Albion

Albion is an ancient and poetic name for Great Britain, especially used in literary, historical, and mythic contexts.

Albion is an ancient and poetic name for Great Britain, used in literary, historical, and mythic contexts. In Greek mythology and later legend, the name is also associated with a giant or primordial figure, and in William Blake’s mythology, Albion is the primeval man whose fall shapes the mythic cosmos.

Name and historical usage

Albion appears in ancient Greek and Roman literature as a name for Britain or the British Isles. It later became a poetic and literary term for Great Britain, especially in English-language writing.

Mythological associations

In one Greek mythological tradition, Alebion or Albion is a son of Poseidon. Medieval British legend also links Albion to giants and to foundation stories about the island.

William Blake's mythology

In Blake’s mythological writings, Albion is the primordial man, whose division leads to the Four Zoas. The name functions both as a symbolic ancestor and as a personification of Britain.

Medieval origin legends

Medieval chronicles developed stories in which Albion was named after a woman, Albina, or connected to giant founders. These stories circulated widely in later medieval prose and verse traditions.