FReeper Canteen ~ Part VI of Women Warriors: Celts ~ February 25, 2004

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Part VI: Celts

Among the ancient Celts women rulers and warriors were so common that when a group of Brigantian captives was brought to Rome in the reign of Claudius they automatically assumed his wife, Agrippina the Younger, was the ruler and ignored the Emperor while making their obeisance to her. In 51 AD the Brigantian Queen, Castimandua, allied herself with Rome as a client state after delivering to the Romans a rebel war-lord she had captured in battle.

Other well-known Celtic warrior queens include Aife of Alba (modern day Scotland) and her contemporaries Mebd of Ireland and Scathach of Skye.

Aife was a female-warrior and a sorceress from Ireland who lived in Scotland with other Druidesses. Their task was to initiate and train young Celtic noblemen in the art of love and war. Queen Aife loved her chariot and horses more than anything else. She met with Cuchulainn and did battle with him. Cuchulainn won the fight by cunning and forced her to give three things in return :

That she became Scathach's vassal
That she agreed to become Cuchulainn's lover
That she gave him a son, Conlaech

Cuchulainn asked her to teach the secrets of war to their son and after the initialisation to send him to Ireland. She trained Conlaech, but when he arrived in Ireland and met his father, Cuchulainn did not recognise him. They fought together and the result was that Cuchulainn killed by his own son.

Scathach had a school of martial arts in the Isle of Skye. All the famous warriors of Ireland were said to have been trained by her. Her most famous pupil was Cuchulain. In return for her instruction, Cuchulain helped Scatach with her own battles, in particular against Aife.

In 61 AD Queen Boudicca of the Iceni of Norfolk led a major rebellion against the Romans during which she sacked and burned modern day London and St. Albans. Boudica or Boadicea's husband, king Prasutagus of the Iceni willed half of his kingdom to the Roman empire and half to Boudica and their two daughters, Camorra and Tasca or, according to legend, Voada and Voadicia. The Roman administrator ignored the will and proceeded to take over the entire kingdom. Boudica joined Iceni forces with another tribe, the Trinobantes, and together they fought back and conquered the Roman colony Camulodunum (Colchester) and burned the temple dedicated to Claudius. The Romans retaliated against the insurgents by sending a whole division of soldiers, but they were defeated. The insurgents then marched on London, which they sacked, and killed its Roman population, as well as their sympathizers. They did the same at Verulamium (St. Albans) and other settlements. In the end the Romans were victorious, and slaughtered the rebel troops. Boudica and her daughters escaped but then poisoned themselves rather than allow capture. She lived (15-61)

The first recorded effort to bar women from military participation was a law passed in 590 A.D. at the synod of Druim Ceat. It proved to be unenforceable when the women warriors refused to lay down their arms and comply with it.

Aethelflaed, oldest daughter of Alfred the Great, was considered the chief tactician of her time. She united Mercia, conquered Wales and subdued the Danes becoming the de facto ruler of the Mercians and Danes. She was killed in battle in June 918 AD at Tammorth in Staffordshire. She rebuilt the Roman walls, and devised a street plan that still survives today. Aethelflaed built several churches in her new stronghold, but was most fond of St. Oswald's priory. She gave them the bones of Saint Oswald, important Christian relics captured from the Danes, and enough treasure for it to be called "The Golden Minster".

In 1100 Maude de Valerie, a Welsh revolutionary, raised an army to rebel against the oppressive regime of King John. She was captured on the battlefield and died as his prisoner. Died: 1210 in Windsor castle.

Maud (Matilda) de Braose was also known as the Lady of la Haie and to the Welsh as Moll Walbee. Married to William de Braose, the "Ogre of Abergavenny", she was a significant warrior in her own right. Her long defence of Pain's Castle when it was besieged by the Welsh earned it the name "Matilda's Castle". The local people saw her as a supernatural character. She was said to have built Hay Castle single handed in one night, carrying the stones in her apron. When one fell out and lodged in her slipper she picked it out and flung it to land in St Meilig's churchyard, three miles away across the River Wye at Llowes. The nine foot high standing stone (left) can still be seen inside the church.

The final fall of her husband may owe a lot to her hasty reply to King John when he requested her son William as a hostage in 1208. She refused on the grounds that John had murdered his nephew Arthur whom he should have protected. The dispute between John and the de Braoses led to Maud dying of starvation in the King's castle at Windsor along with her son, while her husband, stripped of all his lands, died the following year in exile in France. In the 15th century Maire o Ciaragain led Irish clans against the English and was known for her ferocity in battle.

In 1545, Lilliard led the Scots at the Battle of Ancrum in one of their last victories over the English forces. She killed the English commander but lost her own life later in the battle.

Ireland's contribution to female heroines includes the 16th-century Grainne Ni Mhaille who was known as the 'Queen of the Irish Seas'. She was called Mhaol (meaning 'cropped hair'), but was called Grace O'Malley by the English. Born in the Province of Connacht, Grainne married and had 3 children before she commenced her famous career on the high seas, marshaling 3 pirate ships and up to 200 men as she opposed the English attempts to remove her. Her husband was an O'Flaherty who was executed by Queen Elizabeths colonists who attempted to completely subjugate the Irish way of life. In 1556 she married again, this time to Iron Richard Burke and had a son named Tibbot. Captured and jailed for 2 years she returned to her homeland in Connaught to continue her defiance. In 1558 Elizabeth I pardoned her in an attempt to bring peace to the region but his attempt failed as the local English administrators continued to goad the woman who had been a thorn in their side for years. They even interned her son and brother despite Elizabeth I instructing that they be released. Fighting was her only means of survival and this she did until the Irish defeat at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 checked her dominance. She died in 1603 and has since been, to a large degree, overlooked as a genuine heroine of Irish history.

