Celtic Music - Dark Compelling Spirit Rituals

This is dark, mystical, yet beautiful. It reminds me of the woodlands and obscure nooks and crannies around the Isles, where things of old still echo through vision and smell. Places that are perhaps the same before the Romans came. Today we can only find the places in our imagination, yet musical pieces like this allow the listener to see the raw beauty within the mind's eye. I wonder if such beauty, from the past, still retains a biological programme within our DNA. Is there something about it the past that sounds familiar to us.

    

Could Boudicca the warrior queen have met Cartimandua of Brigantes before her suicide?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CHEI3S8/ref=r_soa_s_i

How long before Boudicca poisoned herself

During the final days of Boudicca, after her defeat by Suetonius and his Roman Army, what could the Iceni warrior queen have possibly done? She was not too far from the southern boarders of the Brigante where another Queen ruled. This was the Queen known as Cartimandua and it is very probable that she would not entertain helping Boudicca in anyway. Cartimandua had given another rebel chieftain named Caractacus to the Romans when he sought sanctuary in the Brigante.

It is believed that Boudicca escaped the battlefield after the defeat of her rebellion and this theory must carry some weight because Rome would have written of such a thing if her body was found among the slain.

If she went into hiding and poisoned herself she remains a myth and for a writer of historical fiction one can milk such a grey area of ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes.’ How long did she remain before taking her poison?

Cartimandua’s dilemma

Surely Queen Cartimandua of Brigantes would have been very concerned by the dreaded warrior queen’s success. As a Roman ally she must have been praying to any Gods that they might hear her pleas. What of her divorced and spurned husband Venutius? He had been driven from the Brigante because of his intolerance towards her friendship with Rome. Surely he did not remain inactive while Boudicca and her Iceni went on the rampage.

The Brigante are a bit of a grey area during Boudicca’s rebellion. Queen Cartimandua was long established as Brigante sovereign by this time and ruled for a further eight years after Boudicca’s demise.

If I could go back in time I would dearly love to interview Cartimandua – more so than Boudicca. She must have had, or had access to; a strong degree of political expertise for she seems to have kept a huge temperamental power at bay to the south and a mischief making ex-husband away to the north.  For well over twenty five years, she was able to keep Rome at ease by collaborating and being a buffer between her divorced ex-husband, in exile in Caledonia among the Picts. Did she really play one off against the other - stroking and pleasing the wolf of Rome while scolding and beating the weasel in Caledonia? If she did, all this must have broken down briefly during Boudicca’s rebellion. For a short space of time in 61 AD, Cartimandua must have been faced with a terrible dilemma. Boudicca looked as though she might win.

With Boudicca to the south and Venutius to the north, Cartimandua must have become anxious because of her Roman friendship – a circumstance that would have no merit among any Britons of the rebellion once Rome was driven off of the Isle.

It is therefore feasible that she may have gone to her southern boarders to stop her people from rallying to Boudicca’s cause. When Boudicca did lose her final battle, Cartimandua may have enjoyed a brief time of adulation from the Brigante commoners. Rome was not going to take revenge on them.

Maybe Cartimandua was more substantial then history portrays her. I can’t help feeling that this Brigante queen may have been more cunning then Boudicca. She may have used Rome as much as Rome used her. Even under civil strife – eight years latter – during the Year of the Four Emperors in 69 AD, Rome thought enough of Cartimandua to send help and bring her south when the empire was consumed in civil war.

All we know is that Cartimandua was allowed to go into exile in mainland Europe while Rome sorted out its civil strife, leaving the Brigante under Venutius to simmer and await Rome’s more special attention in 71 AD. None know what became of Cartimandua as she went into exile. She fades from history and becomes virtually unknown.

I often wondered if Boudicca and Cartimandua may have met between the days of the warrior queen’s defeat and her taking the poison elixir that took her to the afterlife, from where she screams out at us with her story of monumental failure.

But what of Cartimandua – the durable sovereign that reigned for more than twenty five years and even escaped to tell the tale after her eventual demise. I would really love to have had a chat with Queen Cartimandua of the Brigantes.

