International Grand Lodge of Druidism
 | |
| Abbreviation | IGLD |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1908 |
| Type | Fraternity and Friendly society |
| Headquarters | Germany |
| Website | http://igld.net/ |
The International Grand Lodge of Druidism (IGLD) is a forum for druidic fraternal orders founded at Munich, Germany, in 1908. Its aims are the exchange of views and news on mutual activities and objectives between the different orders around the world.
History[edit]
Origins of the concept and establishment of the organization[edit]
Since the revival of Druidism as a fraternal order and a non religious but philosophical movement in 1781 in London by the Ancient Order of Druids, several orders, born of it[1], had a worldwide and successful presence but they still remained distinct with their specific rituals and traditions.
The first efforts to secure unity and amongst the various sections of Druidism were made in the years 1857-1858 by M. Hart, Grand Secretary of the United Ancient Order of Druids (USA branch) approached the British Orders to consider what was then termed “an amalgamation of all Druid Societies throughout the world[2]”. Continued attempts were made during the following years to weld the links together, but they were unavailing until the year 1906 when Heinrich Fricke of UAOD Germany succeeded in arranging for representatives of the English UAOD to meet in conference at Hull.
Adoption and formalisation of the IGLD[edit]
The Hull's conference prepared the way for the formation of the International Grand Lodge of Druidism (IGLD) at Munich in 1908, when representatives of the English, American and German Orders were present.
On 29 July 1913, a truly representative gathering of delegates from the Druidic Orders of the world met in London under the presidency of Francis Askew (UAOD England) with Heinrich Fricke (UAOD Germany) as Vice President. At the same conference there were representatives of the Ancient Order of Druids (the parent Order), the English UAOD, the Order of Druids, the UAOD of the USA, the UAOD of Germany and the UAOD Australasia (Australia and New Zealand).
After World War I, the Swedish UAOD joined the IGLD in 1928, the UAOD Danemark in 1949 and the Norwegian UAOD in 1955. UAOD Switzerland is integrated in 1976. In 2001, UAOD Finland joined the organization. In 2008, the IGLD celebrated its centenary at Munich and welcomed UAOD Iceland’s membership.
List of IGLD Grand presidents[edit]
| Country | Grand president | Term |
|---|---|---|
 United Kingdom
|
Francis Askew | 1908-1913 |
 German Empire
|
Heinrich Fricke | 1913-1918 |
 Germany
|
Heinrich Fricke | 1918-1923 |
| Germany
|
Hugo Wiese | 1923-1933 |
| United Kingdom
|
Charles W.G. Green | 1933-1938 |
| United Kingdom
|
Alan J. Gray | 1938-1941 |
 Sweden
|
Carl E. Gulich | 1941-1949 |
 New Zealand
|
Walter Neate | 1949-1952 |
| Sweden
|
Victor Denward | 1952-1955 |
 Denmark
|
Swane Lund | 1955-1958 |
| United Kingdom
|
Fred Churchard | 1958-1961 |
| Germany
|
Willy Laurisch | 1961-1964 |
| United Kingdom
|
George Smy | 1964-1967 |
| Sweden
|
Nils Nordling | 1967–1970 |
 Norway
|
Otto Strøm | 1970-1973 |
| Germany
|
Kurt Thomas | 1973-1976 |
| Denmark
|
Preben Christiansen | 1976-1979 |
| United Kingdom
|
Frederik J. Cooke | 1979-1981 |
| Sweden
|
Carl Erik Dittmer | 1981-1984 |
| Germany
|
Rudolf Köhler | 1984-1990 |
| Norway
|
Erling Freitag | 1990-1996 |
| Sweden
|
Lennart Petersson | 1996-2000 |
 Switzerland
|
Hans Dürrenberger | 2000-2004 |
| Norway
|
Tor Gjelvik | 2004-2008 |
| Denmark
|
Mogens Petersson | 2008-2012 |
| New Zealand
|
Bob Stewart | 2012-2016 |
References[edit]
- ↑ The United Ancient Order of Druids in 1833 and the Order of Druids in 1858.
- ↑ http://igld.net/druidism/history/.
Bibliography[edit]
- IGLD Constitution, XXV, World Congress at Hamar, Norway, 2004, 14p.
- Hutton Ronald, Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2009.
- Wiese Hugo & Fricke Heinrich, Handbuch des Druiden Ordens, Dritte Auflage, 1931.
See also[edit]
- Friendly society
- Druidry (modern)
- Ancient Order of Druids
- United Ancient Order of Druids
- Order of Druids
External links[edit]
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