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

File:BlackCrowesAmoricaalbumcover.jpg

This perfectly idiotic "fabled continent in ancient Greek mythinformation" is now all over the Internet from Wikipedia. Was this complete fabrication invented as a backstory for the Black Crowes album: Amorica? That album is the one with an American flag mini bikini showing the famous pubic hair: Amorica! get it? get it? wink wink.

Was this cribbed off the promo materials? Or was it invented on a whim? It was certainly added to the album's Wikipedia article by Anonymous User:66.53.37.209, a passing jokester who has not returned to Wikipedia since planting this. No one noticed, in the generalized cultural din of music fans isolated from adult culture.

But 18:14, 9 November 2004, the same Anonymous editor added the following fatuity at Americas:
 * "Yet another theory states that Vespucci named America after Amorica, the continent of ancient Greek and Roman myth. Italian Vespucci would have been familiar with the Roman myth. Early explorers often believed they were rediscovering islands and continents of myth or religion, such as the idea that South America was the Garden of Eden or 'Earthly Paradise'. After Vespucci's death, people forgot where the name America came from, so they changed his name to Amerigo to explain the naming of America."

This absurdity continued to pass. Then this article Amorica (legend) was spun off Amorica by User:Acjelen, 13:10, 24 May 2005, without inspecting it.

This foolishness lurked in an album description where adults do not vet information. Okay. Then the dim-witted note "America may have been named after the fabled continent of Greek myth, rather than after Amerigo Vespuchi. [sic]" was added. Okay. This kind of stuff passes in that culture for history. My issue is that it's been here with a Mythology stub since 25 May, and until now no one has blown the whistle.

It will not do simply to delete the article, which will be the first instinct of our pre-teen administrators. This is all over the Internet, with a Wikipedia tag on it, thanks to our mirrors.

---Wetman 8 July 2005 09:14 (UTC)

Actually, this article isn't right - but neither is it made up from the album. 'Amorica' was a name for Britian, pre-British. It's not that well referenced online... and now, thanks to this article, it's hard to find sources online that are independent (and not just a typo of America).

But here (you might need to have a google account) are some printed books: Column A, Line 6-7 Top of Column B

And here's a website that mentions it in passing. Me.


 * The ancient name for Brittany&mdash;though not for Britain&mdash; referenced in the Celtic website above, is Armorica, modestly well-covered in a Wikipedia entry. A needless additional confusion. --Wetman 06:13, 2 November 2005 (UTC)