Probably everyone at least once in his life heard the word "mysterious foggy Albion".Immediately reminded of King Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the round table ...
right, all from a single opera.To be exact - from the same country.After all, England - Albion.And it's not invented a fabulous name, and has historically secured the British Isles figurative expression.
So, let's understand why England called Albion.
Albion
Firstly, it means Albion?That name stuck for Britain since ancient times.But why?On this score there are several versions.
On one of them, the word "Albion" is derived from the Roman albus, which translates as "white."When the Roman conquerors sailed to the shores of the British Isles, from the fog made snow-white cliffs.So they called the island "Albion".
According to another version, "Albion" - the word is of Celtic origin, indicating the mountains.Just like the Alps.The first official designation of the British Isles as the Albion was made by Ptolemy.This fact may be evidence of both theories.After all, this was a traveler and scientist knew many languages, including Celtic and Latin.
Island "Albion»
famous island, who first met the ancient Romans, is Dover.That he owes Britain called "foggy Albion".It is the most extreme point on the south-east of the United Kingdom.If you approach the island from the open sea, the first thing you'll see - it's white chalk cliffs (White Cliffs of Dover).They extend over a vast territory along the Kent and ends at the Straits of Pas-de-Calais.
Cliffs of Dover is also called "The Key of England" because they - a gateway country.They are the first explorers met and hit them with his cold white beauty.Before neighboring France from Dover just thirty kilometers.According to local residents when the weather is good, with the French side can even see on the horizon the white line of the rocks.
similar rocks in the south-east of England set.However, the most popular are Dover.Their beauty will not leave anyone indifferent.High (up to 107 meters above sea level), powerful, white.They became a symbol of England, its business card.They are not dedicated to one work of literature and painting.
natural wonder
Dover cliffs - is an unusual mountain, as can be judged by their color.White chalk they become due, which in large numbers is a part of their breed, and calcium carbonate.This breed has a very fine structure, so quite fragile and easily destroyed.A small black specks in the rocks - is the flint.
during the Cretaceous period millions of small sea creatures that lived in the shells, died and remained on the sea floor, thus creating a layer by layer.As a result, the chalk layers compacted into a huge white whole platform.Through thousands of years, when the water is gone, the platform remained, forming a powerful white cliffs.And today we can admire them.
Island in fog
beautiful poetic name Albion was also thanks to the cloudy weather.So, because of the high humidity of the lowland part of the island is constantly shrouded in fog, the sky is gray and it rains.
Extraordinary mists UK were the subject of many paintings and works.Writers and artists specially arrived to London to see with their own eyes, and to capture this phenomenon of nature.
Sometimes the fog is so dense and impenetrable that the movement in the streets stopped.People just do not see where to go and stay in place, so as not to get lost, and wait until the fog clears.
Currently foggy days in the UK is much less than in previous centuries.For example, in London of not more than fifty per year.Most of these days in the second half of winter: late January and early February.
perfidious Albion
There is another concept of "Albion", wearing an ironic sense.This term was previously used in the policy.That's talking about England and its political intrigues.Misty - an unknown, hidden, vague and changeable.
In France and England, even pre-revolutionary Russia was nicknamed "perfidious Albion."So metaphorically expressed the foreign policy of the country, steadily follow only their national purposes for which it was not just to refuse to earlier agreements with other powers.
general during the French Revolution, were very popular, and other similar expressions.For example, "English deceit" or "treacherous island."England has not just betrayed France: we conclude a peace treaty, then again to break it, and so on. D.
popular in Russia, this expression was during the Crimean War, when the United Kingdom, which consisted in the coalition countries (Austria, Prussia and Russia), spoke at theside of their former enemies (France) against Russia.
Today ironic meaning has long been lost, and the expression "Albion" is rather high style, which gives the Kingdom of Great Britain special poetry.
