D&D 5E WOTC Possibly Removing "Druids" for Religious/Cultural Sensitivity Reasons

[Warpiglet-7]

Clerical work, obviously

Booo!!!

 

[Reynard]

According to UK historian Ben Johnson:

"Druidism can be described as a shamanic religion, as it relied on a combination of contact with the spirit world and holistic medicines to treat (and sometimes cause) illnesses."

Edit apparently a view held by others as well, considering druids more shamanistic than priestly

Anne Ross, author of Pagan Celtic Britain (1967) and The Life and Death of a Druid Prince (1989),
Miranda Aldhouse-Green, author of The Gods of the Celts (1986), Exploring the World of the Druids (1997) and Caesar's Druids: Story of an Ancient Priesthood (2010);
Barry Cunliffe, author of Iron Age Communities in Britain (1991) and The Ancient Celts (1997)

huh. Interesting. I remembered it differently, but I'm not one to argue with experts.

 

[Sacrosanct]

but I'm not one to argue with experts.

I am. a big flaw in myself to be honest That Dunning-Kruger is a...real pain

 

[nevin]

According to UK historian Ben Johnson:

"Druidism can be described as a shamanic religion, as it relied on a combination of contact with the spirit world and holistic medicines to treat (and sometimes cause) illnesses."

Edit apparently a view held by others as well, considering druids more shamanistic than priestly

Anne Ross, author of Pagan Celtic Britain (1967) and The Life and Death of a Druid Prince (1989),
Miranda Aldhouse-Green, author of The Gods of the Celts (1986), Exploring the World of the Druids (1997) and Caesar's Druids: Story of an Ancient Priesthood (2010);
Barry Cunliffe, author of Iron Age Communities in Britain (1991) and The Ancient Celts (1997)

careful defining druidism. There are very few written records of what druids did, mostly by the Romans as far as I know. There was a lot of "druidic" revivalism going on in 1800's and and 1900's and what most people consider to be the "Druidic" religion is a modern construct made by people who used the tiny amounts of historical documents to validate what they believed, and in many cases just outright fabricate with no support thier beliefs.

To begin with each of the Celtic regional groups had druids they all worshiped gods but not all the same gods. There are indications in those roman writings that the Druids weren't the uniform, religion that modern myths make them out to be. But regardless of what you believe there are very few and scant records that actually document any Druid beliefs or practices. go try and find some historical documents to back up those books you reference. You'll be horrified at how little evidence there is to back up any view on Druids.

 

[Lanefan]

I... like it. You're not sure what you'll get this turn, but you will get something!

Yep - you could hurt you opponent, or heal it.

Oh, you thought I meant healing for the character?! Heavens, no.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Druids weren't shamans. Shaman is a very specific thing, and off the top of my head I can't think of a European shamanic tradition (but i am not well versed in eastern Europe history and tradition, so i could be wrong). Druids were priests of the celtic gods.

Shamans were in extreme northern Europe and much of what was modern Russia. Both are European under many definitions.

 

[TwoSix]

Shamanistic practices were already present within many of the native (or introduced) Azerothian cultures prior to Year Zero of the Dark Portal calendar.

Draenei are just appropriating colonizers.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Draenei are just appropriating colonizers.

I mean, that is a big part of the plotline for Warlords of Draenor.

The bigger question is where Wildhammer Dwarves learned shamanism.

 

[Bluenose]

According to UK historian Ben Johnson:

"Druidism can be described as a shamanic religion, as it relied on a combination of contact with the spirit world and holistic medicines to treat (and sometimes cause) illnesses."

But that's a pretty solid description of what priests do too, interceding with things beyond the normal world (whether ghosts or demons or other beings from beyond the world) and various prayers to cure/create sickness or various curses (not alwaays distinguishable from illnesses). I'd be inclined to argue that shaman and druid are just particular cultures ways of describing their equivalent to priests (and that we don't take a similar approach with cultures we think we're more familiar with).

 

[Stormonu]

I am glad I have my 1e and 5e books now more than ever.

Part of what makes D&D interesting are cultural references, history and language. If folks go all in on removing almost all cultural/historical references, no matter how tortured their path to current meaning, it will be a loss. How many of us learned to read and love history because of this game?

But no matter. I am going to play a guy with pointy tools that kills things. Or maybe a guy who reads from a magic book and zaps things. Not evocative but inoffensive so win-win?

I mean I would get it if druids were always evil and ineffectual…but what class is an accurate representation of anything but ideas in fiction?

And then we read it’s probably just hysteria and is not a real thing…back to shaking fist at the sky…

Nah, still not allowed. You're killing things, after all.