Brasil, also known as Hy-Brasil and several other variants,[2] is a phantom island said to lie in the Atlantic Ocean[3] west of Ireland. Irish myths described it as cloaked in mist except for one day every seven years, when it becomes visible but still cannot be reached.
The etymology of the names Brasil and Hy-Brasil is unknown, but in Irish tradition it is thought to come from the IrishUí Breasail (meaning "descendants (i.e., clan) of Bresail"), one of the ancient clans of northeastern Ireland. cf.Old Irish: Í: island; bres: beauty, worth, great, mighty.[1]
Despite the similarity, the name of the country Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil) has no connection to the mythical islands (although J. R. R. Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" linked them[4]). The South American country was at first named Ilha de Vera Cruz (Island of the True Cross) and later Terra de Santa Cruz (Land of the Holy Cross) by the Portuguese navigators who arrived there. After some decades, it started to be called "Brazil" due to the exploitation of native brazilwood, at that time the only export of the land. In Portuguese, brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology "red like an ember", formed from Latinbrasa ("ember") and the suffix -il (from -iculum or -ilium).[5][6][7]
Nautical charts identified an island called "Bracile" west of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean as far back as 1325, in a portolan chart by Angelino Dulcert. Later it appeared as Insula de Brasil in the Venetian map of Andrea Bianco (1436), attached to one of the larger islands of a group of islands in the Atlantic. This was identified for a time with the modern island of Terceira in the Azores, where a volcanic mount at the bay of its main town, Angra do Heroismo, is still named Monte Brasil.
A Catalan chart of about 1480 labels two islands "Illa de brasil", one to the south west of Ireland (where the mythical place was supposed to be) and one south of "Illa verde" or Greenland.
On maps the island was shown as being circular, often with a central strait or river running east–west across its diameter. Despite the failure of attempts to find it, this appeared regularly on maps lying south west of Galway Bay until 1865, by which time it was called Brasil Rock.
Map gallery
Catalan atlas from 1375
Piri Reis' map of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea from 1513
Expeditions left Bristol in 1480 and 1481 to search for the island; and a letter written by Pedro de Ayala, shortly after the return of John Cabot (from his expedition in 1497), reports that land found by Cabot had been "discovered in the past by the men from Bristol who found Brasil".[8]
In 1674, a Captain John Nisbet claimed to have seen the island when on a journey from France to Ireland, stating that the island was inhabited by large black rabbits and a magician who lived alone in a stone castle, yet the character and the story were a literary invention by Irish author Richard Head.[9]Roderick O'Flaherty in A Chorographical Description of West or H-Iar Connaught (1684) tells us "There is now living, Morogh O'Ley (Murrough Ó Laoí), who imagines he was personally on O'Brasil for two days, and saw out of it the iles of Aran, Golamhead [by Lettermullen], Irrosbeghill, and other places of the west continent he was acquainted with."
Hy-Brasil has also been identified with Porcupine Bank, a shoal in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of Ireland[10] and discovered in 1862. As early as 1870 a paper was read to the Geological Society of Ireland suggesting this identification.[11] The suggestion has since appeared more than once, e.g., in an 1883 edition of Notes and Queries.[12]
In popular culture
Irish poet Gerald Griffin wrote about Hy-Brasail in the early nineteenth century.[13]
Mary Burke's short story uses the myth as an allegory of the breach caused by the Northern Irish Troubles. Mary Burke, “Hy-Brasil” in The Faber Best New Irish Short Stories, 2004-5 Ed. David Marcus. London: Faber & Faber, 2005, 101–05.[14]
^Freitag, Barbara (2013). Hy Brasil: The Metamorphosis of an Island. Rodopi. ISBN978-9401209106.
^Velasco, Francisco; Landa, Jorge; Barrado, Joaquín; Blanco, Marian (2008). "Distribution, abundance, and growth of anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) on the Porcupine Bank (west of Ireland)". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 65 (7): 1316. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn130.
^Winsor, Justin (1889). Narrative and critical history of America. Vol. 1. Houghton, Mifflin and Company. p. 51.
^Frazer, W. (December 1883), "O'Brazile or Hy Brazile", Notes and Queries, s6-VIII (207): 475, doi:10.1093/nq/s6-VIII.207.475a
^"Review: The Faber Book of Best New Irish Short Stories 2004-5". The Guardian. 27 May 2005.
Further reading
Freitag, Barbara (2013). Hy Brasil: the metamorphosis of an island: from cartographic error to Celtic Elysium. Amsterdam: Rodopi. ISBN9789042036413.
Lynch, Sean (2010). "Preliminary Sketches for the Reappearance of HyBrazil". Utopian Studies. 21 (1): 5–15. doi:10.1353/utp.0.0003. S2CID 145104066.
