Britannia and the British Empire what Marianne is to France or perhaps what Columbia is to the United States. Britannia became a very potent and more common figure in times of war, and represented British liberties and democracy. During the 1990s the term "Cool Britannia" (drawn from a humorous version by the Bonzo Dog Band of the song "Rule Britannia", with words by James Thomson [1700–1748], which is often used as an unofficial national anthem), was used to describe the contemporary United Kingdom. The phrase referred to the fashionable scenes of the era, with a new generation of pop groups and
Britannia awards. The statuette of Britannia is regularly redesigned by some of the best known British designers, stylists and artists, including Dame Vivienne Westwood, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sir Peter Blake and the late Dame Zaha Hadid. The name "Britannia", symbolising Britain and British patriotism, has been adopted for a variety of purposes, including: Britannia Britannia () has been used in several different senses. The name is a Latinisation of the native Brittonic word for the island, "Pretanī", which also produced the Greek form "Prettanike" or "Brettaniai", which originally, in the fourth to the first centuries BC, designated a collection of