Next Tuesday Part VII of Women Warriors:

South America

201 posted on 02/25/2004 1:48:27 PM PST by tomkow6 (...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars)

Did you say party??? I'm in!!

Got my party clothes on!

202 posted on 02/25/2004 1:51:37 PM PST by StarCMC (God protect the 969th in Iraq and their Captain, my brother...God protect them all!)

Would you mind linking to an index of topics OR a listing of previous installments of the women warriors series?
I hope someone is archiving the links, as some of this is quite interesting.

203 posted on 02/25/2004 1:54:45 PM PST by Saturnalia (My name is Matt Foley and I live in a VAN down by the RIVER.)

Hi, Saturnalia!

Welcome to the Canteen!

Wanna buy a burka?

204 posted on 02/25/2004 1:56:16 PM PST by tomkow6 (...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars)

To: mystery-ak; mike1sg

You sure did. Congratulations, Mike, on receipt of your bronze star.
What a proud moment!

205 posted on 02/25/2004 1:56:46 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Military Who Protect Her)

To: Old Sarge; tomkow6; Barnacle

You're right about her being a girl -- she was on with Geraldo (not my fave, but he was interviewing Bremer and hanging out with troops! I always keep watching if I know he's gonna interview the real heroes!!!) in Baghdad on Sunday night along with the one guy who is from Missouri. She seemed really cool -- medic. :o)

206 posted on 02/25/2004 1:57:06 PM PST by StarCMC (God protect the 969th in Iraq and their Captain, my brother...God protect them all!)

Well, seeing her at the speech made the gender obvious to ME...

207 posted on 02/25/2004 1:58:06 PM PST by Old Sarge

To: StarCMC; Old Sarge; Barnacle

......I can't find my issue of TIME....I put it away for safe keeping, & now I can't find it.....

208 posted on 02/25/2004 1:58:54 PM PST by tomkow6 (...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars)

Cool Sarge - I want to visit that someday!!

209 posted on 02/25/2004 1:59:20 PM PST by StarCMC (God protect the 969th in Iraq and their Captain, my brother...God protect them all!)

To: StarCMC; Old Sarge; Barnacle

I DID find my 25th Anniversary copy of PLAYBOY, tho....

210 posted on 02/25/2004 2:00:45 PM PST by tomkow6 (...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars)

To: Kathy in Alaska; tomkow6

Tomkow's keeping me busy -- I keep trying to come up with NEW ones for him so I don't have to repeat so often! LOL!!!

211 posted on 02/25/2004 2:00:52 PM PST by StarCMC (God protect the 969th in Iraq and their Captain, my brother...God protect them all!)

Good Afternoon troops!! Good Afternoon everyone! Here is today's humor attempt!

The following are a sampling of real answers received on exams given by the California Department of Transportation's driving school.

Q: Do you yield when a blind pedestrian is crossing the road?
A: What for? He can't see my license plate.

Q: Who has the right of way when four cars approach a four-way stop at the same time?
A: The pick up truck with the gun rack and the bumper sticker saying, "Guns don't kill people. I do."

Q: When driving through fog, what should you use?
A: Your car.

Q: How can you reduce the possibility of having an accident?
A: Be too drunk to find your keys.

Q: What problems would you face if you were arrested for drunk driving?
A: I'd probably lose my buzz a lot faster.

Q: What changes would occur in your lifestyle if you could no longer drive lawfully?
A: I would be forced to drive unlawfully.

Q: What are some points to remember when passing or being passed?
A: Make eye contact and wave "hello" if she is cute.

Q: What is the difference between a flashing red traffic light and a flashing yellow traffic light?
A: The color.

Q: How do you deal with heavy traffic?
A: Heavy psychedelics.

Q: What can you do to help ease a heavy traffic problem?
A: Carry loaded weapons.

Q: Why would it be difficult to be a police officer?
A: It would be tough to be an idiot all day long.

212 posted on 02/25/2004 2:02:37 PM PST by minor49er

To: StarCMC; Old Sarge

We were there, about 10 years ago....it's a moving experience to visit the Memorial.

213 posted on 02/25/2004 2:03:17 PM PST by tomkow6 (...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars)

Thanks, weegie, for stopping by the Canteen today.

214 posted on 02/25/2004 2:05:02 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Military Who Protect Her)

Tomkow, you pig!! You got #200, too!!

LOL!

215 posted on 02/25/2004 2:05:47 PM PST by StarCMC (God protect the 969th in Iraq and their Captain, my brother...God protect them all!)

To: Kathy in Alaska

You didn't have to post them...I just couldn't remember if I sent them to you....Mike's unit..106th AVN had the pleasure of flying SOD Rumsfeld all over Iraq a few days ago...used 4 Chinooks....Mike was not able to meet him since his major was flying a mission and they both could not be gone at the same time....he did give a pilot a card I sent Mike to get his autograph, but the pilot did not get a chance to ask Rummy...sigh..:(

216 posted on 02/25/2004 2:05:58 PM PST by mystery-ak (*The cause of freedom is in good hands*....you betcha, Mr. President!)

217 posted on 02/25/2004 2:07:20 PM PST by StarCMC (God protect the 969th in Iraq and their Captain, my brother...God protect them all!)

218 posted on 02/25/2004 2:10:23 PM PST by tomkow6 (...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars...GM concept cars)

More information that I need!!

219 posted on 02/25/2004 2:10:36 PM PST by StarCMC (God protect the 969th in Iraq and their Captain, my brother...God protect them all!)

Thanks, RightOnLine, for stopping by to help honor our military. And thanks to you, your wife, and your son for your service to our country.

220 posted on 02/25/2004 2:12:16 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Military Who Protect Her)

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