# Who is "Britannia"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2002, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188 "2002-09-13T00:18:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2002, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/21 "2002-09-14T19:22:55Z")
I always thought she was supposes to be an anglicized Athena. ---
**Author:** ![suk4u](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@suk4u](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suk4u)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/22 "2012-08-09T10:39:00Z")
britannia is the female personification of britain her trident shows the naval power of britain and over time she is represented in many ways as a symbol of power and as a goddess of britain. she was used in coins too until 2008 under charles II. you ca read more at wiki > **[Britannia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannia)** > > Britannia (/brɪˈtæniə/) is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin Britannia was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great Britain, and the Roman province of Britain during the Roman Empire. Typically depicted reclining or seated with spear and shield since appearing thus on Roman coins of the 2nd century AD, the classical national allegory was revived in the e By the 1... ---
**Author:** ![suk4u](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@suk4u](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suk4u)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/23 "2012-08-09T10:40:25Z")
> [@Muad\_Dib](#): > > I always thought she was supposes to be an anglicized Athena. her statues were slightly based on athena and goddess minerva but there are other sculptures of hers. ---
**Author:** ![suk4u](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@suk4u](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suk4u)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/24 "2012-08-09T10:41:27Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Long may she rain … she represents naval power that is why they generally say that ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/25 "2012-08-09T10:57:38Z")
Interesting, but this thread is a decade old… \ ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/26 "2012-08-09T11:05:58Z")
I have been wanting to open a chain of shops specializing in imports from the United Kingdom. I would call them “Britomart,” have a female knight as a mascot and see if anyone gets it. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/27 "2012-08-09T12:28:37Z")
> [@Martiju](#): > > Indeed, current coins are inscribed in latin too - at least, the 1 Pound coin is ‘decus et tutamen’ or ‘honour and protect’. It means ‘an ornament and a safeguard’ actually 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/28 "2012-08-09T13:14:35Z")
Brittania’s US equivalent is not “Uncle Sam”, it’s [Columbia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(name)). The female personification of the United States as a whole. “Uncle Sam” is the personification of the U.S. government. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/29 "2012-08-09T13:19:13Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Nitpick: “Decus et Tutamen” means “An ornament and a safeguard” according to [The Royal Mint](http://www.royalmint.com/talk/pounddesigns.asp). > [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > It means ‘an ornament and a safeguard’ actually 🙂 Ninja’ed by 10 years. > [@DrFidelius](#): > > I have been wanting to open a chain of shops specializing in imports from the United Kingdom. I would call them “Britomart,” have a female knight as a mascot and see if anyone gets it. English majors, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/30 "2012-08-09T14:03:58Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Brittania’s US equivalent is not “Uncle Sam”, it’s [Columbia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(name)). The female personification of the United States as a whole. > > “Uncle Sam” is the personification of the U.S. government. Apparently, I agree! 😃 > [@Acsenray](#): > > Usually, Uncle Sam is used to personify the federal government. > [@Chronos](#): > > I believe that John Bull is a generic name for a single Englishman, and so might be compared to Yankee Doodle. “Yankee Doodle” isn’t a personification of anything, at least not in any contemporary understanding. It’s the title of a song. “Yankee” is a nickname/epithet for some group of people (which group varies according to your point of view) and also isn’t a personification of anything. I don’t know whether it might have been at some point in the past, though. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/31 "2012-08-09T14:21:21Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Ninja’ed by 10 years. :smack: wow, yeah. I need to drink more coffee in the mornings I think. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/32 "2012-08-09T14:30:33Z")
> [@suk4u](#): > > > [@yabob](#): > > > > > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > > > > I always thought she was the goddess of weather; you know, **“Hail, Brittania!”** … > > > > Long may she rain … > > she represents naval power that is why they generally say that Wow, ten years. That’s gotta be the longest time between a punchline and a whoosh I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/33 "2012-08-09T14:59:00Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Brittania’s US equivalent is not “Uncle Sam”, it’s [Columbia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(name)). The female personification of the United States as a whole. The Smurfs have really taken the mystique out of the Phrygian cap, haven’t they? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/34 "2012-08-09T15:48:58Z")
> [@Fern\_Forest](#): > > Where does John Bull fit in? We are not amused. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/35 "2012-08-09T16:00:04Z")
> [@Fern\_Forest](#): > > Where does John Bull fit in? I hear he’s a back door man. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/36 "2012-08-09T16:48:04Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Interesting, but this thread is a decade old… > > \ I scrolled down hoping that Britannia had joined to answer the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/37 "2012-08-09T17:02:47Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I scrolled down hoping that Britannia had joined to answer the thread. I scrolled to the top to see if Boadicea had. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188/38 "2012-08-09T17:09:27Z")
I think all the countries need to adopt new mascots. > **[Hetalia: Axis Powers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hetalia:_Axis_Powers)** > > Hetalia: Axis Powers (Japanese: ヘタリア Axis Powers, Hepburn: Hetaria Akushisu Pawāzu) is a Japanese webcomic, later adapted as a manga and an anime series, by Hidekaz Himaruya. The series' main presentation is as an comedic allegory of political and historic events as well as more general cultural comparisons. Characters are personifications of countries, regions such as Hong Kong, and micronations. Both positive and negative cultural stereotypes form part of each character's personality. Hetalia (... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-britannia/128188.md?page=1)