Latest / Abide Meditation App / Historical Sleepy Story _ Dreams of a Warrior Queen _ DEEP SLEEP with Historical Sleepy Story
Transcript
- 0:02Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy, the podcast where we listen, we relax,
- 0:10Speaker 1: and we get sleepy. I'm Thomas, your host. Thanks for
- 0:17Speaker 1: tuning in. Tonight, Evie is back to read our story
- 0:23Speaker 1: as we return to the Library of Time and visit
- 0:27Speaker 1: Ancient Britain, where we'll meet Queen Boudicca, a folk hero
- 0:33Speaker 1: and real-life warrior queen. So, let's settle in for our
- 0:41Speaker 1: story now and let go of any remnants of tension
- 0:47Speaker 1: or energy from the day. Begin with some deep breaths,
- 0:56Speaker 1: drawing the air in, feeling the chest and stomach rise
- 1:03Speaker 1: then gently easing the air back out as your diaphragm
- 1:09Speaker 1: relaxes back down. Starting at the top of your head,
- 1:19Speaker 1: let's just scan over each area of your body, acknowledging
- 1:25Speaker 1: any tension, discomfort, excess energy, or whatever you feel. as
- 1:33Speaker 1: we go. Continue to breathe deeply and let your focus
- 1:41Speaker 1: rest on your head and face for a moment. If
- 1:49Speaker 1: there's any tension, allow the calming depth of your breathing
- 1:56Speaker 1: to bring a sense of relaxation to your head and face.
- 2:08Speaker 1: Then scan down through the neck and into the shoulders.
- 2:17Speaker 1: This is where most of us tend to hold a
- 2:20Speaker 1: lot of stress and tension. So spend a moment here,
- 2:27Speaker 1: cycling through a couple of deep breaths, allowing that tension
- 2:34Speaker 1: to flow away with each exhale. Continue this process as
- 2:50Speaker 1: you scan through your chest and your back. And take
- 3:04Speaker 1: one more deep breath, letting go of tension in the
- 3:10Speaker 1: whole top half of your body. Now focus on your
- 3:23Speaker 1: upper legs and allow a greater sense of ease in
- 3:29Speaker 1: that area as you breathe. Scan over your knees and
- 3:43Speaker 1: into the lower legs now. Through the ankles And into
- 3:53Speaker 1: the tops of your feet. And finally, the soles of
- 4:02Speaker 1: your feet. With one last deep breath in. And back out.
- 4:22Speaker 1: Feel your whole body relax. As you continue making your
- 4:32Speaker 1: way to sleep, let your imagination guide you on this
- 4:38Speaker 1: adventure into the past. Our story begins late one night,
- 4:47Speaker 1: standing outside a library, It's old, very old, and there's
- 4:56Speaker 1: something magical about it. This is the Library of Time.
- 5:04Speaker 1: Let's make our way in and see what the library
- 5:09Speaker 1: has in store for us tonight.
- 5:37Speaker 2: Standing in front of these doors, you are enchanted by
- 5:42Speaker 2: their rich, woody aroma and smooth, glossy finish. Each of
- 5:50Speaker 2: the mahogany door frames is bordered by a pattern. It's
- 5:56Speaker 2: one that you recognize as a Celtic knot. having no
- 6:02Speaker 2: end and no beginning. It's a beautiful design, even more
- 6:10Speaker 2: so upon the dark wood. Curious, you reach out a
- 6:18Speaker 2: hand and trace your fingers across the endless twists and turns. Together,
- 6:29Speaker 2: the two doors meet to form a central picture a
- 6:35Speaker 2: figure carved into the mahogany she is a beautiful and
- 6:41Speaker 2: formidable woman with a crown upon her head and a
- 6:46Speaker 2: mane of curly hair flowing wildly behind her in one
- 6:53Speaker 2: hand she holds a spear whilst the other is raised
- 6:58Speaker 2: in proud defiance There she stands, magnificent upon a glorious chariot,
- 7:09Speaker 2: pulled behind two stallions, rearing up on their hind legs.
- 7:17Speaker 2: Trailing your fingers over them, you can almost hear them whinnying.
