View Message

[Facts] Meaning of Balian?
Can anyone give me any additional info regarding the name Balian - i.e - meaning of the name, origin ect.
Bellow is an answer sumitted by Daividh - Additional info would be good, Thanks.The name is a corruption of Barisan, whose meaning I can't locate. Various sites say the pronunciation of "Barisan" changed to "Balian" over the course of the 12th century.So there was an historic Balian of Ibelin (actually, a father and son of that name) and the movie loosely details the exploits of the younger. Of course, they took a few liberties:- the family was probably Italian, not French, before coming to the Holy Land.- the younger Balian was legitimate and wasn't ever a blacksmith or a resident of France. In fact, 10 years before the start date of the movie, he was already lord of Ibelin in the Holy Land.- his service to King Baldwin is documented and he played a part in negotiating the surrender of Jerusalem. Not sure at all that he was principally in charge of the defense of the city, tho. When he left Jerusalem he fled to Tripoli, not Europe.- while Balian knew Sibylla, they never ran off together to France. He actually supported her husband Guy for the contested kingship for some time after the fall of Jerusalem, but then shifted his allegiance elsewhere. Sibylla remained in the Holy Land married to Guy until she died in 1190. No happy endings with Balian, sorry.Dave
vote up1vote down

Replies

To my knowledge, the knight Sir Balian was also a character from the Arthurian novels. I wouldn't know what the meaning of the name is, though.
vote up1vote down
I have been researching the same thing and so far the closest thing I can find is the meaning of Balin - which is knights of the round table.
vote up1vote down
Balin had a brother named Balan, so I think both names share the same element 'bal', which could go for Balian as well.The brothers Balin and Balan hailed from Northumberland (United Kingdom), so I'm inclined to think that the name Balian might come from Britain as well. I can't say that with certainty, though.
vote up1vote down
I am very interested in knowing what this name means, I love it as a baby name but am a little hesitant without knowing anything about it.
vote up1vote down