Re: the origin of the name Britain | Forum

fitzcoraldo Nov 9, 2005 10:20:06

Replying to FourWinds

Ronald Hutton reckons that the cult of Bride was fairly weak in Britain "being developed mostly in cities which possessed Irish visitors or immigrants, or stations for pilgrims crossing the island".
The Brutus legend, mentioned by Ishmael, may have been a complete fabrication by Geoffrey of Monmouth. In his introduction to Monmouths "The History of The Kings of Britain" Lewis Thorpe says that Brutus the grandson of Aeneas never existed.
Seeing as though we're messing about with Bree and Bri, I'd like to throw Brigantia into the mix.
cheers
fitz

FourWinds Nov 9, 2005 10:38:05

Replying to fitzcoraldo

>> I'd like to throw Brigantia into the mix

And why not!

PeterH Nov 9, 2005 12:09:29

Replying to fitzcoraldo

Yes, good old Geof was a great story teller and inventor and he may have invented Brutus, but I don't think he invented the Trojan connection entirely.

Virgil tells what happened after the fall of Troy in his Aeneid which tells of the founding of Rome. The Romans liked to believe that they were descended from displaced Trojans. So what?

The link with Britain is that (whatever the Iron Age people of what we now call Essex called themselves) - the Romans called them Trinovantes. I understand that "Trinovante" is Tri Novante which means New Troy. I reckon Geof new that and it also is another example of incomers naming residents. Many of the Iron Age tribal names were bestowed upon them by the Romans. Obvious parralel with tribal names of the American Indians - some were native like Lakota and Oglala others were European and given to reflect personal characteristics eg Blackfeet and Nez Perce (pierced nose)

PeterH Nov 9, 2005 12:22:32

Replying to fitzcoraldo

Brigantia? Isn't that linked to the Italian "brigande" - a bandit. I have always assumed that the northern Brits gave the Romans a hard time from their bases in the difficult terrain of the Pennines and so were all regarded as raiding "brigandes".