Hi,
For your amusement, here's an excerpt from a bit of my historical writing, set in 55 BC Britain and when the allied British tribesmen are preparing themselves for the first contact against Julius Caesar's invading shock troops at the start of the 1st invasion. Naked female warriors were always the vanguard of Celtic/Brythonic battles in those ancient days, painted from head to foot in blue woad, wearing a bronze torc and armed with just a foot-long blade. I have made use of this incredibly courageous attack by the ferocious women of Britain and have them smoking some prime bud before the battle. (as you would!)
Hope you enjoy it and any comments, questions, ribald abuse welcome! (Excuse some of the Welsh words but I hope they are self-explanatory).
"A long and deep, base lowing of familiar horns wafted to him on the air then and all around him became animated, as the signal informed everyone that the Wolf of Rome had appeared from the south at last and had finally taken the field.
In the heart of this great palisaded fortress and laid before King Cyngetoric on his parade ground, were the Chwaeroliaeth Wyllt, who prepared themselves for battle in their own sacred and private conclave, which the King had set-up on this sandy quadrangle for them. This sanctified ring was surrounded by hundreds of jostling chariots, horses and men but it had been enveloped by a great circle of stitched-sheets of white linen mounted on poles, to allow them the concealment they needed for their ancient rites. Voluminous clouds of aromatic pungent smoke, wafted over the tall white curtain and it was redolent with the herbal weed the ‘Spiritual Sisterhood’ smoked through their noses, in long slender pipes with large bowls. The small dried buds they smoked were known as Cywarch Benyweg and they were harvested from a special strain of the Cywarch plant they normally used for making their hemp ropes.
The females of this ancient land-race species once separated from the males and allowed to form unfertilised calyxes, would at the end of summer produce a resinous and herbal medicine which had been used for countless centuries by healers. Much careful selection and seeding by the Chwaeroliaeth Wyllt had over the years, developed a highly potent and effective medicine and this unique ‘wild sisterhood’ held glowing embers to the equally glowing bowls of their pipes and inhaled great lungfuls of the redolent smoke through their noses, as their mouths had been forever sealed.
The Shahansha’s countless warriors of mighty Persia, the Carthaginians and the Syrians were known to consume it regularly before battle and many Gallic tribes were also known to use it in war. Most Brythons used Cywarch Benyweg to control pain, especially arthritic pain in the elderly but it was also commonly used to stimulate appetite and to aid restful sleep. The Chwaeroliaeth used the herbal medicine in the same way as the Persians, in that it allowed them to commune with their fierce Goddess of war before they were finally presented to her. It helped them prepare for battle and certain death in her name, whilst helping them to remain calm and focused in their one and only conflict.
The Sisterhood were always Druid led and inspired and it was HênDdu himself, who today dedicated and sanctified these ninety-nine spiritual female warriors. Supported by Ladies Meleri and Karych the two Arch-Druidens of all Prydein, these senior priests would convey their sacred declarations to their Goddess Andras Fawr, as they battled the foreign invaders with no thought of survival. The Chwaeroliaeth Wyllt were tasked with first contact, even before the packs of great slavering war-hounds were released as they always had in war. These completely naked, suicidal spirit warriors would attack first as was their long and honourable tradition, as a spiritual Brythonic introduction to what was soon to follow. These courageous women were all generational volunteers, who had already brought children into this world and would today fight unclothed, with a bronze torc around their necks and only a single short sword to fight with. The torcs were hollow bronze rather than the solid Gold reserved for royalty but still showed the reverence and respect given to these fierce warriors, mature and young alike. Their lips had been sewn-up with silver wire so they couldn’t utter any sounds or screams and their bodies were painted by the acolytes of the Uati, with the blue woad swirls and patterns that pleased their Goddess and which ensured a glorious and conspicuous death.
