The 18th‑century revival of Druidism, notably through Iolo Morganwg's fabricated traditions, pushed Druids into the megalith story, re‑imagining stones as Druid monuments and feeding cultural narratives that Welsh people were direct descendants of ancient Britons who preserved the original revealed religion of humanity. This connected to the myth that Christianity was brought to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury. English responses were divided: some followed the Welsh romantic view, others insisted megaliths pre‑dated Druids, and many dismissed Druids as 'horrid' savages.
Welsh claimed direct descent from Druids in 19th-century nationalist revival
Key facts
- The Welsh adopted megaliths and Druids as central to their newly recreated cultural identity
- Welsh claimed to be most direct heirs of ancient Britons in blood and language
- Welsh promoters claimed Druids practiced the true original religion of early humanity
- This was linked to the myth that Christianity was brought directly to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury
- English response was divided: some followed Welsh view, others claimed megaliths were built after Romans, most decided Druids were 'horrid'
- The English began adopting the Irish view of Druids as priests of a gloomy, bloodthirsty religion
Sources
History of the British Bards - National Library of Waleslibrary.wales
Like many of his contemporaries, Iolo believed that the Welsh bards had inherited the learning and traditions of the Druids of the ancient world. Iolo, however, ...
The Druid Renaissance | Order Of Bards, Ovates & Druidsdruidry.org
In the eighteenth century, the so-called Druid Revival was driven by a new availability of classical texts in translation and an ...
Authenticity, Ancestors and the Druid Revival Tradition: Reclaiming ...thedruidsgarden.com
For a while, it was accepted that much of what Revival Druids believed was a carefully constructed fable perpetuated by Edward Williams (Iolo ...
'Our own pageantry and peacockry': the Gorsedd of the Bardsmuseum.wales
He was entranced by the romanticism of eighteenth-century neo-Druidism and he believed that Welsh poets had inherited the mantle of the Celtic druids. · When he ...
The Ark of Ceridwen: how neo-druids rocked Pontypridd | Art UKartuk.org
In turn, Iolo's Glamorganshire roots brought him to the Rocking Stone, which he lauded as an irrefutable ancient druidic monument ...
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