“she was huge of frame, terrifying of aspect, and with a harsh voice. A great mass of bright red hair fell to her knees: She wore a great twisted golden necklace, and a tunic of many colors, over which was a thick mantle, fastened by a brooch. Now she grasped a spear, to strike fear into all who watched her…” - Dio Cassius
Putting a Face to a Name
In finding out about what kind of a person Boudicca was, it is helpful to be able to put a face to a name. Cassius writes that “she was huge of frame, terrifying of aspect, and with a harsh voice. A great mass of bright red hair fell to her knees: She wore a great twisted golden necklace, and a tunic of many colors, over which was a thick mantle, fastened by a brooch. Now she grasped a spear, to strike fear into all who watched her…” While this is likely to be a very exaggerated account, many artists and sculptors have worked with this description to create what is known today as her iconography. A powerful statue of her was erected in London, one of the towns she once fought to destroy. In the statue, she is riding into battle on her chariots, looking determined and strong with her hands reaching out to the sky, her two vulnerable daughters at either side. Their mother is shown as a pillar of strength in the world-famous statue, a constant reminder to the world of a woman’s strength. It is no wonder she inspired feminist movements throughout history, including that of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth. She has been a favorite subject for many artists for centuries. In a black and white art piece titled Queen Boudicca from 2011, she is portrayed as a savior in the centre of a battlefield seemingly controlling all of her surroundings. She is dressed as a female warrior, with the black and white giving the impression that the artwork is a captured moment in time. This powerful piece is the artist’s own interpretation of who Boudicca was. In another 2012 artwork by Andrew Howat, she is depicted as being liberated and beautiful whilst aggressively riding into battle ready to take on her opponents. In a deeply romantic, sensationalist portrayal, artist Alex Kurtagic paints Boudicca as a big breasted, muscled and axe-wielding hot red head that just shows what an exciting character Boudicca has become. This is far from an accurate portrayal, but it’s a very cool one. Past, more traditional artwork like the ‘Queen Boudica’ art piece by John Opie in 1807, take a different approach in displaying Boudicca as a comforting, warm and mother-like figure with her people crowded around, listening to the woman warrior. Boudicca was not just a mother to her two daughters, but to all of the Iceni people. Artists have shone a new light on Boudicca with the creative freedom they have to paint her whichever way they like.
It is Boudicca’s iconography that has assisted her in outliving her own death as Christian Lacdael exclaims in his 2011 poem ‘Boudica’ where he writes, “She lived on though she weren’t alive, for her story was to survive." Another poet, John Bratton and Paul Perro celebrate Boudica’s heroic stand as “a woman who refused to be bullied, she stood up for herself, and took on he might of the Roman Empire." This is what kids will hear growing up. It would appear that she has won, even in losing the final battle (Jason Burke, 2000), with her story being passed down not only in books but in artwork and poems as well. There are even festivals celebrating Boudicca with body paint, collectable figurines of her, a movie portraying her as a wronged and empowered woman, a main character in a strategy-based video game called ‘Civilization V: Gods & Kings’ by Sid Meier, a London-based fashion brand named after her, 1/2 Dozen navy warships in her name, and a play written by Shakespeare himself titled ‘Bonducca,’ as an endeavor to restore Queen Elizabeth to the throne in 1958 (Harry Turtledove, 2013). She had definitely left her mark on the Western World.