- 7:23Speaker 2: Who is this remarkable.
- 7:25Speaker 3: Woman, you wonder?
- 7:27Speaker 2: And what stories can be found behind her, through these
- 7:32Speaker 2: ancient doors? Keen to find out, you turn the brass handle.
- 7:43Speaker 2: The heavy doors creak open softly. You find yourself on
- 7:51Speaker 2: the threshold of a magnificent library. You pause for a
- 7:57Speaker 2: moment and take in your surroundings. From the white marble
- 8:03Speaker 2: floor to the stunning sunken panels of the coffered ceiling.
- 8:11Speaker 2: The walls are made of stone, dotted with stained glass windows,
- 8:17Speaker 2: depicting various scenes. Daylight shines through them, bringing their panes
- 8:25Speaker 2: to life in glorious colors that dance across the ground.
- 8:35Speaker 2: You walk forwards now, across the smooth floor, under the
- 8:40Speaker 2: glow of an impressive chandelier, dripping with crystals. In its
- 8:47Speaker 2: soothing light, you notice two curving stairways with a golden
- 8:53Speaker 2: plaque positioned between them. Curious, you step closer and read
- 9:02Speaker 2: aloud the words upon the sign. It says, Welcome to
- 9:08Speaker 2: the Library of Time. Only the most curious of souls
- 9:13Speaker 2: can find this place. Each and every book connects to
- 9:19Speaker 2: a different time and place. While in the past, you
- 9:25Speaker 2: will neither be seen nor heard. You cannot change the past.
- 9:32Speaker 2: After all, you can only learn from it. and learn
- 9:37Speaker 2: you shall. Can this be real? You wonder silently. With
- 9:46Speaker 2: a smile upon your face, you head up the spiral staircase. Gradually,
- 9:54Speaker 2: the second floor comes into view, revealing row after row
- 9:59Speaker 2: of bookshelves. separated by white marble columns each shelf is
- 10:08Speaker 2: crowded with books ancient tomes letting off a familiar scent
- 10:15Speaker 2: that is both musky and magical After casting your eyes
- 10:24Speaker 2: around the room, you wander to the right, where a
- 10:28Speaker 2: particular book has caught your attention. It's forest green in colour,
- 10:36Speaker 2: with a spine bordered by that same Celtic knot you
- 10:40Speaker 2: saw upon the doorframe. There's no title on its thick spine,
- 10:47Speaker 2: only a date, 60 C.E. Pulling it down, you are
- 10:55Speaker 2: surprised by the velvety softness of its cover and how
- 11:00Speaker 2: light it is in your hand. You walk onwards now,
- 11:08Speaker 2: past the rows of shelves and columns that touch the ceiling.
- 11:14Speaker 2: You are drawn towards a cosy corner and the gentle
- 11:18Speaker 2: glow of light radiating from it. Here you find a
- 11:24Speaker 2: mound of cushions positioned directly beneath a skylight in the ceiling.
- 11:33Speaker 2: Some of the cushions are the same forest green as
- 11:38Speaker 2: the cover of your book. They glow like emeralds under
- 11:44Speaker 2: the spotlight of the window. Others are patterned with bright
- 11:50Speaker 2: green tartan. and display a criss-cross design of blues, whites
- 11:56Speaker 2: and reds. You take a seat amongst the cushions, relaxing
- 12:05Speaker 2: into them and appreciating the soft, woollen texture against your skin.
- 12:15Speaker 2: Once you are comfortable, you turn your attention to the
- 12:20Speaker 2: book enjoying the crinkling sound of pages being turned, you
- 12:27Speaker 2: begin to read. In 43 CE, the new emperor, Claudius,
- 12:38Speaker 2: looked to expand the mighty Roman Empire further. Keen to
- 12:45Speaker 2: establish power and regard, he set his sights on the
- 12:50Speaker 2: long-sought-after island of Britain. Then known as Britannia, it had
- 12:58Speaker 2: been inhabited by indigenous tribes since the Iron Age, many
- 13:04Speaker 2: of whom thought to have migrated from what is now Europe.
- 13:11Speaker 2: History will refer to these people collectively as the Celts,
- 13:17Speaker 2: but in truth, There were great differences among the tribes.
