Boadicea Quotes

“I hear the soldier’s footsteps right outside
From Roman legions that are hunting me—
A mother, warrior, Boudica, queen.
That swarm of angry hornets aims to sting
My skin with fire, piercing me with pain.
I will never accept an end like that.
Now happily spared the brutality
Since you opened up the door to hide me,
Anam Cara, you prove to be a friend,
To help in my hour of direst need
Just as we had previously agreed.”
― Ruth Ann Oskolkoff, The Bones of the Poor

“Some sudden light illuminates my mind.
Serene as tufted clouds in summer skies
Slowly floating through the expanse of air.
Calm like the lark who watches from her perch.
Weightless like a small dandelion seed.
Freedom. I can float away with the breeze.
I feel attuned to the sun and the sky,
To the yellow oxlip, rosettes of leaves,
Clusters of spring flowers under the trees.
I feel a presence and sense life rising,
Spirit in all things, living soul, divine
Shimmer of being within, so sublime.”
― Ruth Ann Oskolkoff, The Bones of the Poor

“Very soon, I will be travelling there
With the great heron out to the North Sea
To dance with the deep, where I will just be;
Roaming the headwaters and tidal flats
Liminal as light upon the surface,
In waves that crash on rounded marshy coasts.
Think of me as the sun rises each dawn
When you feel that surge of an inner strength
With each ephemeral moment of time.
I know I will be there eternally,
Immersed, one with the great estuary.”
― Ruth Ann Oskolkoff, The Bones of the Poor

“(...) It is far from being true that all Women want courage, strength, or conduct to lead an army to triumph; any more than it is that all Men are endow'd with them. There are many of our sex as intrepid as the Men (...)
Need I bring Amazons from Scythia to prove the courage of Women? Need I run to Italy for a Camilla to shew an instance of warlike courage? (...) other nations glory in their numberless stole of warlike Women. (...) But to pass over the many instances of warlike bravery in our sex, let it suffice to name a Boadicea, who made the most glorious stand against the Romans (...) and if her endeavours did not meet with the success of an Alexander, a Cæsar, or a Charles of Sweden, in his fortunate days, her courage and conduct were such, as render her worthy to be consider'd equal, if not superior, to them all, in bravery and wisdom (...)”
― Lady Sophia Fermor, Woman Not Inferior to Man

“I rule not like Nitocris over beasts of burden, as are the effeminate nations of the East, nor like Semiramis, over tradesmen and traffickers, nor like the man-woman, Nero, over slaves and eunuchs-such is the precious knowledge foreigners introduce among us-but I rule over Britons, little versed, indeed in craft and diplomacy, but born and trained to the game of war; men who in the cause of liberty stake down their lives, the lives of their wives and children, their lands and property. Queen of such a race I implore your aid for freedom, for victory over enemies infamous for the wantonness of the wrongs they inflict, for their perversions of justice, for their insatiable greed; a people that revel in unmanly pleasures, whose affections are more to be dreaded and abhored than their emnity. Never let a foreigner bear rule over me or over my countrymen; never let slavery reign in the island!”
― Boadicea

“Listen close—my previous life was good.
My mind has many pleasant memories:
Camping on the Wensome’s chalk river shores,
Running in green fields, picking spring flowers,
Exploring the sand dunes and pine forests,
A picnic on the mud flats, carefree days
At home with my family in the village,
Watching the terns, sedge warblers and swallows,
Lessons in cooking and animal care,
Untamed rivers and lakes, games with my friends,
Sandy beaches, marshes, fens, and reed beds,
The barn owl who liked to sing every night,
Stirring conversations with my husband,
Mundane chores alongside both my daughters,
Magical countryside, large gray stone blocks,
Tall flint walls in a nearby Roman town,
Spongy saltmarsh, woodlands, and butterflies.
It was all a gift, all blessed—and now
I feel an unexpected clarity.”
― Ruth Ann Oskolkoff, The Bones of the Poor