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CHEI3S8/ref=r_soa_s_i

Flann O'Brien - The Hard Life - The Eyes of a Naive Lad Cause Many a Chuckle

I don't know what possessed me to buy this when I picked it from the shelf in a bookstore in London. I read the back and made a decision to buy. Well, I was so pleased I did because Flann O'Brien had me in stitches of laughter with his way of showing the delighted reader a world through a young and naive boy's eyes. It is a laugh a moment and is done with charming zeal. A smashing Irish comedy set in Dublin, Ireland of the past.

This young lad tells the story of his sorry household through innocent eyes while you, the reader, see the true picture against the young lad's challenged perception. Its Great!

When his mother dies his family decide to tell him gently by saying: "She has gone to a better place." Our story teller asks: "When will she be coming back?"

The story is told by the lad along such lines which comes across so charming and funny. 

Pro EU People Offer Nothing Constructive to UK

I am sure that long term, Britain within the EU can work. However, pro-Euro people can't say it will be alright in the long run, even though it will. British people will not buy this at the moment. Perhaps David Cameron's attempt to kick the can down the road until 2017 might be such an attempt. I can understand this. In the meantime pro-EU needs better teeth then to start fear mongering about the UK being in a disastrous situation if it left the EU. It would not. The UK would probably be better off staying in the EU if it changed. It must change and pro-Euro Brits must emphasis this more. If the EU will not tolerate this, then I would reluctantly agree that the UK must leave.

David Cameron has bought some time, perhaps, but among pro-EU people, there is no one of substance who can offer plausible arguments against mass migration and to change laws we are powerless to impose as a sovereign nation because there is an EU directive prohibiting us. No matter how much the EU, rants that we can't have powers back; they must yield to this. If they refuse, we leave. We cannot possibly stay in under such restricting circumstances. I am in total agreement with David Cameron on this, we need to see what we can change and if we can do this first. We must also be careful that little mince morsels of consent from the EU are not bigged up to appear like we have got power back. There must be clear honesty from our own politicians.

Queen Boudicca vs Queen Cartimandua (Ancient British Queens of Roman Times)

Queen Cartimandua of Brigante

Why is Queen Boudicca given this glorious celebrity due to her rebellion against the Roman Empire that lasted little more than a few months? She was disastrous for Britain and probably caused the deaths of thousands due to her killing spree and Roman retribution afterwards.

QueenCartimandua of the Brigante ruled from around 43 AD to 69 AD and was usurped by her divorced husband Venutius during the ‘Year of Four Emperors’ when Rome was in civil turmoil over which person would become emperor. The fact that this little-known Ancient British queen ruled for more than 25 years against Boudicca’s single year - if that; always baffles me. Surely Cartimandua was shrewd and successful during her time of rule for she was able to play off the wolf against the weasel for many years while she sat in the middle and kept Rome at bay for a quarter of a century.

Add captionQueen Boudicca of Iceni

Both ancient British queens had husbands; Boudicca’s collaborated with Rome, but when he died; the Iceni queen entered into conflict with the empire. Cartimandua, on the other hand, had a husband who wanted to rebel against Rome and she betrayed him and exiled the man in favour of Rome.

Boudicca echoes in eternity because of Roman historians who wrote of her murderous rampage, yet Cartimandua barely merits mention because she was the friend of Rome and played the empire off against her exiled husband Venutius who never gave up trying to claim the Brigante for himself. Cartimandua is often written off as a traitor, yet it could be argued that she protected her people from slavery and held Rome at arm’s length like this.

QueenCartimandua of Brigantes must have been shrewd to be able to rule and keep Rome at bay for 25+ years, but none of this seems to be acknowledged because Roman historians only wrote of valiant foes and not friends. For Romans; Cartimandua was not interesting enough, which is a great shame because this durable ruler must have had some tales to tell over a twenty-five year period of troubled rule. What was she thinking when Boudicca ruled the Iceni and it looked as though she would beat the Roman Empire and drive them from Britain?