- 13:24Speaker 2: Each one had its own kingdom, dialect, customs and traditions.
- 13:34Speaker 2: Something that the Celts did share was a reputation for
- 13:39Speaker 2: being fearsome warriors. Yet still, they were no match for
- 13:45Speaker 2: the power and might of the Roman legions. Upon Claudius' orders, 40,000
- 13:54Speaker 2: troops landed in the southeast of England. They defeated the
- 14:01Speaker 2: eastern tribes with relative ease. From then on, many of
- 14:07Speaker 2: the tribal leaders had few options other than to work with,
- 14:13Speaker 2: rather than against, their Roman conquerors. One such leader, was
- 14:21Speaker 2: a king of the eastern Iceni tribe, who continued to
- 14:27Speaker 2: rule as an independent ally of Rome. Like many of
- 14:33Speaker 2: his neighbors in what is today Norfolk and Suffolk on
- 14:38Speaker 2: the southeast coast, his people traded with the Romans and
- 14:43Speaker 2: began laying the early foundations of a Romano-British culture. and
- 14:51Speaker 2: there was peace, though sadly it wasn't to last. When
- 15:00Speaker 2: he died, he bequeathed his kingdom to his two daughters
- 15:05Speaker 2: and to the Roman emperor. His wife, Queen Boudica, became
- 15:12Speaker 2: sole ruler of the Iceni. In Celtic culture, It was
- 15:20Speaker 2: possible for a woman to rise to such a rank.
- 15:25Speaker 2: To the Romans, however, a woman would never be acknowledged
- 15:29Speaker 2: or respected as a leader. And so, they disregarded the
- 15:36Speaker 2: peace treaties and annexed the kingdom, taking the Iceni by force.
- 15:45Speaker 2: But underestimating Boudicca was a mistake. She proved to be
- 15:52Speaker 2: a ferocious opponent and a skilled and capable leader. She
- 15:59Speaker 2: persuaded local tribes to unite under her rule against their
- 16:05Speaker 2: common enemy, the Romans. Fueled with the fire of vengeance,
- 16:14Speaker 2: Boudicca mounted a powerful and organized uprising. With each move,
- 16:22Speaker 2: she gained new followers, and by the time of her
- 16:26Speaker 2: final battle, had amassed an army of 230,000. Ultimately, Boudicca
- 16:38Speaker 2: and the Iceni were unable to stop the Roman conquest
- 16:43Speaker 2: of Britain, though it would take another 40 years. She
- 16:50Speaker 2: did teach them an important lesson though, one that shook
- 16:55Speaker 2: the great and powerful empire to its core. As Roman
- 17:00Speaker 2: statesman and historian Cassius Dio wrote, all this ruin was
- 17:07Speaker 2: brought upon the Romans by a woman, a fact which
- 17:12Speaker 2: in itself caused them the greatest shame. The name Boudica,
- 17:21Speaker 2: or Bodicea as she is sometimes called, comes from the
- 17:26Speaker 2: Celtic word meaning victory. And despite her eventual defeat, her
- 17:34Speaker 2: legacy seems as victorious as any person might hope for.
- 17:41Speaker 2: To this day, she is known as the warrior queen
- 17:46Speaker 2: who defied the greatest army.
- 17:48Speaker 3: In the world.
- 17:54Speaker 2: You pause for a moment. What a story, you think
- 17:59Speaker 2: to yourself. Setting down the book by your side, you
- 18:06Speaker 2: place your hands behind your head and look upwards into
- 18:10Speaker 2: the atrium window. Your mind returns to the library door
- 18:18Speaker 2: and its central figure, a crowned woman, With a sword
- 18:23Speaker 2: in one hand and the other arm raised, her wild
- 18:28Speaker 2: hair flowing behind her. For just a moment, you allow
- 18:35Speaker 2: your eyes to close. A strange sensation takes hold of you.
