Cartismandua by Philippa Wiat

annis · Post by **annis** » Sat May 19th, 2012, 12:10 am

Sensual and amoral, she was bride to one king and lover to another. Seductress of her husband's shield-bearer, she was also a devotee of Rhiannon, the Celtic enchantress who lulled heroes to their doom. The bards spoke of her beauty; of her raven-black hair and unusually white skin, of her features that so closely resembled those of Rhiannon; but would-be lovers were both attracted and repelled by her. Self-seeking, she sought only her own profit and pleasure.

Who was she? Was there some sinister explanation for her affinity with the legendary being who had loved only maidens and her birds of bright plumage?

Queen of the Brigantes in her own right, Cartismandua was co-ruler of the largest of the seventeen kingdoms of Britain at the time of the Roman invasion. (Book blurb)

First-century Brigantian ruler Cartismandua is portrayed as a Thoroughly Bad Lot in Philippa Wiat's sensational tale of a Celtic tribal queen behaving very badly indeed. A cold-hearted femme fatale, she's utterly self-absorbed, scheming, and ruthlessly vindictive if thwarted in her desires, whether they be for men or power. Nasty things have a habit of happening to those who cross Cartismandua's will.

So when Cartismandua's charismatic, handsome cousin Caractacus, a prince of the Catuvellauni tribe, refuses her advances and offer to make him King of the Brigantes, you just know there will be tears before bedtime.

But is Cartismandua totally to blame for her wicked ways, or is she possessed by the spirit of a heartless Celtic goddess? (Before there was Melusine, there was Rhiannon)

Written in 1984, Cartismandua is very much of its time. Now quite dated, it was written in a style both melodramatic yet surprisingly tame - despite Cartismandua's sultry goings-on, the sex scenes are devoid of any lurid detail. While the basic historical facts are right, don't expect a great deal of historical sensibility. Do expect liberal info-dumping and plenty of turgid dialogue along these lines:
"'Hearken to me, Caractacus', said Cartismandua in her most honeyed tone. `Marry me and I shall make you joint ruler of Northern Brigantia - you would never regret it, I promise you. I have a deep regard for you still, and methinks you are not unmindful of my charms. Marry me, Caractacus, and our eldest son would one day be king of a united Brigantia!"

Verdict: Best read with a good sense of irony. Nostalgia value only, methinks.

erechwydd · Post by **erechwydd** » Sat May 19th, 2012, 2:25 pm

Goodness me.

Thanks for that entertaining review, Annis. Forewarned is forearmed! What you said abou the style puts me in mind of a novel about Boudica I picked up last year (Boudicca by Elizabeth Wolfe), which was also from the 80s - Boudica wasn't (of course) a cold-hearted femme fatale, but curiously, she did have raven black hair. Er...

Is that Cleopatra on the cover there?

annis · Post by **annis** » Sat May 19th, 2012, 7:26 pm

Posted by Erechwydd

Is that Cleopatra on the cover there?

I love that cover - it's such classic '80s cover kitsch! Given that Cartismandua is specifically described as having startlingly white skin and that the kingdom of Brigantia was in chilly northern England (can't see anyone with any sense running around minus their leggings or a long woollen dress) it appears to have no relevance at all to the actual story - apparently this is what a seductress looks like though, so, hey, let's run with it anyway

Obviously Elizabeth Wolfe didn't trouble herself with reading primary sources like Tacitus for her story - Boudicca's hair is particularly described as tawny or russet- no one's quite sure of the exact shade, but raven-black certainly wasn't one of them!

Tanzanite · Post by **Tanzanite** » Sat May 19th, 2012, 11:54 pm

Love that cover!!

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Sun May 20th, 2012, 3:50 am

Love that cover!!

Yes, where did that peacock come from in Roman-conquest-era Britain?!!! And methinks, forsooth, that Cartismandua did not speak Elizabethan English.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sun May 20th, 2012, 5:03 am

Posted by Margaret

Yes, where did that peacock come from in Roman-conquest-era Britain?!!! And methinks, forsooth, that Cartismandua did not speak Elizabethan English.

I believe that the Romans did introduce peacocks, guinea fowl and pheasants to Britain, along with other animals including the domestic cat, but at this stage they've barely landed on Britain's shores, for goodness sake, and are none too welcome - keeping themselves alive is much more of a concern than livestock

As for that abominable gadzookery! Sensation rather than historical sensibility was definitely Wiat's priority here.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Sun May 20th, 2012, 5:26 am

I believe that the Romans did introduce peacocks, guinea fowl and pheasants to Britain, along with other animals including the domestic cat

Well! You learn something new every day. I always thought peacocks came to Britain via India during the days of the Raj. I know the Romans did introduce nettles to Britain, which now grow wild in the U.S., too - I have some in my refrigerator, because they're good for alleviating allergies.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sun May 20th, 2012, 9:13 am

I think the Romans originally acquired peacocks through trade with India.
Anyway, somehow they made their way to Roman Britain and can be seen depicted on various mosaics found in Roman-British villas and the like. This one is from the Orpheus Pavement Mosaic found at the Woodchester Roman Villa in Gloucestershire, near Cirencester (Roman Corinium)

Some photos from a replica made of the mosaic:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/gloucesters ... 596780.stm

The Woodchester Roman Villa is thought to have belonged to some very important official, perhaps a procurator- maybe he liked to have roasted peacock on the menu at grand banquets held to impress the locals

erechwydd · Post by **erechwydd** » Sun May 20th, 2012, 8:16 pm

[quote=""annis""]it appears to have no relevance at all to the actual story - apparently this is what a seductress looks like though, so, hey, let's run with it anyway

[/quote]

I guess a seductress in a long woollen dress just wouldn't cut it.

I can't help wondering about those two birds in the background, actually. Hopefully, you know, they're just the Birds of Rhiannon, but they look suspiciously like parakeets or something to me...

[quote=""annis""]Obviously Elizabeth Wolfe didn't trouble herself with reading primary sources like Tacitus for her story - Boudicca's hair is particularly described as tawny or russet[/quote]

Indeed, and it's funny, because Wolfe apparently made at least some effort to familiarise herself with basic details - and I'd call Boudica's hair colour a pretty basic detail, since it seems fairly well known. Oh well, I gave up expecting close attention to historical detail when I was introduced to Iron Age Britons like Dwan Karnash and Throgg.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Mon May 21st, 2012, 4:00 am

Boudicca's hair is particularly described as tawny or russet

Well, yes, but this was Cartimandua, and we have no idea what color her hair was.

Curiously enough, it seems there is a good argument that Boudicca's hair was actually a straightforward blonde, based on the specific Greek word Dio used, which has been translated "tawny" or "russet." While the word could mean strawberry blonde, there were other words in Greek that would more precisely indicate reddish hair. Of course, that is supposing Dio's sources, whatever they were, provided accurate information about Boudicca's hair color. The approach to history in Dio's time was rather free-wheeling, and might be more akin to what we think of as a historical novel.