Equal Time For Pagans?
I wonder how Christian Churches who stumped so hard for The Passion are going to react to the fact that Mel Gibson is now producing a new film about famed Celtic queen Boudicca called “Warrior”. Boudicca as we know was pagan through and through who fought against Roman pagan soldiers under the Emperor Nero. The movie promises “Braveheart-esqe” action,
“The story of Boudicca has the same potential for gore and machismo that Gibson so successfully exploited in The Passion and Braveheart. Myth has it that Boudicca was the wife of the leader of the Iceni tribe, living under Roman rule. When he died, she succeeded him. The Roman governor saw her succession as a sign of weakness and an opportunity to weaken the tribe. The Romans attacked, defeating Boudicca and raping her two daughters. She fought back, eventually uniting other tribes to defeat a Roman legion before she was finally defeated.” – Dan Glaister
Another question is how graphic will it be? One thing that typifies Gibson historical epics is the abundance of human suffering and gore, which makes me wonder how scenes like the rape of Boudicca’s daughters is going to be handled, and if Gibson will go with the full Roman account and have Boudicca severing the breasts of Roman women to sacrifice to the gods. Will he portray the mass-killing of Druid priests on the Isle of Mona?
One thing is for certain, “Take any figure where there’s been emotional investment and you’re going to annoy someone. We know so little about her and yet she has been turned into a meta-historical icon.” – Dr Juliette Wood (folklorist)
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