- 18:47Speaker 2: At first, it feels as if you're sinking deep into
- 18:52Speaker 2: the soft, evergreen cushions beneath you and then you are
- 18:59Speaker 2: lighter so light it's as if you are floating through
- 19:06Speaker 2: time and space to a place that feels safe and
- 19:12Speaker 2: familiar and yet like nowhere you've ever been before Opening
- 19:23Speaker 2: your eyes, you see that same figure who was carved
- 19:27Speaker 2: upon the library door. And so you assume you are
- 19:32Speaker 2: still daydreaming. Only now, before your very eyes, something seems
- 19:41Speaker 2: to be happening. The wood begins to take on color.
- 19:50Speaker 2: The queen's face and body come to life, decorated with
- 19:54Speaker 2: the bright blue of Celtic battle paint. Her hair is
- 20:01Speaker 2: a fiery red, and her dress is a stunning shade
- 20:05Speaker 2: of green tartan. not unlike the patterned pillows on the
- 20:10Speaker 2: atrium floor. The chariot she stands upon is gold, and
- 20:18Speaker 2: the horses that pull it are chestnut brown. You are
- 20:25Speaker 2: utterly transfixed by the beauty and stature of this warrior queen,
- 20:32Speaker 2: and the magical transformation taking place before you. Looking down,
- 20:41Speaker 2: you see you're standing on muddy ground. Fresh air fills
- 20:46Speaker 2: your lungs. All around you is the English countryside of
- 20:53Speaker 2: centuries past. The air begins to tremble with sound and movement.
- 21:04Speaker 2: Behind the two majestic horses, Her golden chariot rolls towards you,
- 21:11Speaker 2: glistening in the sunlight. She circles the area once and
- 21:18Speaker 2: then again, never losing her poise for even a second,
- 21:24Speaker 2: despite the somewhat bumpy ride. Her wild mane of long
- 21:33Speaker 2: red hair twists and turns in the wind, dancing about
- 21:38Speaker 2: her face. Her tartan cloak billows around her, pinned at
- 21:45Speaker 2: the neckline with a beautiful gold brooch. As she rides
- 21:52Speaker 2: around you, a mischievous smile plays across her face. Eventually,
- 22:01Speaker 2: the horse is slow, and Boudicca brings her glorious chariot
- 22:06Speaker 2: to a stop, just meters away from where you stand.
- 22:13Speaker 2: Up close, she is even more impressive, tall and imposing,
- 22:21Speaker 2: every bit the warrior queen with her face painted in
- 22:25Speaker 2: swirling sapphire patterns. She looks in your direction, And for
- 22:35Speaker 2: a moment, you wonder if she can see you. But
- 22:40Speaker 2: soon her piercing green eyes move on, looking right through
- 22:45Speaker 2: you as if you were invisible. You remember the plaque
- 22:53Speaker 2: upon the library wall. While in the past, you will
- 22:58Speaker 2: neither be seen nor heard. How wonderful, you think, to
- 23:05Speaker 2: have a front row seat without anyone knowing you were there.
- 23:14Speaker 2: Realizing this, something inside of you begins to relax. Your
- 23:21Speaker 2: shoulders drop an inch lower, and your legs and arms
- 23:25Speaker 2: feel free and lightweight. You follow the queen, as she
- 23:33Speaker 2: descends from her chariot and walks ahead. Only now do
- 23:39Speaker 2: you take a moment to truly study your surroundings. You
- 23:47Speaker 2: are standing atop a great dugout hill, or hillfort to
- 23:53Speaker 2: be precise, an easily defendable community settlement of Iron Age Britons.
- 24:04Speaker 2: Casting your gaze from left to right, you note that
- 24:08Speaker 2: much of the settlement is enclosed by a high timber wall.
- 24:15Speaker 2: This adds to the feeling of protection that naturally comes
- 24:20Speaker 2: from being so high up on the land. From here,
- 24:26Speaker 2: you have a bird's eye view of the vast acres
- 24:30Speaker 2: of lush, green countryside. beyond the wall. Immediately beneath the
- 24:40Speaker 2: fort are cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, penned in by
- 24:47Speaker 2: wooden fences and carefully tended to by men and women.
