Albion
Albion is an alternative and archaic name for Great Britain or England.
- Alba, the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland and for the British Isles in Irish Gaelic
Albion may also refer to:
Toponyms
In Australia:
- Albion, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
- Albion Park, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
- Albion, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
In Canada:
- Albion Ridge, Alberta
- Albion, British Columbia
- Port Albion, British Columbia
- Albion, Ontario
- Albion Falls, Ontario
- Albion Township, Ontario
- Albion Trailer Court, Ontario
- Mount Albion, Ontario
- Albion, Prince Edward Island
- Albion Cross, Prince Edward Island
- Mount Albion, Prince Edward Island
In France:
- the plateau d'Albion in the Vaucluse, the former site of French nuclear missile silos, France
In Guyana:
In the United States:
- Albion, California, a town in Mendocino County
- Albion Nation, a small region in California known for environmental activism
- Albion, Idaho, a city in Cassia County
- Albion, Illinois, a city in Edwards County
- Albion, Indiana, a town in Noble County
- Albion, Iowa, a city in Marshall County
- Albion, Maine, a town in Kennebec County
- Albion, Michigan, a city in Calhoun County
- Albion, an early name for Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Albion, Nebraska, a city in Boone County
- Albion (village), Orleans County, New York
- Albion (town), Orleans County, New York
- Albion, Oswego County, New York
- Albion, Oklahoma, a town in Pushmataha County
- Albion, Pennsylvania, a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania
- Albion, Washington, a town in Whitman County
- Albion, Dane County, Wisconsin
- Albion, Jackson County, Wisconsin
- Albion, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin
- New Albion, New York, a town in Cattaraugus County
- Nova Albion, Francis Drake's name for the North American Pacific coast when he landed near San Francisco
- See also: Albion Township
Proper names, institutions, and brands
- Albion (Astronomy), an astronomical instrument constructed by Richard of Wallingford, Abbot of St. Albans, in 1326
- HMS Albion, the name of nine ships of the Royal Navy
- Albion (wherry), a preserved Norfolk trading wherry
- Albion College, a liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan, USA
- Operation Albion, the German invasion and conquest in 1917 of the Estonian Islands of Saaremaa (Ösel), Hiiumaa (Dagö) and Muhu (Moon)
- Albion Swords
- Albion Motors, a vehicle manufacturer based in Glasgow, Scotland from 1899 to 1980
Literature
- Albion (history journal), a historical journal focusing on British history
- Albion (William Blake), a character in the poetry of William Blake
- Perfidious Albion, a phrase meaning "treacherous Britain"
- Albion’s England, a long historical poem on the history of England published in 1586 by William Warner (poet)
- Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination, a non-fiction work by Peter Ackroyd
- Albion's Seed, a historical treatise on the early migrations to America from the British Isles by David Hackett Fischer
- Albion (novel series), a trilogy of novels of Arthurian Britain by Patrick McCormack
Sports
Albion forms part of the name of numerous football and rugby clubs around the British Isles:
- Albion Rovers F.C. (Scotland), based in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire
- Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., based on the south coast
- Burton Albion F.C., based in Burton upon Trent
- Plymouth Albion R.F.C., based in Plymouth
- Stirling Albion F.C., based in Stirling
- West Bromwich Albion F.C., based in the West Midlands
Music
- Down in Albion, the debut album of the Babyshambles
- Albion (song), a single from the album
- Albion Country Band, a former English folk band formed in 1972 by Ashley Hutchings
- Albion, an alias used by Ferry Corsten, electronic music producer/DJ
- "Albion", a musical piece by Jan Van der Roost
Popular culture, fantasy, computer games
- Albion (Gundam), a fictional ship in the Gundam 0083 anime series
- Albion (comics), a six issue comic book limited series by Alan Moore
- Albion (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics character and X-Men villain
- Sliding Albion, the name of Britain in a parallel dimension featured in the "Shiftships", story arc on The Authority
- The name of the Otherworld (and a representation of Britain itself) in The Song of Albion series of novels by Stephen Lawhead
- Albion is a location in Destroy All Humans 2. The "city" is located in England.
- Albion (Fable), the main continent on which the game Fable is played
- Albion (game), a PC roleplaying game released in 1995 by Blue Byte Software
- Albion (Warhammer), an island that represents the British Isles in the table-top fantasy wargame Warhammer
- The Kingdom of Albion, an alternate-future version of Britain from the anime series Trinity Blood
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Albion (disambiguation)". Image Credit.
Extended Definition: Albion
Albion
Albion (called Alouion by Ptolemy) is the most ancient known name of Great Britain. Today, it is used romantically to refer to the United Kingdom, especially England and occasionally Scotland. It is the basis of the Celtic language name for Scotland. Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History (iv.xvi.102) applies it unequivocally to Great Britain: "It was itself named Albion, while all the islands about which we shall soon briefly speak were called the Britanniae."
The name is of Celtic origin, with an exact cognate in Welsh elfydd meaning earth or world (the personal name Albiorix means world king or king of the world), from the Proto-Indo-European root that denotes both "white" and "mountain". 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").
The early writer (sixth century BC) whose periplus was translated by Avienus at the end of the fourth 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 (fourth century BC) speaks of Albion and 'Ierne. From the fact that there was a tribe called the Albiones on the north coast of Spain in Asturias, some scholars have placed Albion in that neighbourhood. [1]
Cultural references
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 and Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., based on the south coast. There is also at least one rugby club to use the name - Plymouth Albion R.F.C., based in Plymouth.
The original lyrics to Advance Australia Fair contain a reference to Albion in the second verse:
- 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.
- To trace wide oceans o'er,
The title of a Babyshambles single from the album which also shares one of the songs lyrics: Down in Albion. Irish Black Metal band Primordial recently referred to Albion in a song off their To The Nameless Dead album named Heathen Tribes with the line And shadows of ancient Albion in relation to the beginning of the British Empire. 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"
The British rock band Led Zeppelin also makes mention of Albion in the song "Achilles Last Stand," on the 7th studio album Presence: Oh Albion remains, sleeping now to rise again.
The pejorative sobriquet perfidious Albion takes its meaning from this old name for Britain.
References
- G. F. Unger, Rhein. Mus. xxxviii., 1883, pp. 156-196
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Albion". Image Credit.
