The Lost Ninth Legion of Rome and Boudica's Curse – in Celtic Mythology
Legends claimed the soldiers of the Ninth Legion marched into the mists of the hills and valleys of Scotland in 117 AD and were never seen or heard of again. The fate of the Ninth Legion became one of the most famous legends in the history of the Roman Empire.
The Ninth Legion was one of three legions stationed in the Roman province of Britannia during the turbulent times of the second century AD. The soldiers of the Ninth Legion were involved in numerous military campaigns in Caledonia, or present-day Scotland, because of fighting against the fierce tribes of Picts.
The soldiers of the Ninth Legion, or IX Hispanica , were an elite military unit. They were recruited from the four corners of the Roman Empire. The men of the Ninth Legion earned a reputation for being one of the toughest and most experienced fighting units from Rome.
The Ninth Legion was founded in 65 BC by the Roman general Pompey. The legion was first commanded by Julius Caesar while he was governor of Spain. He led the Ninth Legion to a great number famous victories over the Celts in Gaul, the Germanic tribes in the Rhineland and the Balkans.
The Claudian invasion of Britain in 43 AD brought the Ninth Legion to the shores of England. They fought against Boudica, the legendary warrior queen of the Iceni, in the Roman town of Londinium , or present-day London, 61 AD. Boudica and her army earned the distinction of defeating the Ninth Legion.
Accounts of the times claimed Boudica killed over 70,000 civilians in Colchester, London and St Albans during her bloody revolt against Rome.
Tacitus wrote, “In the groves of their terrible dark goddess, Andraste, they tortured their captives to death”. Boudica described Roman rule over the native Britons as “'hares trying to rule over wolves".
The tribes in the Roman province of Britannia proved so troublesome that three Roman legions were permanently stationed on the small island. Only one Roman legion was needed to control the whole of Spain and the North African coast.
Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman governor and commander of the Ninth Legion, annihilated Boudica and her army during the Battle of Watling Street in the East Midlands in 61 AD. Boudica committed suicide by taking poison.
Boudica was a druidess who regularly performed divination rituals to the goddess Andraste, the Celtic goddess of victory and revenge. A hare was often used in her pagan ceremonies. Legends claimed Boudica cursed the Ninth Legions for destroying her people as she lay dying from poison.
The Ninth Legion was later stationed in Roman fortress of York as part of a policy of subduing the whole island. They fought against the Brigantes in northern England and the Picts in Scotland.
The soldiers of the Ninth Legion fought bravely against the Brigantes and defeated them. However, the threat of open revolt by the Brigantes could not be tolerated by Rome because they controlled the whole of northern England.
The area patrolled by the Ninth Legion was filled with the remote mountainous terrain of the Scottish Borders and Highlands. The Picts, or Picti, in Scotland often raided northern Britain and ambushed Roman outposts.
Picti means “The Painted Ones” or “The Painted People”. The Picts painted red stripes across their faces during times of wars and conflicts. The druids, or “Druithyn” accompanied the Pictish warriors into battles wearing headpieces with the antlers of deer. They cursed the Romans and even summoned the ghosts of their ancestors to wage war against the legions.
Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, led numerous military campaigns into Caledonia, or present-day Scotland, between 78 and 84 AD. He became known in history for finally bringing the Roman province of Britannia under Roman control.
A decisive battle was fought and won by Agricola against Calgacus, the leader of the Caledonii in 84 AD. The Caledonii were a Pictish tribe and the last tribe in Britain to be conquered by the Romans.
Calgacus was regarded as a military genius by the Romans who called him the “Swordsman”. The battle between Agricloa and Calgacus became known as Mons Graupius and took place in the wilderness of Scotland.
The sight of a fierce army of Picts and their druids was a terrifying sight to the Ninth Legion and the other Roman soldiers. The Romans were a superstitious people and feared the druids because they were sorcerers.
Agricola marched south afterwards believing the Picts were finally defeated. The Ninth Legion was ordered to subdue the Picts again when a serious rebellion occurred in 117 AD.
Six thousand legionaries set out one morning on a routine patrol from their fortress in York. They vanished without a trace among the hills and valleys of Scotland.
Numerous theories have been put forward concerning the fate of the Ninth Legion after they left York.
The mists of Scotland were thick so the Picts were known to successfully ambush Roman soldiers. However, none of the tribes in Scotland claimed to have won a victory over the Ninth Legion as was the custom of the time.
The mystery deepened because not one survivor returned to tell the tale of the fate of the Ninth Legion. There was no evidence in the way of a captured Eagle or any debris found to relate the events which had unfolded.
Rumours abounded of the druids' enchantment and Boudica's curse. The Celts and Romans fear of the supernatural abilities of the druids and druidesses was obvious in the tales of the lost Ninth Legion.
The druids were famous for their magical abilities and their abilities to communicate with the divine beings and ancestors in the Otherworld, or spirit world.
The deities of the Celtic religion wielded a great deal of power in the imagination of those living in the era of the Roman Empire. The strength of the Celt's belief in the gods and goddesses of the Otherworld caused even the fiercest of the Roman soldiers to be wary of their influence. The Romano-Celtic shrines and temples dedicated to the pagan deities attracted a huge following in the Celtic world.
Some accounts claimed the Ninth Legion had been massacred in the mountains of Scotland by the Picts.
Roman records described another legion, VI Victrix, being ordered to Britain from the Rhineland during 117 AD. They were stationed in the same fortress in York as the Ninth Legion.
Emperor Hadrian ordered an immense wall be built in 122 AD because of the loss of the Ninth Legion. The Roman army suffered heavy casualties because of rebellions in Britain between 117 and 138 AD.
Some modern historian believed the Ninth Legion was disbanded but there is no evidence the famous legion ever left Britain.
The legacy of the lost Ninth Legion was the creation of a border in the form of Hadrian's Wall. The kingdoms of England and Scotland developed independently from one another because of the barrier created between England and Scotland during the second century AD. The mystery of the lost Ninth Legions is a haunting and fascinating story that has attracted a worldwide audience.
For more information on the Celtic gods and goddesses of Britain, Ireland and Europe, please visit
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