- 24:54Speaker 2: There is also a large crop field where many people
- 24:58Speaker 2: are currently at work farming the land. Men cut through
- 25:04Speaker 2: the heavy soil with wooden plows, pulled by huge plodding oxen,
- 25:11Speaker 2: leaving straight lines behind them. Further away, you notice a
- 25:19Speaker 2: thin blue strip of water, visible under the horizon. You
- 25:26Speaker 2: must be on the eastern coast of Britannia, where the
- 25:30Speaker 2: Iceni reside. That means the water is the English Channel,
- 25:38Speaker 2: or the Narrow Sea, as the Romans called it. Even
- 25:45Speaker 2: from a distance, its rhythmic, tranquil waves greet you like
- 25:50Speaker 2: an old friend. A salty, refreshing scent hangs upon the air.
- 25:58Speaker 2: For a moment, you are mesmerized, taking it all in. Eventually,
- 26:09Speaker 2: your attention shifts to life inside the hillfort. Here, the
- 26:16Speaker 2: air is filled with the sound of many hands and
- 26:19Speaker 2: feet at work and is occasionally peppered with conversation. There
- 26:26Speaker 2: are huts or roundhouses with walls made of earth, stone
- 26:32Speaker 2: and timber. Their roofs are rounded, and thatched with reeds.
- 26:40Speaker 2: Some have animals outside lounging happily upon sun-soaked grass. Others
- 26:48Speaker 2: boast vegetable patches with rows of cabbages and corn popping
- 26:54Speaker 2: up above the ground climbing towards the patchy daylight. You
- 27:02Speaker 2: walk into the middle of the settlement with roundhouses on
- 27:06Speaker 2: either side. The sounds of life become livelier here. There
- 27:14Speaker 2: are people everywhere, happily going about their day, completely unaware
- 27:20Speaker 2: of your presence. The men wear tunics tied at the
- 27:27Speaker 2: waist with a belt, while the women wear floor-length dresses.
- 27:34Speaker 2: Both have cloaks of tartan, always the same shades of
- 27:39Speaker 2: crisscross lines worn by the queen. The exact design that
- 27:44Speaker 2: decorated the library cushions. In many ways, you are amazed
- 27:53Speaker 2: by the quality and style of these fabrics. The colours
- 27:59Speaker 2: are so bright and vivid, the lines are so straight.
- 28:04Speaker 2: and the needlework is so smooth. And just as you
- 28:09Speaker 2: are imagining how such a material might be made, you
- 28:14Speaker 2: pass a group of women doing that very thing. Near
- 28:21Speaker 2: the entrance to a roundhouse, a young woman stirs thread
- 28:26Speaker 2: of wool into a barrel full of liquid. It makes
- 28:32Speaker 2: a tranquil sound like the waves of the narrow sea
- 28:37Speaker 2: lapping against the coastal shores. Closer examination reveals that the
- 28:45Speaker 2: liquid is an intense shade of blue. As you stand
- 28:52Speaker 2: above it, you catch a whiff of the sweet aroma
- 28:56Speaker 2: of blueberries. Beside her, another woman stands at a wooden
- 29:05Speaker 2: loom with already dyed thread of green, white, red and blue. Carefully,
- 29:15Speaker 2: she draws the thread across the loom, weaving with expert
- 29:20Speaker 2: dexterity and attention to detail. It's incredible to you that
- 29:29Speaker 2: people who lived 2,000 years in the past could produce
- 29:34Speaker 2: such beautiful and flawless designs. now you can see first
- 29:42Speaker 2: hand how resourceful and talented they are and how peaceful
- 29:49Speaker 2: they look as they work so diligently evidence of the
- 29:58Speaker 2: tribes hard work lies all around you in this ancient village.
