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Boudicca's Story by Laura Stewart Cipriano
This is an original song based on the true story of Boudicca (also known as Boadicea). She was queen of the Iceni, an East Anglia Celtic tribe, in the first century A.D. Her husband, King Prasugatus, died and left half of his kingdom to the Roman Nero. By that time the Roman empire had expanded to the extent that they were trying to take over all of England. They hoped to eventually take over all of the British Isles and, for that matter, all the world.

The Romans weren't happy with only half the wealth of the Iceni and attacked. Boudicca's two daughters, princesses in their early teens, were "ravished" by the Roman soldiers, the Iceni kingdom was pillaged and ancient ancestoral treasures stolen and Queen Boudicca was publicly flogged.

But she had her revenge. Boudicca led an uprising of the Iceni and neighboring Celtic tribes which resulted in the sacking of the three largest Roman settlements in Britain, the present-day cities of Colchester, St Albans and London. 70,000 Romans and Roman allies died in three days. Celtic women who were literally "sleeping with the enemy" were treated particularly brutally by Boudicca's army.

Then the Roman army, which had done little to protect the three settlements, rallied and destroyed the English Celtic tribes. Boudicca and her daughters are believed to have killed themselves.

Most of what I know about Boudicca comes from the writings of the Roman Tacitus. He most certainly was biased against the Celts, and yet he seems to also have a grudging admiration for this strong woman Boudicca.

Photo of Boudicca statue taken in London in 1995 ©Laura Stewart Cipriano

The part about Mona (also known as Holyhead, next to Anglesey in Wales) refers to the Roman invasion and desecration of this holy island of (at that time) ancient groves. It was a place where young people, probably not just males, studied to become druids. This attack happened shortly before Boudicca's uprising.

There is a monument to Boudicca in London. It is on the Thames embankment and I think it is across the street from Westminster Abbey. The large black statue shows Boudicca and her two daughters riding their horse-drawn chariot on the way to battle.

Photo of Boudicca statue taken in London in 1995 ©Laura Stewart Cipriano ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOUDICCA ARISE! ©1994 Laura Stewart

King Prasagatus died afraid of what the seers told
Of what might happen to his daughters and his gold
So he planned a way to keep the Roman soldiers from his hold
By giving half of all he had to Nero.
But half was not enough the Romans had to take it all
They flogged the king's wife Boudicca and defiled the Celtic world.

What will she do now? Will she make them go away?
What can she do? What can she say?
The rage she must feel, the fury, the despair...
What she can do she can do but does she dare?

Boudicca arise
Our eyes are on you Boudicca
Arise!

Boudicca arise and take your revenge
The groves are defiled
The mighty trees of Mona felled
Your daughters were raped
And the holy places quelled
You are queen
You are wise
And a druidess as well

Boudicca arise!
Our eyes are on you Boudicca
Arise!

What will you do now, will you make them go away?
What can you do? What can you say?
The rage you must feel, the fury, the despair.
What you can do you can do,
But do you dare?

Boudicca arise
Our eyes are on you Boudicca
Arise!

Boudicca arise it's in your blood
Boudicca arise, but do it out of love
For your people, for the land
For your daughters, for your life
For the ancient rocks and trees
Try to set the spirals right

Boudicca arise!
Our eyes are on you Boudicca
Arise...!
Click on the Stonehenge photo to see more.
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Hope you find these sites as informative and enjoyable as we do.

Wonderful music links and Tania Ruiz's Fairport Convention homepage

Rand Genealogy - lots of genealogy links here

Favorite Genealogy Links

Turlough Carolan - Ireland's best remembered harper

Dreamroads -I don't know much about this, but I find the similarities to Native American beliefs interesting

Star Island virtual tour

WWUH Information for downloading Real Audio to listen to my favorite radio station. You never know what you will hear. I like the FM on toast shows, Sunday through Friday, 6 AM to 9 AM, best.

The Game Zone for realtime Windows-based board games and card games.

Links to neopagan organizations in Connecticut and around the world.

Celtic knotwork combines art, math, computers, and Celtic mysticism.

The Druid Grove After studying Native American ways, I wondered what the traditional beliefs of my British/Scottish/Irish ancestors were.
The OBOD essay about a druid's view of Christianity may surprise you. This is how it begins: "Christianity and Druidry: A Meeting Point

"One of the unusual attributes of Druidry is that it has links with both Paganism and Christianity. One of the most irnportant tasks that face us today is one of reconciliation, whether that be between differing political or religious positions. Rather than polarising the pagan and christian viewpoints, Druidry serves a vital role in bridge-building between the different traditions, as can be seen from the following talk, delivered by Philip Carr-Gomm at the first conference on Druidry & Christianity, held at Prinknash Grange in 1989.

"From the point of view of the collective unconscious we are placed at a disturbing point in the evolution of our consciousness as one humanity. We are faced, quite simply, with seeing our mother so ill that she might die. For decades we have tried to deny the gravity of the situation, some of us still do - for the pain we experience when we fully accept this fact is too great for many of us to bear.

"Christianity has for the last two thousand years addressed the suffering of the Son - of humanity, of the human soul. The knowledge of ourselves as wounded is essential if we are to evolve as people - as not only Christianity but also psychoanalysis has shown. But we need now to urgently address another level of suffering - not of ourselves, not of the Son of God, but of our mother, of the Earth and of all that means to us. (In another sense, we could see the Earth as the Daughter of God/des, Nature being her mother. Understood in this way we need now to address the suffering of the Daughter rather than the Son)."

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Treasure knowledge.
It is the path to enlightenment.

The word bodacious, which means remarkable, is derived from the name Boudicca.
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