![]() ![]() Another derivative of that original albio was the Old Welsh elbid, modern Welsh elfydd, the primary meaning of which is world, land or region. Meanwhile, in Welsh alp denotes a craggy rock or eminence. It’s often presumed that Albion is derived from this. In Gaelic, alp meant a height or eminence, giving rise to albainn (hilly land) and thence to the modern Gaelic for Scotland, Alba. In Britain languages related to Gaulish, Welsh and Gaelic, produced similar words. Many scholars believe that the word derives from a root related to the Gaulish albio, meaning ‘the world,’ or, more literally, the ‘land above ground in the light.’ In a related sense, therefore, it gave rise to Latin albus, ‘white,’ as in ‘albumen’ (egg-white) or ‘album.’ The word also is the source of Alp, as in the mountain range one sense of this name seems to be the ‘white mountains covered in snow, the peaks illuminated by the sun.’ It is such an ancient name that its origins are a little uncertain. ![]() “All things begin and in in Albion’s Ancient, Druid, Rocky Shore” ( William Blake)Īlbion is an archaic name for Britain, favoured by poet William Blake and others of a similarly literary, mystical or antiquarian taste. William Blake, The Emanation of the Giant Albion ![]()
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