If you wander out from Westminster tube station and start to walk across Westminster bridge on the left hand side you'll see a statue of the fearsome Boudica or Boadicea (in Latin) on her war chariot replete with spikes on the wheels (awkwardly a Roman design) Anyway, this splendid warrior was a member of the Iceni tribe of ancient Britons who lead an uprising against our Roman overlords at the time. (AD 60-61) The uprising failed but the legend remains and Boudica has become a symbol to many of the fight against oppression in these lands, an archetypal narrative to call on in times of danger.
Of course real history is slightly less glamorous, the original fight was a squabble about taxes (aren't they always) and many of the details of the story are taken from an 11th century monk who is renowned for stretching the truth somewhat. Like many empiric myths, Boudica as a female warrior figure only really started to be venerated during the Victoria era when this statue was commissioned, even the name may have been honorific and we may never know who that noble Iceni leader really was, no contemporary description of her exists, but hey, why let boring old facts get in the way of a cracking story!
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