Cartimandua’s exiled husband probably had sanctuary in Caledonia among the Picts to the north. The Brigante queen must have been in a desperate situation knowing if Boudicca defeated Suetonius and his last Roman soldiers to the south; she (Cartimandua) would have enemies on two fronts and none from Rome to help her. She must have prevailed through many desperate times. Was she an anti-hero?  Was the Brigante Queen Cartimandua evil or good? What perspective do we put her in?

There must have been many in the Brigante who had their liberty kept safe during her fraternisation with Rome, while many of Boudicca’s Iceni would have lost theirs because of the violent rebellion they were encouraged upon.

I’m not trying to condemn the Iceni for rebelling, because they may have had no choice and I’m not denying Queen Boudicca her monument for trying, but there was a cost that is overshadowed by the myth of Boudicca. Perhaps Cartimandua paid the cost of protecting her people by being derided as a traitor?

When Cartimandua was driven into exile by her returning divorced husband; the Romans persuaded her to go into peaceful exile in mainland Europe. Later, Venutius lost his great Brigante hill forts as the Romans spent the next forty years viciously putting the Brigantes down. Venutius as the King of the Brigante led his people upon the same path of doom as the Iceni. Eventually, they paid the same price, but not under Cartimandua who seemed to be able to keep Rome at arm’s length for so long.

Venutius was overrun by Rome in 71 AD. No one knows what happened to him, yet the Brigante people were in line for Roman retribution to come. They must have wished Cartimandua never left.

Sad Piano Music for Beautiful Bleak Worlds.

Sometimes Bleak things can be compelling in a strange way. Maybe I have a morbid streak in me, but I find these scenes and the music extremely alluring.

Shocking Blue - Venus - retro 1969

The late Mariska Veres was from Belgium and here she is in 1969 singing Venus with her band Shocking Blue. The song has been done by other bands since, but Mariska is still my favourite for this particular track. Good old sound of the retro sixties and I'm sure there are many of you out there that can go back and remember these times of a rather rummy decade. Click and enjoy...  :)

Steeleye Span - Mooncoin Jig

I've always liked this folk jig done by Steelye Span - though I'm sure the jig is much older then this and has been done by many folk musicians prior. It a very jolly rum ditty tune.

CATS, CATS, CATS - Moggy Kitten - Our Little Lilly Cat

Today 7th April, we acquired this little Moggy Kitten called Lilly. She was born 5th February and is two months. She was meowing all the way from Canvey Island to Leigh-on-Sea, because she was a little confused. However, once indoors, she seemed to settle down and become very nosey concerning her surroundings. As I type these words, Lilly as fallen asleep on my lap. I think she has taken a shine to me.

We are going to allow her to have a litter when she gets older, but until then; no acne faced Toms are getting anywhere near her. She has become more settled and playful as time goes by. At first she was crouching nervously as she explored, but a little later, Lilly became bolder and started moving around with more confidence. 

She enjoys her toy mouse filled with catnip - a garden herb that cats are attracted to.

Next Day 8th April.

Lilly seems very at home now and is jumping and running about - climbing all over Carole and me while we watch tv. I'm wondering if she is enjoying the attention more, because there were about seven or eight kittens in the home we got her from. She uses the litter tray and is looking out through the conservatory windows into the garden. Obviously she is too young to go out just yet, but soon she'll be able to and then Lilly will be able to explore a whole new world.

Moyra Melons' Commotion Causing Favorite Ear Rings

Once again, Moyra Melons' happily over excited husband came home from work, to be asked for the benefit of his opinion, concerning her new ear rings.

"What do you think of these?" she asked as he walked into the lounge.

For a brief moment, he was taken aback; as one might well imagine. His reply was a little confused at first.

"Think of what?" He babbled as his eyes almost bulged out of his head.

"Do you like what you see? I have to make sure I get it right and create an impression when we go to your works function," Moyra added excitedly. She was rather fond of these particular ear rings.

