Druid Physical Exercises

[Pim]

Past druids did acknowledge the importance of good health, including the benefits of physical exercise. This, together with the very likely need to defend themselves occasionally against robbers and others, no doubt that they must have developed some kind of exercises like in 'The East' taoist monks and others developed kungfu/tai chi etc.

Does anyone know if, and where I can get more information on this?

Thanks!

[Lailoken]

Hmm...interesting. I never thought of the possibility of there being Celtic marshal arts. I'm sorry to say that I've never heard reference to this, so you may be hard-pressed to find anything. I do practice karate as I like to be physically active as it provides the mind/body exercise and discipline that I don't get (for the most part) from jogging and working out in the gym.

If you do find anything, or if anyone on here knows about Celtic martial arts, I'd love to learn more.

[DJ Droood]

Hmm...interesting. I never thought of the possibility of there being Celtic marshal arts. I'm sorry to say that I've never heard reference to this, so you may be hard-pressed to find anything. I do practice karate as I like to be physically active as it provides the mind/body exercise and discipline that I don't get (for the most part) from jogging and working out in the gym.

If you do find anything, or if anyone on here knows about Celtic martial arts, I'd love to learn more.

Maybe google about Cuchulain's training with Skatha, and look at some of the techniques he used in the Táin Bó Cúailnge

[mantis]

I'm a martial arts teacher in a variety of styles.As well as the obvious skill of defending oneself a good style will combine the mind.body and spirit.self discipline and strengthening ones will are other positive products.I always tell my would be childrens parents that my classes are lifeskills lessons (as fear,confidence etc).
So coming back to the original question martial arts are great for Druids just depends what you want.
As for European martial arts the is a european martial arts society teaching more weapon based,also there is something called Stav (from Norway) a form of viking system.It looks a bit like aikido with runes (my opinon only).Hope this helps.

[Nightfalls]

i would love to learn anything about old druid fighting techniques. If i had to guess, i would say there was more then one style. Perhaps one more geared to stealth and silent killing, and another more aggressive brutish style. I believe the Celts were an Honor based society so the lesser the number and the greater the kill, the more honor to be had. I have only touched on a few books about Celtic history so do not take this opinion too seriously.

[Spirit Bear]

If you google 'Celtic martial arts' or 'historical European martial arts' you get some interesting links discussing this subject. f.e. http://paganachd.com/articles/celticmartialarts.html

Blessings,

[mantis]

i would have a guess that any celtic system would be weapon based,as most martial system were originally.Un armed combat was a last resort,as you had been disarmed etc.So and eduated guess the initial weapon would be the staff.As this is a primary weapon the world over.Easy to find,a good fighting range for weapon combat and multiple attacks.Latter it became the quarter staff of robin hood fame.A powerful weapon that could break a sword or skull.
Alot of the regional wrestling styles roots are back it celtic times.Such as Cornish,Lancanshire etc.
I would hazard a guess and say the British fighting system would not be as scientific as oriental ones as the British ones were purely about function.

[MiriamSPia]

The vestiges of 'Celtic martial arts' involve knives, shields and whatnot...don't they? I'm sure there were grappling and fighting methods but you probably had to be 'in the know' or get lucky and a get a teacher. I've heard an Old School way of finding the right fighting teacher is to fight with someone who claims to be good and if you get your ass kicked you have found your teacher. If you win then that idiot was not qualified to teach you.

[wyeuro]

the art of chivalry, the management and training of a war horse, the use of the arthurian type of sword, usually depicted as very long and two-edged, battle-axes and lances no doubt kept the celtic knights fit and raring to go. it's widely recorded that both sexes were taught warfare, the women being useful at archery, use of catapult, cannon and early forms of musketry, hurling petrol bombs, grenades and other explosive or flaming bombs and missiles, and spraying the onslaught with near-boiling point oil.

i personally haven't much use for these no doubt life-enhancing activities, although horse-riding is still very meaningful to me, and i strongly relate to the image of the mounted knight on his steed caparisoned. the old druid was not famed for his husky build and knotty fists, but for slender fingers accustomed to wielding the pen and turning the parchment pages of tomes, thin, tall body, kindly eyes and long skirted garments ill-suited to any other sort of exercise. but everyone walked a helluva lot more than they do now, and the image of the old druid, striding out, staff in hand, extremely long-lived because of practicing austerities, daily walking in the woods, and plenty of fresh air and freedom is one that works for me much better than that of the hard-muscled warrior men and women who were not druids but warriors, to whom the druids gave spiritual guidance, moral advice and the dogmas of courtesy and grace.

[mantis]

Virtually all fighting systems that use weapons would all start with the staff/pole.This without doubt would be the tool that would be the druids weapon,as they would have one as they travelled.
A practical and easily avaliable weapon,that could be used against a solo combative,or keep a gang attack at bay.The celtic staff work would probably been used in the fashion of the quarter staff.Some of these methods are very similar too the japanese Bo-jutsu and the Filipino staff methods(rarely seen).
I hope this helps a bit.

