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Albion (called ''Alouion'' by Ptolemy ) is the most ancient name of Great Britain , though sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom , or specifically (incorrectly) to England . Occasionally it instead refers to only and early Welsh of the south knew them, in the P-Celtic form of "Cruithne", as ''Prydyn''; the terms "Britain" and "Briton" come from the same root. The name ''Albion'' was taken by medieval writers from Pliny and Ptolemy . The name is of Celtic origin, with an exact cognate in Welsh ''elfydd'' "earth, world" (in fact, the personal name Albiorix means 'world king' or 'king of the world'), from the Proto-Indo-European root that denotes both "white" and "mountain", but the Romans took it as connected with ''albus'' (white), in reference to the chalk " White Cliffs Of Dover ", and Alfred Holder's ''Alt-Keltischer Sprachschatz'' (1896) unhesitatingly translates it ''Weissland'' ("white-land"). The early writer (6th century BC) whose Periplus was translated by Avienus at the end of the 4th century AD (see '' Massaliote Periplus '') does not use the name ''Britannia''; he speaks of ''nesos 'Iernon kai 'Albionon'' (island of the Ierni and the Albiones). So Pytheas Of Massilia (4th 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 (see G. F. Unger, ''Rhein. Mus.'' xxxviii., 1883, pp. 156-196). The pejorative Sobriquet '' Perfidious Albion '' takes its meaning from this old name for Britain. Various British football clubs bear the name Albion, not least 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. and Albion Rovers F.C. in Scotland and West Bromwich Albion F.C. , based in the West Midlands. 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. IN LITERATURE, MULTIMEDIA AND MUSIC
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