The Roles of Nature, Deities, and Ancestors in Constructing Religious Identity in Contemporary Druidry

Abstract

This article will look explicitly at the Druid religious identity as it relates to nature, deities and ancestors. Setting the article in the context of religious identity theory, it proposes that the study of religious identity needs to incorporate three salient features – intellect, experience and behavior. The article suggests a framework for religious identity theory – a theory of religious identity, satisfaction and deprivation – as a manner by which one might understand the ascription and achievement of an identity. Drawing from ethnographic field work, this article utilizes the interviews of contemporary practitioners as a means to understand religious identity construction.