[Lily]

The first thing that came to my rather more peaceful mind was walking. No doubt those visiting a number of high houses each ear, plus sacred summits, wells and groves, would walk considerable distances.

Irish fighting sticks (Shillelagh) come to mind. they were often made of Blackthorn.

Wyeuro- good of you to give fighting women credit, but cannon - gunpowder did not arrive in europe until about the 13 th century a.d.

[cat]

I recon your old Druid would have quite muscular hands personaly as I belive they were using the ogham. not paper and ink more wood and stone. All that carving

Staff fighting for sure i guess most people would of grown up knowing how to defend them selves with a stick and wrestle may be some thing simular to bo?

I wonder if musical instruments were used in battle or before? Though im not sure how leathal a row of bards with lyres n harps would be

Seriously music can be a wepon as much as words are. I heard a chineese urhu played for the first time this year felt like some one spent five minutes walking over my grave made me want to curl up or run away. Pipes and drums?

Cheers Cath

[cat]

Now this is going to sound a little crazy but i've always though that Morris Dancing is very simular to martial arts may be some encoded information still there in all the stick bashing.

I know little about Morris but do know that the origins are some what hazy. And people have been known to run from miles around to get away or close to them Ok too much Terry Pratchett here . sorry guys i'm in some what of a silly mood this morning

[Dendrias]

Dancing is passed down to have been kind of martial arts training in Sparta. And there seem to have been several "dances in armour" in antiquity. So, Morrisdancers, whatever that is, might have a connection to weaponry.

[mantis]

Having a number of blackbelts in a number of arts all that have some form of staff work.Most staff would be long between 4ft and 6ft(depending on height of person).With this length they would be two handed.Good shoulders are a general requirement.As already stated would be that most would be handling farm impliments.
The shilaegh,morris sticks,stick work of the canaries or french baston were all sword substitute.In most cases a short stick would be used instead of a live blade.This is the case in Eskrima.
A staff,can be used as a control(enough to put of a attacker) or to kill!The beauty of the staff is you can take advantage over a sword wielding opponent.Also the staff can keep a group of attackers at bay especially if cornered.Possibly wild animals.The staff is also a versitile tool,balance,magic etc.
With wide arcs the staff can break swords,the thrusts(as used by spears another ancient weapon) could dent and off balance basic chain mail.
Even during the english civil war,an oversized staff/spear called a pike ruled the battlefield.So prior to this gunpowder was still not common,the regular traveller would rely on the staff middle to long range combat and a knife when in close.The staff is the weapon of the people throughout the world.

[cat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_NpHUiIdc&feature=related

Morris dancing

[mantis]

I think this thread ha lost its way a bit.Druid physical exercise did'nt exist, as time would'nt allow it.Phyysical energy would have been put into good use,such as chopping firewood,carrying water,walkijng rough terrain.These general chores were enough exercise.In some ways a druids background would dictate how fit or unfit they would have been.

[wyeuro]

Wyeuro- good of you to give fighting women credit, but cannon - gunpowder did not arrive in europe until about the 13 th century a.d.

well, the text-books aren't being quite so adamant about that.
http://www.hyw.com/books/history/cannon.htm
and anyway first textual references are not first appearances in the world.
druids however weren't getting their exercise firing cannon, at least not in peace-times.

I think this thread ha lost its way a bit.Druid physical exercise did'nt exist, as time would'nt allow it.Phyysical energy would have been put into good use,such as chopping firewood,carrying water,walkijng rough terrain.These general chores were enough exercise.In some ways a druids background would dictate how fit or unfit they would have been.

this seems much more like it. add in killing the pig, cobbling his boots, and yeah, wielding his stout staff against wolves and bears if he had to. maybe he built his own hut. physical exercise programmes only evolve when people are confined. my sense of a druid is out and about.

[Art]

Past druids did acknowledge the importance of good health, including the benefits of physical exercise.

While I don't disagree with the principle, I would be quite interested in the primary source for this comment...who said it and when?

[cat]

I think what Pim is trying to explore is the use of chi or ki which is well known in the eastern arts and pratices such as tia chi ect many eastern arts talk of 'spirit power' It can be praticed physicaly and mentaly though weather it exsits can't be proven.

I think there is little point in quoting what we think that Druids would of been doing with their time as it can't be proved.

This said any society with time for ritual must be fairy sucessful at gathering hunting and farming.
To be able to have dedicated people in charge of the rituals music myth and lore and medicean means there is enough time and food for this to be possible.

Sure they lived in more physical time than we do genrally now but thath doesn't rule out some type of exercise for its sake dancing being a prime example. In many arts dance is used to transmit information be it on self defence or the movments of animals and their habits ect.

I think that straying away from the origanal topic can be good we are examineing another avenue in a line of thought. Thinking outside the box so to speak.