Drudwyn. [W] Whelp of Greid, Chief of the pack of hounds that hunted Twrch Trwyth. Only Mabon, son of Modron, could hold this hound.

Druid. The druids not only presided at religious functions but were important figures in the Celtic world-advisers, judges, teachers, and ambassadors between rulers. The philologist Rudolf Thurneysen believed the word came from the roots dru-vid, "thor- ough knowledge." Others believe that the word came be coined from draoi-id, "oak knowledge." Whatever the meaning of the word, druids, who were both male and female, held a position of exceptional power in Celtic society. It took up to twenty years to learn all the druidical laws and canons, according to Julius Caesar. They were accounted philosophers, natural scientists, and teachers and, more importantly, were able to give legal, political, and even military judgments. They were trained in "international law" as well as tribal law. They could prevent' warfare between tribes, for their moral and legal authority was greater than that of chieftains or kings. Even the High King could not speak at an assembly before his druid had spoken. Whereas most of our knowledge of Continental and British druids has come down to us through the distortions of the Greek and Latin writers, there is a corpus of native Irish writing describing the role of the Irish druids. The Dinnsenchas describes the various roles and offices of the druids. Whereas this was written by Christian monks, and so contains a Christian veneer and outlook, there are many similarities to the eastern Zen masters. Their role in Celtic mythology seems confined as masters of the supernatural arts instead of as learned men,   While the druids of the Britons and the Continental Celts seemed to observe the strict prohibition against committing any thing to writing, it can be observed in the Irish myths that the druids are always writing things down in Ogham on wands of wood.
From the myths we find that the Irish druids had a tonsor, as did the early Celtic Christian monks. They cut their hair in a mystic figure called airbacc Giunnae (perhaps, "fence cut of the hair") a tonsor running from ear to ear, instead of the circular form on the crown of the head. The Celtic monks followed this form, which became a point of dispute with Rome, and the Roman tonsor eventually replaced the Celtic one. Druids have long been the subject for myth making, from the time of the Latin writers, who were not exactly sympathetic to the Celts or the druids, until the nineteenth century romantic revival, which accorded all manner of weird and wonderful powers to the druids. Latin writers maintained that the druids were practitioners of human sacrifice, with particular reference to the Celts of Gaul. Cicero, Dionysius, and Pomponius Mela recite human sacrifice stories ad nauseam, which were taken up by such early Christian leaders as Tertullian, Augustine, and Lactantius. However, it must be pointed out that there is no native tradition of this. One would have thought that if there had been some hint of such a tradition then the Christian scribes would have undoubtedly seized upon it in an effort to denigrate the older religion and its practices, as they did with the story of Cromm Cruach, an idol who demanded sacrifice but who is portrayed as an aberration and not the norm in Celtic society.
The transition of moral and legal authority from the druids to the "saints" of the early Celtic Christian Church was an easy one. No martyrs are recorded. The answer seems to rest in the fact that the early "saints" were druids and that the new religion was seen simply as an extension of the old one. Illtyd, for example, is described in an ealy Life of St. Samson as "a most wise Magus Druid and a fore-knower of future events." Taliesin makes the point that the druids believed in "Christianity" before it was brought to the Celts by missionaries. In others words, the doctrines of the druidic religion were little different from those of the new one.

Drunemeton. A place in Galatia referred to by Strabo. The name means "sanctuary of oaks," a religious gathering place for the Galatian druids.

Dubh. [I] Wife of Enna and a druidess. When Enna was having an affair, she drowned her rival by magic. Enna slew her in revenge with a slingshot and she fell into a pool that became Dubh's pool-Dubhlinn, now the more popular name given to Ireland's " capital city. The usual name in Irish, however, is Baile Atha Cliath, the town of the hurdle ford. In early times an artificial ford of hurdles was constructed across the River Liffey around which the city was built.

Dubhthach Doeltenga. [I] A warrior of the Red Branch who is described as "a man who never earned the thanks of anyone." The name Doeltenga signifies "backbiter," and this is precisely his role, to stir up trouble. He is present at "The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel" and at "Bricriu's Feast" to ensure dissension among the guests.

Dumnonia. As the Anglo-Saxons established themselves in the island of Britain and began to push the native Celtic inhabitants westward, Dumnonia emerged as an independent kingdom for several centuries. Its eastern border with the Saxons fluctuated almost yearly following the Celtic defeat at Charford in Hampshire by Cerdic the Saxon in A.D. 521. From Hampshire into Dorset the Celtic borders receded westward to Devon, where, for a time, they stabilised. Indeed, in the place-name Devon (Defnas) we have a vestige of the name of Dumnonia, and in that name is traced the Celtic aborigines-the Dumnonii. Mid-Somerset had been annexed by the end of the seventh century, and Exeter fell to the Saxons 'in A.D. 710. Gereint was then ruler and he was the recipient of a famous letter addressed to him by Bishop Aldhelm (ca. 640- 709). Aldhelm, who became canonised, was bishop at Sherborne and wrote a denouncement of the Celtic Church, arguing for the new Roman doctrines. Over a hundred years before the poem Y Gododdin mentioned a Geraint "of the south" taking part in the raid against the Anglo-Saxons at Catterick (Catraeth) In 721- 722, the Dumnonians rallied briefly and won a victory over the West Saxons at Camel. But defeats in 825 and 838, the latter at Hingston Down, near Callington, caused Dumnonia to disappear . The Celts were then confined beyond the Tamar into the kingdom of Cornwall.

Dun. A fortified place, a word common to all the Celtic languages, including continental Celtic. Dynas in modern Welsh. Lyon, in France, was named Lugh's fort, Lugdun(um), the "urn" being a Latin ending. Each king or champion had a dun. Many of these fortresses had magical properties themselves. They sometimes revolved, or hid their gates, or held all manner of devicies to trap the unwary.

Dunatis. Gaulish god of the fortified place.

Dyfed. The southwestern kingdom of Wales that, in Welsh myth, seems to occupy the same role as Munster in Irish myth. Like Munster it has a mysterious realm within or beside it. Annwn, the Otherworld, is just to the west of Dyfed. The island of Gwales, off the west coast of Dyfed, seems comparable to the House of Donn off the west coast of Munster. It suffers a magic enchantment as a revenge by LIwyd for the affront given to Gwawl when Pwyll wins the hand of Rhiannon.

Dylan Ell Ton. [W] "Sea, Son of the Wave." The yellow-haired son of Aranrhod and twin to LIeu. At the moment Aranrhod gives him birth, Dylan makes for the sea and receives the sea's nature, able to swim as well as any fish. He is eventually slain by his uncle Gofannon, a story that seems cognate with the tale of the death of Ruadan caused by Goibhniu. The story of LIeu and Dylan seems remarkably similar to the tale of Krishna and Balarama in Hindu mythology. In this tale it is Balarama who disappears into the sea.