Ossian Collection > Romance of the Highlands

20 THE ROMANCE OF THE HIGHLANDS.
One horrid rite of the Druids was that of sacrificing
human beings. Csesar tells that the native Caledonians
before beginning any engagement offered sacrifices.
This brutal rite was performed by both the male and the
female Druids. Rushing at the victim they struck him
with their daggers, and noting the direction of his fall,
or the flow of his blood, they prophesied good or evil
accordingly. They also immolated to their heathen gods
victims by hundreds in the meshes of gigantic wicker
cages.
They worshipped many of these gods, among them
being the sun, moon and stars, fire and water. To them
they consecrated the days of the week, and these, as we
know them now, and name them daily, are all expressive
of Druidical god-names ; thus Sunday is Sun-day,
Monday is Moon-day, Thursday is Thor's-day, and so
on.
Many of the Druidical stone circles, within which
the ancient Celts worshipped, are still to be seen. They
consist of giant boulders, which had taken much time and
labour to bring together. These circles were in use for
the preaching of the Gospel and for the promulgation of
laws long after the abolition of paganism. We are told
that Alexander Stewart, Lord of Badenoch, held court at
the standing stone of Rath, near Kingussie, in 1380,
and at a much later date barons were wont to administer
justice at such cairns. Cromlechs, Rocking Stones and
Dolmens, beneath which human beings were sacrificed
before they were set up, are to be found in almost every
district.
The Druids held several great festivals during the
year. One of these was Beltane Day (Gaelic Bealtieney
Baal's fire). It was celebrated on the first of May (o.s.),
which day was considered the beginning of summer. All
fires had been extinguished the previous evening, and the