Passage 3 Introductory Paragraph: Geoffrey of Monmouth was born around 1100, likely in the southeast part of Wales. As a cleric in Oxford, Geoffrey often translated Welsh legends into Latin texts. Around 1136, Geoffrey worked on these translations and wanted to attract the notice of his superiors. Consequently, he collected local myth, legend, and lore—adding some embellishments [made up additions] of his own---into the Historia Regum Brittaniae, or The History of the Kings of Britain. The History traces the history of Britain from approximately 1100 B.C. to A.D. 689. According to The History, Britain was founded around 1100 B.C. by Brutus, a warrior of Trojan descent. In the following excerpt, Brutus and his men land on an island that would become Britain.

from The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth

At this time the island of Britain was called Albion. It was uninhabited except for a few giants. It was, however, most attractive, because of the delightful situation of its various regions, its forests, and the great number of its rivers, which teemed with fish; and it filled Brutus and his comrades with a desire to live there, so they drove away the giants. With the approval of their leader they divided the land among themselves. They began to cultivate the fields and to build houses, so that in a short time you would have thought that the land had always been inhabited.

Brutus then called the island Britain from his own name, and his companions he called Britons. His intention was that his memory should be perpetuated by the derivation of the name. Corineus, however, following in this the example of his leader, called the region of the kingdom which had fallen to his share Cornwall, after the manner of his own name. Although he might have chosen his own estates before all the others who had come here, he preferred the region which is now called Cornwall, either for its being the cornu, or horn, of Britain or through a corruption of his own name.

Corineus experienced great pleasure from wrestling with the giants, of whom there were far more there than in any of the districts which had been distributed among his comrades.

Among the others there was a particularly repulsive one, called Gogmagog, who was twelve feet tall. He was so strong that, once he had given it a shake, he could tear up an oak-tree as though it were a hazel wand. Once, when Brutus was celebrating a day dedicated to the gods in the port where he had landed, this creature, along with twenty other giants, attacked him and killed a great number of the Britons. The Britons gathered together and overcame the giants and slew them all, except for Gogmagog. Brutus wanted to see a wrestling-match between this giant and Corineus, who enjoyed beyond all reason matching himself against such monsters. Corineus was delighted by this, and after winning the wrestling match, he hurled the deadly monster far out into the sea.