Belinus
/bəˈlaɪnəs/noun
A legendary British king in medieval and early modern legend, sometimes identified with a deity or heroic ancestor.
Did you know?Belinus is a legendary figure in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s tradition, and later antiquarians tried to read him as a real ancient ruler, showing how myth can harden into “history.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Celtic / Roman period
Celtic
Belenos / Belenus
“A Celtic deity or divine name associated by Romans with Apollo”
12th Century
Latin
Belinus
“A legendary king of Britain in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae”
12th–15th Century
Latin / Anglo-Norman
Belinus
“A repeated chronicle and romance name for a heroic British ruler”
16th–19th Century
English
Belinus
“An antiquarian and literary name for a supposed ancient British king”
Modern English
English
Belinus
“A rare historical-legendary proper name used in discussions of British myth and medieval literature”