- 30:05Speaker 2: In the roundhouse just next door, you hear the sound
- 30:10Speaker 2: of Iron Age tools. Following the sound, you enter the
- 30:16Speaker 2: hut and find a group of metalworkers. One heats a
- 30:24Speaker 2: pot of gold upon a sizzling fireplace. before pouring the
- 30:30Speaker 2: boiling liquid metal into a large circular mould. Alongside him,
- 30:39Speaker 2: another man flattens a strip of cooled gold with his hammer,
- 30:44Speaker 2: making a rhythm of clinks and clangs. The third man
- 30:50Speaker 2: has the most labour-intensive job of all, though his face
- 30:54Speaker 2: doesn't show it. With the use of his iron and
- 31:00Speaker 2: leather tools, he hammers strips of flattened gold around a
- 31:06Speaker 2: circular piece, causing them to twist and turn. The result
- 31:14Speaker 2: is stunning. A coiled golden neck ring or torque necklace
- 31:21Speaker 2: fit for the Celtic elite. You've never seen jewellery quite
- 31:26Speaker 2: like it before. Wandering onwards, you pass many more roundhouses,
- 31:36Speaker 2: observing various scenes outside and in. There are metalworkers making
- 31:43Speaker 2: shields and swords ready for battle. Occasionally, you see children
- 31:52Speaker 2: crafting wooden slingshots and then firing them at nearby targets.
- 32:00Speaker 2: there's an elderly woman sitting cross-legged at a large pottery wheel.
- 32:08Speaker 2: She spins it using a wooden stick. With wet hands,
- 32:15Speaker 2: she smooths and caresses the clay at its centre. Soon after,
- 32:23Speaker 2: the lump of misshapen clay is transformed into an elegant bowl.
- 32:32Speaker 2: You watch her for some time as you find this
- 32:36Speaker 2: peaceful scene to be quite soothing. The air is lovely
- 32:43Speaker 2: out here. It's cool and refreshing with a hint of
- 32:50Speaker 2: something tantalizing. You track the mouth-watering scent past homes and
- 32:58Speaker 2: villages until you arrive at a big rounded hut. This
- 33:09Speaker 2: particular roundhouse seems larger and grander than the rest, and
- 33:15Speaker 2: it soon becomes clear why. This is the residence of
- 33:21Speaker 2: the Celtic queen herself. Stepping inside, you find a warm
- 33:31Speaker 2: and cozy room, heated by a wooden fire pit in
- 33:36Speaker 2: the middle of the floor. Thick clouds of smoke rise upwards,
- 33:44Speaker 2: escaping through a gap in the thatched roof above, leaving
- 33:49Speaker 2: only the aroma of cooking food behind. The floor is
- 33:57Speaker 2: lined with luxurious furs. Reaching down, you notice how soft
- 34:05Speaker 2: they feel against your skin. More furs are positioned among
- 34:11Speaker 2: mounds of golden straw. It's bedding, you realize, for the
- 34:18Speaker 2: warrior queen and her daughters. You see them now, seated
- 34:26Speaker 2: around the fireplace the queen serves a fragrant meat stew
- 34:33Speaker 2: from a cauldron at the fire bowls are soon filled
- 34:39Speaker 2: with succulent meats and fresh aromatic vegetables you take a
- 34:46Speaker 2: ladle and a bowl and help yourself to a serving
- 34:54Speaker 2: and then you sit down upon the firs, ready to
- 34:57Speaker 2: dine amongst the Celtic royal family. The stew is full
- 35:07Speaker 2: of colourful homegrown leeks and cabbage, parsnips and carrots. You
- 35:15Speaker 2: take a bite of the rich and hearty food. As
- 35:20Speaker 2: the flavours dance around your tongue, you detect the tang
- 35:25Speaker 2: of wild garlic and parsley too. It's a meal that
- 35:32Speaker 2: fills you with comfort and warmth and makes you think
- 35:38Speaker 2: of family and home. Beside you, Boudicca and her daughters
- 35:47Speaker 2: enjoy the last few mouthfuls of their dinner before placing
- 35:52Speaker 2: the empty bowls upon a low-standing wooden table behind them.
- 36:01Speaker 2: From there, they pick up goblets of homemade mead, which
- 36:06Speaker 2: they sip happily. The aroma is honey sweet. The women
- 36:16Speaker 2: talk merrily, sharing details of their day, their faces glowing
- 36:23Speaker 2: in the blaze of firelight. Only now do you notice
- 36:30Speaker 2: that Boudicca herself is wearing a golden talk necklace, even
- 36:37Speaker 2: nicer than the one you saw earlier. Countless bands are
- 36:43Speaker 2: braided around its ornate, heavy base, and its ends are
- 36:49Speaker 2: decorated with with intricate Celtic knots. Her bright blue war
- 36:59Speaker 2: paint has been carefully removed and her tartan cloak now
- 37:05Speaker 2: hangs upon the wall. The warrior queen is even more
- 37:12Speaker 2: striking when her face is illuminated by the golden flames.