Hy-Brasail by Gerald Griffin
February 02, 2023
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This article is about the mythical island For the island named Brazilian Island in English see Brazilian Island For other Brazilian islands see List of islands of Brazil For the Australian house see Hy Brasil house Not to be confused with Brazil Brasil also known as Hy Brasil and several other variants 2 is a phantom island said to lie in the Atlantic Ocean 3 west of Ireland Irish myths described it as cloaked in mist except for one day every seven years when it becomes visible but still cannot be reached BrasilNative name Hy Brasil Hy Brasil Hy Breasil Hy Breasail Hy Breasal Hy Brazil I BrasilBrasil far left as shown in relation to Ireland on a map by Abraham Ortelius 1572 EtymologyUi Breasail in honour of the descendants of Bresail 1 GeographyLocationMythical Atlantic Ocean Contents 1 Etymology 2 Appearance on maps 2 1 Map gallery 3 Searches for the island 4 In popular culture 5 See also 6 References 7 Further readingEtymology EditThe etymology of the names Brasil and Hy Brasil is unknown but in Irish tradition it is thought to come from the Irish Ui Breasail meaning descendants i e clan of Bresail one of the ancient clans of northeastern Ireland cf Old Irish I island bres beauty worth great mighty 1 Despite the similarity the name of the country Brazil Portuguese Brasil has no connection to the mythical islands although J R R Tolkien s essay On Fairy Stories linked them 4 The South American country was at first named Ilha de Vera Cruz Island of the True Cross and later Terra de Santa Cruz Land of the Holy Cross by the Portuguese navigators who arrived there After some decades it started to be called Brazil due to the exploitation of native brazilwood at that time the only export of the land In Portuguese brazilwood is called pau brasil with the word brasil commonly given the etymology red like an ember formed from Latin brasa ember and the suffix il from iculum or ilium 5 6 7 Appearance on maps EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Nautical charts identified an island called Bracile west of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean as far back as 1325 in a portolan chart by Angelino Dulcert Later it appeared as Insula de Brasil in the Venetian map of Andrea Bianco 1436 attached to one of the larger islands of a group of islands in the Atlantic This was identified for a time with the modern island of Terceira in the Azores where a volcanic mount at the bay of its main town Angra do Heroismo is still named Monte Brasil A Catalan chart of about 1480 labels two islands Illa de brasil one to the south west of Ireland where the mythical place was supposed to be and one south of Illa verde or Greenland On maps the island was shown as being circular often with a central strait or river running east west across its diameter Despite the failure of attempts to find it this appeared regularly on maps lying south west of Galway Bay until 1865 by which time it was called Brasil Rock Map gallery Edit Catalan atlas from 1375 Piri Reis map of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea from 1513 Map of Europe from 1570 Abraham Ortelius map of Europe from 1595 Gerardus Mercator s map from 1595Searches for the island EditExpeditions left Bristol in 1480 and 1481 to search for the island and a letter written by Pedro de Ayala shortly after the return of John Cabot from his expedition in 1497 reports that land found by Cabot had been discovered in the past by the men from Bristol who found Brasil 8 In 1674 a Captain John Nisbet claimed to have seen the island when on a journey from France to Ireland stating that the island was inhabited by large black rabbits and a magician who lived alone in a stone castle yet the character and the story were a literary invention by Irish author Richard Head 9 Roderick O Flaherty in A Chorographical Description of West or H Iar Connaught 1684 tells us There is now living Morogh O Ley Murrough o Laoi who imagines he was personally on O Brasil for two days and saw out of it the iles of Aran Golamhead by Lettermullen Irrosbeghill and other places of the west continent he was acquainted with Hy Brasil has also been identified with Porcupine Bank a shoal in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 kilometres 120 mi west of Ireland 10 and discovered in 1862 As early as 1870 a paper was read to the Geological Society of Ireland suggesting this identification 11 The suggestion has since appeared more than once e g in an 1883 edition of Notes and Queries 12 In popular culture EditIrish poet Gerald Griffin wrote about Hy Brasail in the early nineteenth century 13 Mary Burke s short story uses the myth as an allegory of the breach caused by the Northern Irish Troubles Mary Burke Hy Brasil in The Faber Best New Irish Short Stories 2004 5 Ed David Marcus London Faber amp Faber 2005 101 05 14 See also Edit Islands portal Ireland portal Etymology of the country Brazil s name Brazil Etymology Name of Brazil Irish mythology in popular culture Inisheer Tech Duinn a mythological island to the west of Ireland where souls go after death Great Ireland a similarly west of Ireland place Irish myths of which are believed to have influenced the Vikings References Edit a b McKillop James 1998 Hy Brasil A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology Oxford University Press Hy Brasil Hy Breasil Hy Breasail Hy Breasal Hy Brazil I Brasil Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Brazil or Brasil Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 4 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 438 Tolkien J R R On Fairy Stories PDF bresil CNRTL Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales in French Michaelis Moderno Dicionario da Lingua Portuguesa Michaelis Modern Dictionary of the Portuguese Language in Portuguese iDicionario Aulete in Portuguese Archived from the original on 29 February 2012 Seaver K A 1995 The Frozen Echo Stanford University Press p 212 ISBN 0 8047 3161 6 Freitag Barbara 2013 Hy Brasil The Metamorphosis of an Island Rodopi ISBN 978 9401209106 Velasco Francisco Landa Jorge Barrado Joaquin Blanco Marian 2008 Distribution abundance and growth of anglerfish Lophius piscatorius on the Porcupine Bank west of Ireland ICES Journal of Marine Science 65 7 1316 doi 10 1093 icesjms fsn130 Winsor Justin 1889 Narrative and critical history of America Vol 1 Houghton Mifflin and Company p 51 Frazer W December 1883 O Brazile or Hy Brazile Notes and Queries s6 VIII 207 475 doi 10 1093 nq s6 VIII 207 475a Griffin Gerald 1846 Hy Brasail The Isle of the Blest In MacCarthy D F ed The Book of Irish Ballads Dublin James Duffy p 34 Review The Faber Book of Best New Irish Short Stories 2004 5 The Guardian 27 May 2005 Further reading EditFreitag Barbara 2013 Hy Brasil the metamorphosis of an island from cartographic error to Celtic Elysium Amsterdam Rodopi ISBN 9789042036413 Lynch Sean 2010 Preliminary Sketches for the Reappearance of HyBrazil Utopian Studies 21 1 5 15 doi 10 1353 utp 0 0003 S2CID 145104066 Hy Brasail by Gerald Griffin Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brasil mythical island amp oldid 1131705568, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
