Type Country
Usage Welsh (Archaic)
Meaning & History
Gwalia is an archaic Welsh name for "Wales". It derives from the Medieval Latin Wallia, which in turn is a Latinisation of the English 'Wales'. Although never as widely used as Cymru, Gwalia was once popular as a poetic name for the country.The name originated in the Middle Ages and there are several instances of it in Late Medieval Welsh poetry. Possibly the best-known is in 'Yr Awdl Fraith', a long poem attributed to Taliesin. It again re-emerged into popularity amongst writers in the 19th century, at the height of Romanticism.Gwalia has largely fallen out of use due to its Victorian associations.