« The Pacific Face of Boudicca »

A punk rock hardcore band based in Australian Newcastle, a wellness center in Australia and a fitness center in New Zealand all bear the name of Boudicca, the Icenaean queen who resisted the Romans in Britannia. At first sight, such references don't seem to have much in common with her original story but she seems to have had a series of different faces at different times, each according to the needs of the moment.Does Boudicca have a Pacific face? Are the many references to her linked to a revitalisation of Celtic culture in the Pacific or are they a reappropriation of a figure who is in any case increasingly present in the anglophone world?In order to answer such questions, the paper will examine the websites of individuals and companies in Australia and Newzealand that refer to Boudicca. My aim is to define and analyse specific testimonials to and uses made of this Celtic heroine in Australian and New Zealand popular culture. The queen appears as both a warrior and a feminist figure in the context of a globalised culture that percolates through various media such as books, TV series, motion pictures and video games. But even if for the most part this might be considered simple reappropriation, I aim to show that a Pacific Boudicca really does exist.