Last updated on December 21, 2024

Druid tools are items of mysterious purpose both to our modern understanding and to non-Druids in the past. Since the actual Druids never documented their practices, it’s tough to know the real or exact purpose for some of the Druid tools of legend.

Historically, observations by writers like Pliny the Elder give us some written accounts. But not a Druid, he was totally guessing at the purpose for some of the things he described. And some of his descriptions were second-hand. Like his, any writer’s cultural and personal frame of reference invariably colours all the observational descriptions we have from history. More often than not, that makes them based wholly on speculation and not fact.

Modern Druid challenges

As a modern, self-initiated Druid, I was never handed a step-by-step manual for “This is how you Druid”. Even course material I studied from the OBOD and the multitude of books on Druid practices I’ve absorbed are more guides to self-exploration than an instruction manual handed down through history.

Because there isn’t one.

With that lack of written tradition, Druids never wrote down instructions for how to use their tools or even how to construct them. We don’t know exactly what Druids in antiquity did or why. So in modern Druidry, this results in there being a lot of latitude, where everyone is free to approach their craft from ways that work for the individual. Maybe not how it was originally approached, but that’s how we do it now. You only have the energy you were born with, after all, so everyone must do what feels correct for them. That makes sense to me.

The way we understand Druidry now is founded on the work of Revival Druids three hundred years ago, rather than knowledge from a couple thousand years ago when the original Druids existed. The evolution of that revival and rekindled interest in Paganism as a spiritual path in the last half of the 20th century thanks to groups like The Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA) and The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids (OBOD) bring us to where we are today. This presents us with a challenge. Because let’s be honest, we truthfully don’t know what these tools were. All we know is, these are tools for working with our energy and the energy of the land. And of the ones that we know about, I think we have to consider are these tools still relevant in a modern world?

Overcoming challenges

Nowadays, we usually don’t speculate directly on how Druid tools were used in the past except out of interest. What would be the point? That’s a riddle that can never be solved. Well, not unless we invent time travel.

Instead, understanding the basic principles used by similar earth religions points us in the right direction. And with that as a guide, we remain mindful of what we gain by using each of the Druid tools. By contemplating what each tool is and what it’s made from, it’s possible to glean glimpses into their original purpose. And then determine how to make them work for each of us individually.

Simply listening to ourselves and using these tools in a way that feels correct for each person is the best way to go. And maybe that’s the way it always was and part of the reason instructions were never written down. Of course, they wanted to keep their practices secret, we get that, but it does make you wonder. Me, anyway. Personally, I think that might be true, that everyone was meant to find their own way within a common frame of reference.

The traditional Druid tools of lore

Thousands of legends reference Druids and mages, sages and oracles. And some of these stories even mention their tools. Though most of this is anecdotal or in passing, it’s still a place to start. At the very least, it’s given names to some of the Druid tools we know about today. And we can credit the Druid revival scholars of the seventeenth century for reminding us of some of those tools amidst the great quest for a “holistic view of things, a way of knowledge that took in all relevant information”. (from Chapter 1 of Druidry: A Green Way of Wisdom ©2003 by John Michael Greer).

If you’re at the beginning of your journey and wonder what types of Druid tools you need, first off, know you don’t need any. You hold your own energy and can harness it yourself. But if you want to incorporate some tools into your practice, you may want to explore some of these more familiar names. Made more popular through the rise of fantasy stories, they’re not all completely foreign to most people.

Wand 

Probably the most recognisable of all Druid tools, a wand is a very personal tool. For use by an individual. They’re so special, no one but the owner should touch one. Wands contain no power. Instead, the owner uses the wand as a conduit of personal power.

Crane Bag

We know about the Crane Bag only from legend where it was apparently created by a god. And it contained some pretty fantastical treasures. But we believe this story was never meant to be taken literally and the Crane Bag is, in fact, something other than a bag.

Staff (or Rod)

Another very personal Druid tool, a staff or rod should never be touched by anyone but the owner. They’re often interchangeable (staffs and rods) and used for the same purposes. Staffs are most often made from wood to imbue this tool with the resonant power of the specific tree.

Druid Egg

Though a personal favourite of mine, in my experience, I’ve observed the Druid Egg is not a widely used tool by modern Druids. Made from stone, crystals or other materials, the Druid egg still serves a purpose today in grounding us.

Sickle

Like so many Druid tools, the sickle’s use could be either literal or up for interpretation. From an actual harvesting tool to a representation of the return of light to suggesting all things in balance and harmony in a cycle without end. It’s up to us, as modern Druids, to decide what’s the most correct for each of us.

Druid Cord

While not quite as fascinating or mysterious as some of the other Druid tools, the Druid Cord can still be of use to us today. With a primary function of geometry, it can help us lay out sacred spaces.

Check out all the articles in this series on Traditional Druid Tools:

Wand
Crane Bag
Staff or Rod
Druid Egg
Sickle
Druid Cord

 

For a more colourful demonstration of some of these Druid tools in action, check out my book, The Seer. This historical sword fantasy about a Druid in the fictional realm of Edenshire in 4th-century Britain is available at Amazon!