The legend of witchcraft has long been lost today. Some believe that the film never existed and was made up purely for entertainment purposes. However, many believe that this ancient power spread throughout past civilizations. Druids were thought to be capable of this power, they were shamans, high-ranking religious figures in a society. They were said to have the ability to see the future, the power to heal, the power to destroy, and the power to communicate with animals and spirits outside of this world. The Druids lived in forests of great oaks, where under these magnificent oaks they paid homage. The oak tree was very sacred to these people, so they worshiped in sacred groves that were under the trees themselves. The precise meaning of the word Druid is unclear to many historians. There are similar ancient Celtic words meaning "knowledge" and "oak", they can be interpreted as "oak knowledge" or "great oak". Because of their “so-called” rare abilities, Druids were despised and persecuted by the Romans and Christians. As they did not want their writings to fall into the wrong hands, they were opposed to writing about these sacred subjects. It was rumored that they also performed human sacrifices with illegal prisoners and convicts. Druids were thought to be barbaric savages, but they were undoubtedly creatures with advanced intellectual abilities. The meaning of the word Druid is not clarified in historical texts. Interpretations of the word consist of “oak knowledge” or “deep knowledge” (Green 9). The word “…deru- implies being firm or steadfast and is related to the Celtic words for “oak.” This root is related to the root wid-, “to know” (Cunliffe 190). Little can actually be confirmed about the middle of paper......them. These people feared them because they were considered barbaric creatures who did nothing but worship trees and perform human sacrifices. Although they performed human sacrifices, the Druids were a group of people who worshiped the beauty of nature, wisdom, love, creativity, and intuition. These traits were long lost in the “civilized” societies in which they lived. Works Cited Brockman, Norbert C. “Sacred Groves.” History of the world: ancient and medieval periods. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. September 13, 2013. Cunliffe, Barry. The ancient Celts. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print. Green, Miranda. The world of the druids. New York: Thames & Hudson Inc, 1997. Print.Jestice, Phyllis. “Druids.” History of the world: ancient and medieval periods. ABC-CLIO, 2013.Web. September 13, 2013. “Shamanism”. History of the world: ancient and medieval periods. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. september. 2013.