Each had a white skull mask painted on their faces in lime, to signify their sacred status and that each was marked for holy sacrifice. Mistletoe was woven into their braided hair, which declared that they belonged to the Druids and these ultimately courageous spiritual she-warriors prayed now, on their knees and with bloodshot eyes. They prayed to their fierce and warlike Arglwydd Andras, their beloved deity and they dedicated and sacrificed their lives to her and to the defence of Arglwydd Prydein. They would precede the main, manic onrushing attack of the tribes, as their predecessors have always done and all would die as expected but songs and englyns are sung about the most successful of these religiously inspired warriors and will be, until the end of days.
Their most lauded and famous Chwaer was one Gawres Cyllt, a phenomenal woman warrior who is deeply honoured to this day and who personified their fierce and terrible Goddess Andras Fawr. Sister Cyllt had cut great swathes of enemy spearmen down many years ago, spinning and pirouetting gracefully before inevitably, she was brought down. She was soon slaughtered and her painted body pierced with so many spears, her body had resembled a giant hedgehog. One mindless enemy had done the unthinkable however. One idiotic, mead-addled and long-forgotten individual had cut off the head of this legendary heroine, throwing it over the shield wall with a curse, back into no-man’s land. A howl of enraged and deranged disbelief had broken from the main body of her tribe at such unbelievable profanity, as no one but a Druid could touch the body of a slain Sister without incurring the displeasure of the Goddess Andras and all the deities of Prydein, but to decapitate her was nothing short of sacrilege. It had turned the tide in the battle that day so long ago and cemented Cyllt’s place in Brythonic history and legend. Eventually the songs would have the listener believe that she slew forty armoured men that day before being brought down but whatever the tally, her name was revered centuries after her long-forgotten contemporaries had faded into the mists of time.
These wire-lipped and painted warriors now smoked their weed, held their arms wide and pleaded for the blessings of Arglwydd Andras Fawr in this sacred white circle, with the aid of the Brif-Druid of Prydein himself and his Arch-Druidens. Each and every one of these gods-sworn sisters were utterly convinced in view of this most revered and all-powerful group facilitating their connection, that they would be curled-up at the feet of their much-worshipped Goddess within the hour".
For your amusement, here's an excerpt from a bit of my historical writing, set in 55 BC Britain and when the allied British tribesmen are preparing themselves for the first contact against Julius Caesar's invading shock troops at the start of the 1st invasion. Naked female warriors were always the vanguard of Celtic/Brythonic battles in those ancient days, painted from head to foot in blue woad, wearing a bronze torc and armed with just a foot-long blade. I have made use of this incredibly courageous attack by the ferocious women of Britain and have them smoking some prime bud before the battle. (as you would!)
Hope you enjoy it and any comments, questions, ribald abuse welcome! (Excuse some of the Welsh words but I hope they are self-explanatory).
"A long and deep, base lowing of familiar horns wafted to him on the air then and all around him became animated, as the signal informed everyone that the Wolf of Rome had appeared from the south at last and had finally taken the field.
In the heart of this great palisaded fortress and laid before King Cyngetoric on his parade ground, were the Chwaeroliaeth Wyllt, who prepared themselves for battle in their own sacred and private conclave, which the King had set-up on this sandy quadrangle for them. This sanctified ring was surrounded by hundreds of jostling chariots, horses and men but it had been enveloped by a great circle of stitched-sheets of white linen mounted on poles, to allow them the concealment they needed for their ancient rites. Voluminous clouds of aromatic pungent smoke, wafted over the tall white curtain and it was redolent with the herbal weed the ‘Spiritual Sisterhood’ smoked through their noses, in long slender pipes with large bowls. The small dried buds they smoked were known as Cywarch Benyweg and they were harvested from a special strain of the Cywarch plant they normally used for making their hemp ropes.
The females of this ancient land-race species once separated from the males and allowed to form unfertilised calyxes, would at the end of summer produce a resinous and herbal medicine which had been used for countless centuries by healers. Much careful selection and seeding by the Chwaeroliaeth Wyllt had over the years, developed a highly potent and effective medicine and this unique ‘wild sisterhood’ held glowing embers to the equally glowing bowls of their pipes and inhaled great lungfuls of the redolent smoke through their noses, as their mouths had been forever sealed.
