beyondthebreach wrote:On the subject of Druids again,
Of course, there are an endless numbers of historical "flavors" that can be the model upon which a campaign is built. Certainly a Medieval theme being the most prevalent. I question, though, at what point it becomes the height of illogic for a Druid (let's say a priest of nature) to be more out of place than a Magic-user? At what point did anything remotely resembling a D&D magic-user exist as a "common" medieval ideal. From most of the medieval literature I have read, ideas of magic were little discussed and certainly the province of witchcraft and paganism. If anything, medieval magic would have been more likely to derive from Nature than from tomes, books and arcane libraries.
The medieval tomes of magic are still extant. (Although the most common books are late medieval, 15th and 16th century survivors.) Most of the ones that survive have been re-printed in perfect-bound paperback. You can even find them online for free...even more if you read Latin. They are mostly "scientific" in nature, if the invocation of angels and demons to work the wizard's will can be considered "science."
My reading of Shakespeare and Marlowe indicates to me that the members of their audiences shared common information and ideas about magic, faeries, ghosts, witches, etc. Certainly, they saw these things as satanic (and therefore a bit thrilling). They seem to have gleaned a great deal of folklore and basic magical cliches from their own traditions and meagre education.
Most of the texts I have read were written by Christian wizards, who considered themselves to be tapped into secret, divine powers...and to be guided in their studies by God's will. Dr. Jon Dee is a good example. (Queen Elizabeth's court astrologer...look him up online).
This quest for occult ("hidden") knowledge existed right beside and intertwined with the quest for new scientific knowledge...and was often practiced by the same people.
D&D is not the middle ages...it is the middle ages if magic had actually worked and if the dark monsters of Germanic imagination and popular beastiaries had actually existed.
I have two issues with druids..... 1) Their spells and powers are annoying. 2) The idea of a Neutral, rabbit-saving "defender of nature" is a modern, misguided-leftist-environmentalist invention.
Mark