 The poems were hugely popular; they were read by many of the notable figures of the period, including Voltaire, Napoleon and Thomas Jefferson, and quality of the poetry inspired contemporary comparisons with Homer.Though attributed to the ancient semi-legendary poet Ossian, the works are believed to have been composed by a wistful Macpherson seeking to recreate the oral traditions of Scotland.Everything presently known about the Iron Age druids derives from archaeological evidence and Greco-Roman textual sources, rather than material produced by these druids themselves.