"Well I certainly think you'll cause a commotion dear," came his startled answer.

Moyra frowned and looked confused. "A commotion? Oh dear, I just wanted to turn a few heads with these."

"Oh, I can guarantee you'll turn a few heads Moyra."

Moyra Melons calmed down a little as she continued. "Well that is fine, but it still does not explain why I would cause a commotion."

"Oh well," replied her husband. "Perhaps I should demonstrate why you would cause a commotion."

"Please do," replied Moyra as her smiling and appreciative husband closed the lounge door.

Afterwards, Moyra wanted to show him the dress she intended to ware because she had an inkling that he might have been confused on certain matters concerning what she would be showing at the works function besides her ear rings.   



Druid - Medwyn Goodall

This is a very haunting and compelling slice of music from Medwyn Goodall. It makes me drift and imagine Celtic Britain in pre-Roman times. 

Roman Emperor Vespasian fought in Britain - Attack at Great Hill Fort (Mai Dun) Britain's Durotriges Tribe

Mai-Dun - Ancient British Great Hill Fort Attacked by Vespasian.

Mai-Dun - Celtic for (Great Hill)
Imagine the inner rampart walled by a wooden palisade

In 43 AD the Roman Invasion of Britain was well underway and led by the Roman Emperor Claudius. There had been a huge raid by Julius Caesar over ninety years prior, but this was mainly to stop a British war chieftain acquiring too much territory in neighbouring Celtic kingdoms and forming a British union of tribes that may have aided Vercingetorix and his Gaul nations.

By 43 AD Emperor Claudius had designs on bringing Britain into the boundaries of the expanding Roman Empire and to this end, he decided to send Roman soldiers to invade the Isle and subjugate Britons to imperial Roman rule. It is fair to say that the Britons had little concept of the might and organisation of the Roman forces and many would learn the hard way as to what mighty Rome was capable of.

To the west of Britain, in today’s county of Dorset, England, UK, the second Roman Legion attacked the British kingdom of the Durotriges. There would have been fighting in many areas of Britain as the Roman conquerors began to systematically take over the lower southern part of the British Isle. This particular campaign was noted because of the siege of Mai Dun Fort, where the Durotriges attempted to secure themselves from the Roman Second Legion, commanded by Vespasian – a man from a noble Roman family who would one day become Emperor during the year of four Emperors in 69 AD. However, this was 43 AD and Vespasian was proving himself as a strong Roman soldier who commanded his men well.

Today Mai Dun Fort is known as Maiden Castle, but its original Celtic name of Mai Dun means ‘Great Hill.’ It was a flourishing centre by the time the Romans arrived and had its beginning back in Bronze Age 1800 BC. For over eighteen hundred years people had come to the great hill fort of Mai-Dun and it went through various stages of progression with earthworks and ramparts being built. It was a huge centre of attraction – perhaps trade and commerce in the form of a market town. Around 450 BC the Celts built more extensive earthworks and the place became a larger more fortified town of dealing among the Britons. It was certainly attractive to the Romans in 43 AD and the Durotriges Britons seemed to have an ill-deserved confidence in their ability to defend Mai Dun against Vespasian and his Second Legion. The Great Hill Fort (Mai-Dun) had a huge palisade that was surrounded by various ditches and ramparts that afforded the defenders a good view of any attacking force. They also had thousands of slinging rocks to propel against the Roman Second Legion.

The defenders came up against advanced Roman ballista siege warfare and were unable withstand the modern engineering of Rome’s more precise technology. A great siege ensued and the Durotriges finally fell to Vespasian’s Second Legion of Roman soldiers. It is believed to have been a fierce and bloody battle with Roman Legions eventually marching upon the fort after heavy ballista bombardment of darts, fire and stone projectiles.