The Shahansha’s countless warriors of mighty Persia, the Carthaginians and the Syrians were known to consume it regularly before battle and many Gallic tribes were also known to use it in war. Most Brythons used Cywarch Benyweg to control pain, especially arthritic pain in the elderly but it was also commonly used to stimulate appetite and to aid restful sleep. The Chwaeroliaeth used the herbal medicine in the same way as the Persians, in that it allowed them to commune with their fierce Goddess of war before they were finally presented to her. It helped them prepare for battle and certain death in her name, whilst helping them to remain calm and focused in their one and only conflict.
The Sisterhood were always Druid led and inspired and it was HênDdu himself, who today dedicated and sanctified these ninety-nine spiritual female warriors. Supported by Ladies Meleri and Karych the two Arch-Druidens of all Prydein, these senior priests would convey their sacred declarations to their Goddess Andras Fawr, as they battled the foreign invaders with no thought of survival. The Chwaeroliaeth Wyllt were tasked with first contact, even before the packs of great slavering war-hounds were released as they always had in war. These completely naked, suicidal spirit warriors would attack first as was their long and honourable tradition, as a spiritual Brythonic introduction to what was soon to follow. These courageous women were all generational volunteers, who had already brought children into this world and would today fight unclothed, with a bronze torc around their necks and only a single short sword to fight with. The torcs were hollow bronze rather than the solid Gold reserved for royalty but still showed the reverence and respect given to these fierce warriors, mature and young alike. Their lips had been sewn-up with silver wire so they couldn’t utter any sounds or screams and their bodies were painted by the acolytes of the Uati, with the blue woad swirls and patterns that pleased their Goddess and which ensured a glorious and conspicuous death.
Each had a white skull mask painted on their faces in lime, to signify their sacred status and that each was marked for holy sacrifice. Mistletoe was woven into their braided hair, which declared that they belonged to the Druids and these ultimately courageous spiritual she-warriors prayed now, on their knees and with bloodshot eyes. They prayed to their fierce and warlike Arglwydd Andras, their beloved deity and they dedicated and sacrificed their lives to her and to the defence of Arglwydd Prydein. They would precede the main, manic onrushing attack of the tribes, as their predecessors have always done and all would die as expected but songs and englyns are sung about the most successful of these religiously inspired warriors and will be, until the end of days.
Their most lauded and famous Chwaer was one Gawres Cyllt, a phenomenal woman warrior who is deeply honoured to this day and who personified their fierce and terrible Goddess Andras Fawr. Sister Cyllt had cut great swathes of enemy spearmen down many years ago, spinning and pirouetting gracefully before inevitably, she was brought down. She was soon slaughtered and her painted body pierced with so many spears, her body had resembled a giant hedgehog. One mindless enemy had done the unthinkable however. One idiotic, mead-addled and long-forgotten individual had cut off the head of this legendary heroine, throwing it over the shield wall with a curse, back into no-man’s land. A howl of enraged and deranged disbelief had broken from the main body of her tribe at such unbelievable profanity, as no one but a Druid could touch the body of a slain Sister without incurring the displeasure of the Goddess Andras and all the deities of Prydein, but to decapitate her was nothing short of sacrilege. It had turned the tide in the battle that day so long ago and cemented Cyllt’s place in Brythonic history and legend. Eventually the songs would have the listener believe that she slew forty armoured men that day before being brought down but whatever the tally, her name was revered centuries after her long-forgotten contemporaries had faded into the mists of time.
These wire-lipped and painted warriors now smoked their weed, held their arms wide and pleaded for the blessings of Arglwydd Andras Fawr in this sacred white circle, with the aid of the Brif-Druid of Prydein himself and his Arch-Druidens. Each and every one of these gods-sworn sisters were utterly convinced in view of this most revered and all-powerful group facilitating their connection, that they would be curled-up at the feet of their much-worshipped Goddess within the hour".
