the secrets of nature and of Physiology . From this was born their claim to possess the science of Divination and Magic . Their more important study was the theological study , but about it there are no certain data , its theological system being very little known , because the Greek and Latin writers , speaking of the name and the functions and attributes of the druidic deities , referred them to their own theogony ; So only conjectures can be made to which the etymological study can give some probabilities . Caesar says that their main divinity was Mercury , that he presided over the Arts , travel and Commerce . They followed after , in order of importance , Apollo , Mars , Jupiter and Minerva . Lucan and other writers place Teutates at the head of the gods , and after him Hesos , Belenos , Taranos and Hercules Ogmios . Caesar adds that the druids claimed to be descended from Dis , a name that he translated as meaning Pluto , and that it was due to this origin that they counted by nights and not by days . This opinion is evidently erroneous , and the error arose from the fact that Dis or Day was among the Gauls one of the names of the Supreme Being , whom they called also Esar or the Eternal and Abais or Aiboll , the infinite . Belenos or Beal or Beas , was one of the names of the Sun , which was also called Ablis or Atheithin the hot , and Granius or Grianu the luminous . Teutates or Tuitheas was the god of fire , death and destruction .
In dealing with the religious beliefs of Gaul it is necessary to cite the opinion of the famous writer Thirrey . According to him , the religious beliefs of the Gauls referred to two bodies of symbols and superstitions , two completely different religions : a very old one , founded on a polytheism derived from the worship of natural phenomena , and the other the druidism , introduced lately by the immigrants of the Cimbrian race , founded on a metaphysical and mysterious material pantheism . The main deities of the Celtic peoples were those already mentioned and Ogmo Ognius , god of the science of eloquence , represented under the figure of an old man armed with a mace and bow , followed by captives held by the ears with chains of gold and amber that came from the mouth of the god . In addition to the main divinities the druids had other divinities already assimilated to Mars , like Camul , Camulus , Segomon , Belaturcadus and Catuix , and to Apollo , like Mogounus and Granus , and also other divinities who were the deification of natural phenomena , such as Tarann , Tarannis , thunder ; Kerk Circius , impetuous wind from the Northeast , or deification of mountains , forests , cities , like Pennin , god of the Alps ; Vosege , Vosegins , god of the Vosges , Ardaena , Arduinna , assimilated to Diana , goddess of the forest of the Ardennes ; Nemansus , Vesontis , Luxovia , Nennerius , Bornonia , Damona , local deities of Nimes , Besancón , Luxeui , Neris , of Bourbon , Lancy . Epona was the protector goddess of the grooms and the horse trainers .
The druids were highly revered by the people ; they led an austere life and far from the relationship with other men ; they dressed in a singular way ; they usually wore a tunic that reached even below the knee . Endowed with supreme power they imposed penalties , declared war and made peace ; they could depose the magistrates and even the king , when their actions were contrary to the laws of the State ; they had the privilege of appointing the magistrates who annually governed the cities , and kings were not elected without their approval . Caesar says that only the nobles could enter the druidic order , while Porfirius maintains that it was enough to enjoy the right of citizenship . It ' s however , hard to believe that a corp as powerful as the druidic admitted into its bosom individuals who did not belong to a determined caste . The druids were the first order of the nation ; they were judges in most public and private matters ; they knew of all crimes , murder , hereditary issues , questions about property , and those sentenced to this punishment were considered as infamous and impious ; they looked abandoned by everyone , even from their relatives ; everyone fled from them , in order not to see each other tainted by their contact , and they lost all their civil rights and the protection of the laws and the Courts . The veneration that was given to druids was so great that if they came between
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