Model impression of Romans attacking British Durotriges at Mai Dun Fort in 43 AD

In the 1930s excavators found several buried bodies of Durotriges defenders that were killed during the siege and one person had an arrowhead embedded in his spine, believed to have been shot from a ballista machine equipped to discharge several darts at a time – like a small magazine of multiple arrows. One might imagine a young Durotriges warrior manning the palisade and being taken out of the action by a scattering of high-velocity darts, one of which strikes the young defender in the back and fatally injures him. Perhaps these buried men were killed during artillery attacks and were then laid to rest before the fort fell. So it may have been that the Great Hillfort (Mai-Dun) held for a few days, at least, while Roman ballista weaponry softened the fortifications before the soldiers attacked.

Arrowhead lodged in spine of stricken Durotriges defender buried at Mai Dun Fort

There may have been a Roman military presence for a short time afterwards and there was a temple erected in the fourth century that fell into ruin, but mainly, the site of Mai Dun became an apocalyptic place as the many people that inhabited the thriving and commercial fort left after the fall to Rome’s Second Legion lead by future emperor to be; Vespasian. It became a lonely place of abandoned ramparts and remains so to this day.

 

Petula Clark Sings Downtown

This is a good old Retro Brit song from the sixties decade when all of Britain was a green field with bunny rabbits hopping about beneath a blue sky with a rainbow across it. Yeah right....  :) I can hear many say.

In my little boy mind it was because I loved Britain and thought everything happened here and nowhere else. How naive I was. Still little kids must be allowed to play. This song was among my Mother's many records. (I'm sure it was not my Dads) 

Silly Sisters - My Husband's Got No Courage in Him

Maddy Prior and June Tabor did this wonderful folk album and the above track; 'My Husbands Got No Courage in Him,' refers to the lack of lead in the said husband's pencil. In this particular case; his penis. This info is for people not of Brit persuasion who might not understand. It means he is not sexually capable of pleasing his wife. It is a comical song and would have probably been more for the ale houses of the time or at a village gathering when all were inebriated and being frivolous and naughty. 

Moyra Melons Ear Rings on the Notability Scale

Moyra Melons was thinking about the way she might look sitting at a desk in the work place. She wanted her nice pearl ear rings to stand out and look good. Therefore she asked her husband to stand above her, while she was practising sitting on the garden bench.

"Right, pretend I'm sitting at my desk in the office," she said. "When you look down; can you notice them?"

"Well yes," he replied. "I can certainly see something."

"Yes but are they the first two things you notice," asked Moyra a little impatiently. She found it essential that her ear rings should be noticed. 

"Well not exactly the first two things dear, but they do come in a good second."

"That's no good - I want people to notice my ear rings first thing above all else. Is that a tall order?"

Her husband grinned and came over in another hot flush. "I think it might be Moyra."

"Why?" she asked a little perplexed.

"Well let's pretend I'm your work boss and I'll ask you to come into my office. There I can explain the finer points of why your ear rings will always look nice but still come second on the looking down notabilityometer."

"The looking down notabilityometer? I've never heard of such a thing," she replied tartly while following her husband into the house pretending it was his office. She thought she would indulge him on this particular matter. He told her she scored an amazing 11 out of 10 with this strange device when he looked down.

However, once he closed the door, she realised her indulgence stretched to two more things because of his notabilityometer. The lovely Moyra Melons got more then she bargained for... :)  

Moyra Melons Wanting Ear Ring Advice

Moyra Melons was waiting for her husband to walk in through the front door after another hard day at the office. One might think he would have got used to it by now, but once again, he glared in pleasant surprise as he saw his lovely Moyra staring at him, as in the photo before.

"Good Lord Moyra!" he exclaimed.

"I want your advice on what sort of ear rings would match this jean skirt and top. I'm flummoxed as to what type of ear ring would go with this."

"Do you like being flummoxed then?" asked her husband.

"No but sometimes I just am," she replied.

"Well your going to get flummoxed again my dear. By the way I'm a man with a pretend speech impediment, when I say 'flumexed.' Do you understand." He grinned wolfishly.

"No I don't understand, but I've a feeling your about to explain," she replied and then the penny dropped for Moyra Melons. "Oh! 'Flummoxed,' and you have a speech impediment. I think I get it."