In finding out about what kind of a person Boudicca was, it is helpful to be able to put a face to a name. Cassius writes that “she was huge of frame, terrifying of aspect, and with a harsh voice. A great mass of bright red hair fell to her knees: She wore a great twisted golden necklace, and a tunic of many colors, over which was a thick mantle, fastened by a brooch. Now she grasped a spear, to strike fear into all who watched her…” While this is likely to be a very exaggerated account, many artists and sculptors have worked with this description to create what is known today as her iconography. A powerful statue of her was erected in London, one of the towns she once fought to destroy. In the statue, she is riding into battle on her chariots, looking determined and strong with her hands reaching out to the sky, her two vulnerable daughters at either side. Their mother is shown as a pillar of strength in the world-famous statue, a constant reminder to the world of a woman’s strength. It is no wonder she inspired feminist movements throughout history, including that of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth. She has been a favorite subject for many artists for centuries. In a black and white art piece titled Queen Boudicca from 2011, she is portrayed as a savior in the centre of a battlefield seemingly controlling all of her surroundings. She is dressed as a female warrior, with the black and white giving the impression that the artwork is a captured moment in time. This powerful piece is the artist’s own interpretation of who Boudicca was. In another 2012 artwork by Andrew Howat, she is depicted as being liberated and beautiful whilst aggressively riding into battle ready to take on her opponents. In a deeply romantic, sensationalist portrayal, artist Alex Kurtagic paints Boudicca as a big breasted, muscled and axe-wielding hot red head that just shows what an exciting character Boudicca has become. This is far from an accurate portrayal, but it’s a very cool one. Past, more traditional artwork like the ‘Queen Boudica’ art piece by John Opie in 1807, take a different approach in displaying Boudicca as a comforting, warm and mother-like figure with her people crowded around, listening to the woman warrior. Boudicca was not just a mother to her two daughters, but to all of the Iceni people. Artists have shone a new light on Boudicca with the creative freedom they have to paint her whichever way they like.
It is Boudicca’s iconography that has assisted her in outliving her own death as Christian Lacdael exclaims in his 2011 poem ‘Boudica’ where he writes, “She lived on though she weren’t alive, for her story was to survive." Another poet, John Bratton and Paul Perro celebrate Boudica’s heroic stand as “a woman who refused to be bullied, she stood up for herself, and took on he might of the Roman Empire." This is what kids will hear growing up. It would appear that she has won, even in losing the final battle (Jason Burke, 2000), with her story being passed down not only in books but in artwork and poems as well. There are even festivals celebrating Boudicca with body paint, collectable figurines of her, a movie portraying her as a wronged and empowered woman, a main character in a strategy-based video game called ‘Civilization V: Gods & Kings’ by Sid Meier, a London-based fashion brand named after her, 1/2 Dozen navy warships in her name, and a play written by Shakespeare himself titled ‘Bonducca,’ as an endeavor to restore Queen Elizabeth to the throne in 1958 (Harry Turtledove, 2013). She had definitely left her mark on the Western World.
boudicca's endless iconography...
Boudicca, a 2011 poem by Christian Lacdael
A past king of East Anglia,
Ruled with men from a foreign shore,
Despite a cultural barrier,
There was no cruel bloody war,
Life was better than twas elsewhere,
But of somethings all weren't aware,
Had all intentions been made clear,
There would have been due cause to fear,
Lest it ends up being misplaced,
Choose carefully where to put trust,
Failure to means what's to be faced,
Could well seem to be unjust,
Alliances don't always last,
When the king died things changed fast,
As their claim to the land was lost,
The common people paid the cost,
Once the Anglian king was dead,
His wishes were not respected,
Liberties were taken instead,
Which ruined all those affected,
Though she'd once been by a king's side,
Boudica's will was defied,
She ended up battered and bruised,
Whilst her three daughters were abused,
The cheated despised their fate,
As the hardships faced caused them pain,
The people boiled inside with hate,
For they had no voice to complain,
Men were burdened with debts and shame,
Due to how hard their lives became,
Thing seemed to get worse by the day,
Which brought about yet more dismay,
A rare chance was happened upon,
That put in doubt the ruler's reign,
For whilst their troops were briefly gone,
People felt their plight need not remain,
They believed that their former queen,
Could make things how they had once been,
Sure their land could be theirs again,
She rallied together the men,
Passions were fuelled a great extent,
Many had call for an outlet,
These people made war their intent,
Giving their foes due cause to fret,
All across the land waves were felt,
Owing to the change of hand dealt,
The rebels obtained much support,
Ready for battles to be fought,
Days would see very little calm,
For to war all were to succumb,
The foes met came to the most harm,
Because they found themselves overcome,
The offensive achieved its aim,
Making the land seem free to claim,
Whilst enemies had met their doom,
For twas the due thing to assume,
To secure the land as their own,
Rebels took revenge on their foe,
Which most would struggle to condone,
They didn't have any remorse though,
The foreigners struggled to cope,
And found themselves with dwindling hope,
The threat which the rebels did pose,
Couldn't be crushed when it arose,
The rebels sought havoc to wreak,
As they went on a killing spree,
They slew both the strong and the weak,
Whilst dismissing their every plea,
No mercy to which to appeal,
Meant some suffered a grave ordeal,
The much unexpected defeat,
Almost called for all out retreat,
Nothing kept the rebels in check,
They left thousands dead in their wake,
Towns were pillaged and left a wreck,
And damage done for vengeance sake,
The changes to the land were stark,
As the disturbance left its mark,
Boudica had her land back,
But her plans did not stay on track,
The foreigners suffered much loss,
But came back as a stronger force,
Determined to quell the chaos,
And bring their schemes onto course,
The foreigners found their success,
With skills others didn't possess,
Their true might was shocking to face,
So they in time secured their place,
All of Boudica's dreams died,
As she had to give up her fight,
She suffered a blow to her pride,
Since she'd not quelled her people's plight,
Boudica left this life,
Escaping from all of her strife,
She lived on though she weren't alive,
For her story was to survive.
