Theos-Talk Archives (August 1997 Message tl00607)

Hello again everybody!  My hosts computer crashed, and I haven't been on
in a while, but it looks like there are a few new people on the list.
Welcome!

I saw the post regarding the possible interaction between Druidic and
Native American philosophy, and although I haven't looked very deeply into
the matter, I have run across something else, Annette, that might help.

The Gallic tribes used to have a style of writing called "Ogham" which was
a series of vertical and diagonal slashes that were used to mark events
that occured in a particular place.  For instance, if one group was
scouting ahead to find a suitable place to make camp, they would leave a
message in Ogham by sratching it into a stone or a tree.  When the next
group came up, they could read that etching and find out if they needed to
take any extra precaution.

Fairly recently, Ogham stones and trees have been found in quite a few
areas, even as far down as New Mexico.  They talk about the weather.  The
success of the hunt, and other things.  This writing was in use a long
time ago, and although I haven't seen anything regarding dating of these
writings, I'm sure we would find that the Native Americans were
theoretically here at the same time.  In this case, there would definitely
be some interraction between the two societies.

Also, in the Book of Mormon, of which I am not, but I found this quite
interesting, a character called Nephi went to the "New World" by an order
of god, where he saw people with white skin, which, until recently would
have been unthought of, but more and more evidence of such things are
coming into view.

It has long been known the Gallic Norse ships had sailed often to the
eastern coast of Canada, particularly Newfoundland.  Perhaps many chose to
migrate further South, and decided not to return to their homeland.  In
any case, there are three possibilities, maybe more...probably more, for
the similarity between the two wheels.

One is that the Native American tribes picked up on Druidic philosophy and
adapted in within their own.  Another is that both nations came from the
same philosophical source, and may have gotten along quite well.
(Sometimes I like to wonder how different things would have been had a
group of Olde World Gauls had visited the New World before anyone else in
the fifteenth century.  The last, which seems to me as likely as the
second, in that it is very likely, is that the Norse adapted Native
American philosophy into their own.  The Gauls were well known for taking
the philosophy of others and fitting it into their own giant puzzle.  If
not religious, it was diplomatic, and probably moreso the latter.  I would
say, in looking back, that many of the symbols and beliefs of the Druids
that we read about today were not "true" druidic principles.  Many may
have been meant only as signs of peace.  What better way to make peace, in
those times, than to say, "Oh yes, we believe what you believe...see?"

Once again, I express my ignorance in Gallic tradition and history, but
I'm willing to bet that such tactics could have been used militarily as
well.  The Gauls were considered "barbaric", because they seemed to have
a lack of organization.  The Romans saw that they had not developed big
roads or giant colloseums and thought that they were mindless and
uncivilized.  Also, the Gauls often fought between each other for land,
from what I understand, as well as surrounding nations, although once the
Romans got a good hold around their territories, they moved, more or less,
into a defensive position.  Many took their leave and simply crossed into
what is now Ireland and Scotland.  But, back to what I was getting at...

Such "I agree with you" tactics would have been a great military strategy.
I think, prehaps, that many Gallic tribes did as such when they agreed
with Romans on their religious philosophies.  They were set free to walk
into Roman territory.  Once they had enough of their own within, they
could cause an uprising and take the nation from within and destroy its
foundations.

Anyhow, I hope this little bit of info helps you Annette.  I still don't
have a lot of time to delve into the Gallic matter.  I'm still working on
the hebrew old testament.  Retranslation etc.  The hardest things about it
is that I don't know hebrew, *smile*, so, of course, I'm teaching myself
that with a grammar book at the moment.  Then, after a year or two, I'll
probably have forgotten about Ogham trees and Medicine wheels, and...well,
who knows.

Its nice to have you here.  And you too, Vincent.  I didn't hear much of
what you had to say before I was so rudely removed from the world of
email.

Love and slobbery kisses.
---
Jaqi.