- 37:21Speaker 2: Her hair is a mass of fiery red curls, and
- 37:25Speaker 2: her piercing eyes sparkle like polished emeralds. You can imagine
- 37:34Speaker 2: the fearsome spirit that lies within her. But there is
- 37:41Speaker 2: also a kindness and tenderness to her demeanor that you
- 37:47Speaker 2: hadn't noticed before. She is undoubtedly the warrior queen, but
- 37:56Speaker 2: in the privacy of her home, she is also a
- 38:00Speaker 2: loving mother. The girls talk happily about their day at
- 38:07Speaker 2: the fort, and Boudica shares stories from her adventures further afield.
- 38:16Speaker 2: Her eyes shine. as do the swords and shields positioned
- 38:21Speaker 2: against the roundhouse walls, and her words lift spirits around
- 38:28Speaker 2: the room. As you listen quietly, she tells her daughters
- 38:37Speaker 2: that she plans to meet with the leaders of other
- 38:40Speaker 2: local tribes to persuade them to join the Iceni. She
- 38:49Speaker 2: will then defeat the Roman enemy, for her girls and
- 38:54Speaker 2: all her people. This she says as a matter of fact,
- 39:03Speaker 2: whilst braiding the hair of her eldest daughter. What a
- 39:10Speaker 2: privilege it is to watch this scene unfold around you.
- 39:16Speaker 2: How relaxed and content you feel here. Little do you
- 39:22Speaker 2: know that nightfall is about to bring even more happy surprises.
- 39:32Speaker 2: Seeing that the sky above has darkened, Boudica leads her
- 39:37Speaker 2: daughters out of the house. In the nearby grass, they
- 39:44Speaker 2: lay side by side. Joining them, you gaze upwards just
- 39:52Speaker 2: as they do, into a night sky gleaming with stars.
- 40:01Speaker 2: You know that the Celts have a great reverence and
- 40:05Speaker 2: respect for the stars, and you listen as they speak
- 40:11Speaker 2: of the changing patterns and positions of constellations in hushed,
- 40:17Speaker 2: soothing tones. Boudicca points to the North Star. This is
- 40:27Speaker 2: the place Celtic souls will ascend in the afterlife, following
- 40:33Speaker 2: the twisting stairway of stars below it. Here upon the grass,
- 40:43Speaker 2: with the nighttime air brushing across your face, you are
- 40:48Speaker 2: utterly at peace. Letting your eyes drift closed, you notice
- 40:58Speaker 2: how light your body feels. So light that you are floating,
- 41:08Speaker 2: transported through time and space, back to the library where
- 41:15Speaker 2: this adventure first began. The glass ceiling of the atrium
- 41:25Speaker 2: now separates you from the star-filled night. And the greenery
- 41:32Speaker 2: beneath you is that of the plush, velvety cushions, rather
- 41:39Speaker 2: than the grass outside Boudicus Roundhouse. Resting on a tartan
- 41:48Speaker 2: cushion beside you, Your book has fallen open to a
- 41:53Speaker 2: central page. It's a picture of the warrior queen and
- 42:00Speaker 2: her daughters. You look upon it with a smile, thinking
- 42:07Speaker 2: to yourself that it doesn't quite do her justice. The
- 42:14Speaker 2: real person is much more impressive. Then, closing the book,
- 42:24Speaker 2: you sink into the soft cushions and lay your thoughts
- 42:30Speaker 2: to rest beside them. And then you drift off into
- 42:38Speaker 2: a deep and dreamy slumber.
- 42:45Speaker 3: Thank you. Thanks for watching! Thank you. Thank you for watching.
- 44:14Speaker 4: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for watching. Thank you.
- 45:48Speaker 4: Thank you for watching.
- 46:24Speaker 3: Thank you for watching.
- 46:53Speaker 4: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 49:31Speaker 4: Thank you. Thank you.