(PoemHunter.com, 2012)
A past king of East Anglia,
Ruled with men from a foreign shore,
Despite a cultural barrier,
There was no cruel bloody war,
Life was better than twas elsewhere,
But of somethings all weren't aware,
Had all intentions been made clear,
There would have been due cause to fear,
Lest it ends up being misplaced,
Choose carefully where to put trust,
Failure to means what's to be faced,
Could well seem to be unjust,
Alliances don't always last,
When the king died things changed fast,
As their claim to the land was lost,
The common people paid the cost,
Once the Anglian king was dead,
His wishes were not respected,
Liberties were taken instead,
Which ruined all those affected,
Though she'd once been by a king's side,
Boudica's will was defied,
She ended up battered and bruised,
Whilst her three daughters were abused,
The cheated despised their fate,
As the hardships faced caused them pain,
The people boiled inside with hate,
For they had no voice to complain,
Men were burdened with debts and shame,
Due to how hard their lives became,
Thing seemed to get worse by the day,
Which brought about yet more dismay,
A rare chance was happened upon,
That put in doubt the ruler's reign,
For whilst their troops were briefly gone,
People felt their plight need not remain,
They believed that their former queen,
Could make things how they had once been,
Sure their land could be theirs again,
She rallied together the men,
Passions were fuelled a great extent,
Many had call for an outlet,
These people made war their intent,
Giving their foes due cause to fret,
All across the land waves were felt,
Owing to the change of hand dealt,
The rebels obtained much support,
Ready for battles to be fought,
Days would see very little calm,
For to war all were to succumb,
The foes met came to the most harm,
Because they found themselves overcome,
The offensive achieved its aim,
Making the land seem free to claim,
Whilst enemies had met their doom,
For twas the due thing to assume,
To secure the land as their own,
Rebels took revenge on their foe,
Which most would struggle to condone,
They didn't have any remorse though,
The foreigners struggled to cope,
And found themselves with dwindling hope,
The threat which the rebels did pose,
Couldn't be crushed when it arose,
The rebels sought havoc to wreak,
As they went on a killing spree,
They slew both the strong and the weak,
Whilst dismissing their every plea,
No mercy to which to appeal,
Meant some suffered a grave ordeal,
The much unexpected defeat,
Almost called for all out retreat,
Nothing kept the rebels in check,
They left thousands dead in their wake,
Towns were pillaged and left a wreck,
And damage done for vengeance sake,
The changes to the land were stark,
As the disturbance left its mark,
Boudica had her land back,
But her plans did not stay on track,
The foreigners suffered much loss,
But came back as a stronger force,
Determined to quell the chaos,
And bring their schemes onto course,
The foreigners found their success,
With skills others didn't possess,
Their true might was shocking to face,
So they in time secured their place,
All of Boudica's dreams died,
As she had to give up her fight,
She suffered a blow to her pride,
Since she'd not quelled her people's plight,
Boudica left this life,
Escaping from all of her strife,
She lived on though she weren't alive,
For her story was to survive.
(PoemHunter.com, 2012)