It has taken almost a hundred years, but the Iceni have established themselves as the dominant people of Britannia, as well as Caledonia to the north. Where once there were several disparate tribes, now the Iceni now rule over the whole island. Our ways and traditions, once known by only a few in the marshes around Venta Icenorum, are now seen in the mountains around Caereni, the beaches of Fortis Vallum, and the plains that surround Gangania.
Whilst the Sinora clan have always been the figureheads of the Iceni, and will ultimately claim the credit for the successful conquest of Britannia, there is one man whose importance must not be forgotten: my grandfather, Celatus Bolgius. Although the Bolgius clan are not the dominant force they were, Celatus Bolgius was at the centre of everything that made the Iceni the force they are today. He used to tell me stories of his deeds when I was younger, and I have chosen to write them down, and make sure that they are not lost to time. Unfortunately, whilst my grandfather had strength and courage in abundance, his way with words meant his stories were uniquely told. I have therefore chosen to intersperse his stories with some of my own commentaries on the tales that Celatus told me as a child, as in some cases his recollections do not entirely match the records available in the archives of Venta Icenorum. Where his tales differ from the records (mostly made by people working for the Sinorii no doubt), I shall try to present both sides in order for the reader to choose which version they believe is correct.
Our tale begins around a century ago, when the Iceni were a small collection of clans in the east of Britannia. Our family owned a small farm in Bramulovium, not too far from the larger dwelling of Venta Icenorum. We were insignificant even amongst the people in the territory, known to a few in the village, but that was about it. Then one afternoon an event took place that marked the young Celatus Bolgius out for greatness. I shall let him tell his story, before providing a commentary afterwards:
“Me do being young in them days, and us Bolgiuses have a farm which we do growing crops which we then take to village for selling. One day my father go to market in the village which do make me in charge while him be gone. Me do walk around the farm and watch for any bad men that may come from beyond the fields where we do grow the crops, and after some time some men do come to talk at me. Them ask me who in charge and me do say him gone to market. The lead man do smile and say ‘in that case give me all your stuff, or me take you and burn down your farm.’
Me not like this man and me stare at him and his two friends, and tell him me not do give up like that. The bad man who talk me do have a stick in his hands and it look like him be going to swing it at me, but me also have a stick and me swing hard and fast and hit him good. The bad man clutch him side and his friends raise them sticks too, but me swing for them too and do hitting them until them all be on the floor look up at me. Them look in horror as a big black bird do fly above my head, then them get more scared as me stick out an arm (which me not know why me do, but it seem good so me do it), and that big bird do land on me arm. The big bird do help me fight the bad men as it do pecking at them and mean that me can do them hitting with the stick. Eventually, them bad men do run away, and me hear them say about seeing a raven. When father come back me do tell him this and him take me to the town to tell the tale to the shaman. That shaman do say a raven mean me have a big future ahead, but me just be help save our farm, so me not be sure what it all mean. ”
Whilst my grandfather may have doubted the shaman’s words, everyone who heard the story was convinced that this meant that Celatus Bolgius was a man destined for great things. The raven had chosen to aid him in the struggle against the raiders, and so the raven would become the symbol of the Bolgius clan, which we still use on our shields to this day. As for the raiders that Celatus drove off, we believe that they had come from the territory of the Trinovantii to the south. In those days, the Iceni were not as strong as they are now, and they could be raided from the south or west with ease. However, as fortune favoured my grandfather, so it also favoured the Iceni. We had always been proud of our martial skills and prowess, and these would soon come to the fore against not only the Trinovantii, but everyone on the isle of Britannia. The history which I shall now tell covers the almost improbable rise of the Iceni, with Celatus Bolgius taking the place he deserves, at the centre of the story.
Whilst the Sinora clan have always been the figureheads of the Iceni, and will ultimately claim the credit for the successful conquest of Britannia, there is one man whose importance must not be forgotten: my grandfather, Celatus Bolgius. Although the Bolgius clan are not the dominant force they were, Celatus Bolgius was at the centre of everything that made the Iceni the force they are today. He used to tell me stories of his deeds when I was younger, and I have chosen to write them down, and make sure that they are not lost to time. Unfortunately, whilst my grandfather had strength and courage in abundance, his way with words meant his stories were uniquely told. I have therefore chosen to intersperse his stories with some of my own commentaries on the tales that Celatus told me as a child, as in some cases his recollections do not entirely match the records available in the archives of Venta Icenorum. Where his tales differ from the records (mostly made by people working for the Sinorii no doubt), I shall try to present both sides in order for the reader to choose which version they believe is correct.
Our tale begins around a century ago, when the Iceni were a small collection of clans in the east of Britannia. Our family owned a small farm in Bramulovium, not too far from the larger dwelling of Venta Icenorum. We were insignificant even amongst the people in the territory, known to a few in the village, but that was about it. Then one afternoon an event took place that marked the young Celatus Bolgius out for greatness. I shall let him tell his story, before providing a commentary afterwards:
“Me do being young in them days, and us Bolgiuses have a farm which we do growing crops which we then take to village for selling. One day my father go to market in the village which do make me in charge while him be gone. Me do walk around the farm and watch for any bad men that may come from beyond the fields where we do grow the crops, and after some time some men do come to talk at me. Them ask me who in charge and me do say him gone to market. The lead man do smile and say ‘in that case give me all your stuff, or me take you and burn down your farm.’
Me not like this man and me stare at him and his two friends, and tell him me not do give up like that. The bad man who talk me do have a stick in his hands and it look like him be going to swing it at me, but me also have a stick and me swing hard and fast and hit him good. The bad man clutch him side and his friends raise them sticks too, but me swing for them too and do hitting them until them all be on the floor look up at me. Them look in horror as a big black bird do fly above my head, then them get more scared as me stick out an arm (which me not know why me do, but it seem good so me do it), and that big bird do land on me arm. The big bird do help me fight the bad men as it do pecking at them and mean that me can do them hitting with the stick. Eventually, them bad men do run away, and me hear them say about seeing a raven. When father come back me do tell him this and him take me to the town to tell the tale to the shaman. That shaman do say a raven mean me have a big future ahead, but me just be help save our farm, so me not be sure what it all mean. ”
Whilst my grandfather may have doubted the shaman’s words, everyone who heard the story was convinced that this meant that Celatus Bolgius was a man destined for great things. The raven had chosen to aid him in the struggle against the raiders, and so the raven would become the symbol of the Bolgius clan, which we still use on our shields to this day. As for the raiders that Celatus drove off, we believe that they had come from the territory of the Trinovantii to the south. In those days, the Iceni were not as strong as they are now, and they could be raided from the south or west with ease. However, as fortune favoured my grandfather, so it also favoured the Iceni. We had always been proud of our martial skills and prowess, and these would soon come to the fore against not only the Trinovantii, but everyone on the isle of Britannia. The history which I shall now tell covers the almost improbable rise of the Iceni, with Celatus Bolgius taking the place he deserves, at the centre of the story.
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