Albion

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This article is about the archaic name for Great Britain. For other uses, see Albion (disambiguation).
The white cliffs of Dover.

Albion (Greek: Ἀλβιών) is the oldest known name of the island of Great Britain. Today, it is still sometimes used poetically to refer to the island. It is the basis of the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland, Alba.

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[edit] Etymology

Gallo-Latin Albiōn (Middle Irish Albbu) derives from the Proto-Celtic stem * Alb-i̯en-. Together with other toponyms such as Alpes it may either derive from a Proto-Indo-European root *albh- ".[1]

It is often hypothesised that the Romans took it as connected with albus (white), in reference to the white cliffs of Dover and Alfred Holder's Alt-Keltischer Sprachschatz (1896) unhesitatingly translates it Weissland ("white-land").

[edit] Attestation

The early writer (6th century BC) whose periplus was translated by Avienus at the end of the 4th century AD (see Massaliote Periplus) does not use the name Britannia; he speaks of nesos 'Iernon kai 'Albionon: the islands of the Ierni and the Albiones. Likewise, Pytheas of Massilia (ca. 320 BC) speaks of Albion and Ierne. But Pytheas' grasp of the νῆσος Πρεττανική nesos Prettanicé (Britanic island) is somewhat blurry, and appears to include anything he considers a western island, including Thule.[2]

By the 1st century AD, the name refers unequivocally to Great Britain. The Pseudo-Aristotelian text De mundo (393b) has:

Ἐν τούτῳ γε μὴν νῆσοι μέγισται τυγχάνουσιν οὖσαι δύο, Βρεττανικαὶ λεγόμεναι, Ἀλβίων καὶ Ἰέρνη
"the largest islands they reached were two, called the Britannic [isles], Albion and Ierne."

Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History (4.16.102) likewise has:

"It was itself named Albion, while all the islands about which we shall soon briefly speak were called the Britanniae."

[edit] Cultural references

 Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (January 2009)

Various British football clubs bear the name Albion, the highest profile being West Bromwich Albion F.C., based in the West Midlands. Others include Burton Albion F.C., based in Burton upon Trent, Stirling Albion F.C. and Albion Rovers F.C. in Scotland.

Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., based on the south coast behind the chalk downs has foremost claim to the name, from the white chalk cliffs to the east and part of the city.

There is also at least one rugby club to use the name - Plymouth Albion R.F.C., based in Plymouth.

  • The name of a small Island in Games Workshop's Warhammer universe, again Albion is meant to represent Great Britain.
When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
  • Used by Shakespeare in King Lear in reference to England: "Then shall the realm of Albion / Come to great confusion" (III.ii.91-92). Possibly a play on the suspected origin of the term being "white", seeing that the Cliffs of Dover were mentioned in the preceding scene, and will be a key point of action--and confusion--later in the play.
  • HMS Albion has served as the name for several large Royal Navy warships.
  • In the Japanese light novel series, Zero no Tsukaima, the Kingdom of Albion is the island belonging to the continent of Halkeginia, akin to England being an island nation of real-world Europe.
  • In the Japanese anime Code Geass, the Lancelot Albion is the name of the final variant of one of the series' most powerful Britannian Knightmare Frames.
  • Down in Albion is an album by British band Babyshambles: "dreaming of sailing to the fictional land of Arcadia on the "Good ship Albion"".
  • Folk metal band Skyclad made reference to Albion in a song from their album Folkémon entitled "Think Back and Lie of England" with the line: "Fake alibis for Albion"
  • British rock band Led Zeppelin makes mention of Albion in the song "Achilles Last Stand", on their 7th studio album: Oh Albion will remain, sleeping now to rise again.
  • British rock band Jethro Tull references Albion in their song "Coronach" from the 20 Years of Jethro Tull Boxed Set.
  • British metal band Cradle of Filth mentions Albion in the song "Haunted Shores" on their album Dusk... and Her Embrace: "The wolves are dead in Albion whilst the passive flocks roam free."
  • The Albion Band was a British electric folk band existing from 1972 until 2002.
  • Albion Street is a street in Sydney, Australia. It was also the original name intended for the city before Arthur Phillip decided on Sydney.[3]
  • Albion is the name of a small community within Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. Once its own small settlement, it now designated a sub-community under the jurisdiction of the District of Maple Ridge.
  • In Mythic Entertainment's Dark Age of Camelot, one of the playable factions is Albion. Within Albion the player can choose to be a Briton, Highlander, Avalonian, or a Saracen.
  • The television series Merlin appears to take place in a fictionalised version of Britain called Albion. Many places in the Albion of Merlin share names with real British locations.
  • In the television series Robin of Sherwood, Albion is the sword he is given by Herne the Hunter.

[edit] References

  1. ^ IEW (1959), s.v. "albho-".
  2. ^ G. F. Unger, Rhein. Mus. xxxviii., 1883, pp. 156-196.
  3. ^ The 10 people Who Shaped Sydney
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