Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia/Amorica (legend)


Amorica was originally a fabled continent in ancient Greek myth [citation needed]. The Greeks believed it to be a paradise across the western ocean[citation needed] where some Greeks lived and intermarried with the natives[citation needed]. The Phoenicians also wrote[citation needed] of such a place. Later, the Romans believed this to be the island of Britain. (but see Armorica) After that, the southern part of the British island was renamed Britannia or Britain after the Briton tribes living there. Only Scotland was named Amorica then[citation needed]. The name faded when the Scots renamed it Scotland. America may have been named after the fabled continent of Greek myth, rather than after Amerigo Vespucci.

Reinforcing a common misconception, The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook Second Edition (Writer's Digest Books, 2005) misdefines Armorica as the ancient name for Britain, mistaking Britain for Brittany.

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