CALIFORNIA

English translation: the land of queen Calafia

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Latin term or phrase:CALIFORNIA
English translation:the land of queen Calafia
Entered by: Cristina Moldovan do Amaral

22:56 Sep 9, 2002
Latin to English translations [Non-PRO]
Latin term or phrase: CALIFORNIA
I NEED TO KNOW THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION FOR CALIFORNIA. I BELIEVE CALIFORNIA IS SPANISH NOT LATIN
JENNIFER
California
Explanation:
The name was applied first to what is now called Baja California, around 1562, and later extended to Alta California, the present state of California. The term originally referred to a mythical land of Amazons, ruled by the beautiful black queen Calafia, as described in a Spanish novel, Las sergas de Esplandián (The Exploits of Esplandian), by Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-09 23:22:40 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This is the original California, named for Calafia, queen of the Amazons. A popular Spanish novel, published in 1500, romanticized this mythical race of giant warrior women. Their sun-baked island home was called California. Here, on what he thought was a desert island, conquistador Hernán Cortés first tried to land soldiers in 1530. The fierce Californians he encountered were Indian warriors, whose paintings of giants had already decorated the mountains for thousands of years.

http://cabobob.baja.com/bajahwy.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-09 23:24:53 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The origin of the name California itself goes back many centuries to the early exploration of the New World. Then as now, people believed that just over the horizon were unexplored lands of untold wealth and beautiful people. As a result of this, in the 15th century, Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo, a Spanish writer, created an island called California lying on the right-hand side of the Indies and very close to the Garden of Eden.

As explorers returned to their ports, they told great tales of places such as California, often to encourage the financing of a new trip. The story about this mystical place grew.

The Island of California, it was believed, was inhabited by a group of fierce, Amazon like and very beautiful black women. Their ruler was the most beautiful of them all, a queen named Calafia. The were magnificent in their armor and weaponry of pure gold, the only metal found on the island. They often sailed off in mighty ships to raid other lands, where they gathered treasure and captured men. Some men they kept, albeit temporarily, to insure that their race would not die out. Any male children born as a result of these unions were immediately killed as were most of the men they captured, other than the very few they felt they needed.

Although earlier maps of the New World showed California as a portion of a larger continent, in 1525 one Henry Briggs produced a map that included Queen Calafia\'s land, depicting it as the Isle of California. Although almost immediately there were new, more accurate maps disagreeing with Briggs\' work, for a century or more other cartographers continued to copy his map. Myths are often more powerful than the truth.

It is sometimes said that the armor clad lady on the Seal of the Great State of California represents Queen Calafia. However, the lady is actually Minerva (Athena), the goddess of wisdom.

http://www.mtdemocrat.com/display/inn_1999_columnists/Doug N...
Selected response from:

Cristina Moldovan do Amaral
United States
Local time: 12:04
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6California
Cristina Moldovan do Amaral


  

Answers


17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
California


Explanation:
The name was applied first to what is now called Baja California, around 1562, and later extended to Alta California, the present state of California. The term originally referred to a mythical land of Amazons, ruled by the beautiful black queen Calafia, as described in a Spanish novel, Las sergas de Esplandián (The Exploits of Esplandian), by Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-09 23:22:40 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This is the original California, named for Calafia, queen of the Amazons. A popular Spanish novel, published in 1500, romanticized this mythical race of giant warrior women. Their sun-baked island home was called California. Here, on what he thought was a desert island, conquistador Hernán Cortés first tried to land soldiers in 1530. The fierce Californians he encountered were Indian warriors, whose paintings of giants had already decorated the mountains for thousands of years.

http://cabobob.baja.com/bajahwy.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-09 23:24:53 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The origin of the name California itself goes back many centuries to the early exploration of the New World. Then as now, people believed that just over the horizon were unexplored lands of untold wealth and beautiful people. As a result of this, in the 15th century, Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo, a Spanish writer, created an island called California lying on the right-hand side of the Indies and very close to the Garden of Eden.

As explorers returned to their ports, they told great tales of places such as California, often to encourage the financing of a new trip. The story about this mystical place grew.

The Island of California, it was believed, was inhabited by a group of fierce, Amazon like and very beautiful black women. Their ruler was the most beautiful of them all, a queen named Calafia. The were magnificent in their armor and weaponry of pure gold, the only metal found on the island. They often sailed off in mighty ships to raid other lands, where they gathered treasure and captured men. Some men they kept, albeit temporarily, to insure that their race would not die out. Any male children born as a result of these unions were immediately killed as were most of the men they captured, other than the very few they felt they needed.

Although earlier maps of the New World showed California as a portion of a larger continent, in 1525 one Henry Briggs produced a map that included Queen Calafia\'s land, depicting it as the Isle of California. Although almost immediately there were new, more accurate maps disagreeing with Briggs\' work, for a century or more other cartographers continued to copy his map. Myths are often more powerful than the truth.

It is sometimes said that the armor clad lady on the Seal of the Great State of California represents Queen Calafia. However, the lady is actually Minerva (Athena), the goddess of wisdom.

http://www.mtdemocrat.com/display/inn_1999_columnists/Doug N...


    Reference: http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/8131.html
Cristina Moldovan do Amaral
United States
Local time: 12:04
Native speaker of: Native in RomanianRomanian
PRO pts in pair: 12
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  leff
8 mins

agree  John Kinory (X): See my answer at www.proz.com/Kudoz/130503
35 mins

agree  Piotr Kurek
5 hrs

agree  Estella
6 hrs

agree  Sheila Hardie: This is in the glossary too
9 hrs

agree  cmk (X)
172 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search