"No darling you are about to," he repled and closed the door and Moyra Melons did get it then - really, she did... :)

 

English language and the Anglo-Saxon Invasion of Britain.



King Arthur fights the Anglo-Saxons

The Romans began to leave Britain in 410 A.D as their grand empire began to shrink. Across mainland Europe barbarian tribes were causing all sorts of migrations as Huns, Goths and other tribes ventured into the western areas of the continent - lands rich with over 400 years of Roman administration.

Neighboring tribes that had previously been driven back by the Roman army began immigrating to the British Isles en masse. All of Britain, including Caledonia, to the north, were under threat. The Picts who had been able to keep Rome at bay began to attract interest from Hibernia (Ireland). A northern tribe known as Scoti began to migrate to their northern lands.

Demise of Roman Britain

In the Romanised parts of Britain's south east; the Germanic people of Northern Europe, known as Saxons, Angles and Jutes began to migrate onto the island. They were fierce tribes fighting to secure lands in southern Britain. 

The Roman Celts termed the Anglo-Saxon tribes as invaders. They were pushed back westwards towards Wales, Devon and Cornwall. The stories of King Arthur are about his Britons fighting against Angles and Saxon invaders. Though the legends have become corrupted over time. (Some making King Arthur a King of England when it was the English tribes he fought against.) For the Roman Celts, the demise of their civilization must have been along an apocalyptic scale as they saw their industry and commerce decline and their lands swamped by the English tribes. They had to integrate or flee west.



Invasion of Anglo-Saxon tribes

Eventually the Angles and Saxons became the dominant force through out the entire Isle with their language, one day, becoming most widely spoken. Of all the tribes in Britain, during the beginning of the Dark Ages; the English ones were illiterate. It is strange and quite a feat that their language would one day progress so far.

Of course this language as developed over the centuries and if anyone went back among the Dark Age Anglo-Saxons, I think Dutch people might have a better chance of understanding what they were saying, then people of English speaking nations would.

Saxon Quest is a story of Gewisse Saxons and Dumnonian Celts of South West Britain in the year of AD 567.

Nephilim Watchers and Giants

A documentary video about Nephilim Giants and how they came about from the religious point of view and the reason why their down fall came about by God's hand. A bit heavy from one point of view - perhaps farcical and fantastic from another.

Read: Renee Pawlish on Nephilim Giants

Moyra Melons Ear Rings Hang Nicely.



Moyra Melons wanted to show of the new ear rings she had bought while shopping. She had returned, put them on, and waited for the forth coming scrutiny of her husband's keen eye.

As one might well imagine, Moyra's fatigued husband had all those tied cobwebs blown from his eyes as he walked in, from the garden, to see his wife as you, the reader, see in the above photo. She was moving her head from side to side as though dancing.

"Do these hang properly?" she asked. "I wanted ones that don't swing about."

"I should say so darling," he replied excitedly raising a surprised eye-brow.

"As I swing my head from side to side, do they juggle about? I don't want to go to your works do and attract attention by swinging them here, there and everywhere." 

"Well they do tend to wobble a little Moyra, but I don't think the chaps will mind too much."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course - I would go so far as to say they might be delighted."

This time Moyra raised an eye-brow. "I'm surprised to know that men get so excited over my ear rings, though I have to confess that my ear rings are the one thing I have going for me when ever I go out. I always notice people staring at me and I know its down to the varied choice of ear rings I am able to display."

Her husband coughed slightly. "Well... It's not just the ear rings Moyra."

"Oh come now," she teased. "What else could it possibly be?"

Once again he closed the door and let Moyra know what else she had going for her. Could you, the reader, ever guess what it might be." 

Different Realms

I always wonder if we will be able to inter-react in realms like this on a personal level, when games consoles become more advanced - like a holodeck I suppose. I don't do PlayStation or Xbox or any other of those things. Even though some of the art is great. However, I live in hope of them becoming advanced enough to enter a realm where scenes like this montage are all around us and we can walk in such places - well convincingly tricked into thinking so... :)

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