Westropp — Brasil and the Legendary Islands of the N. Atlantic. 227 



known through some Greek- reading cleric. The same seems true of Lueian's 

 " True History." The affinities to the sagas of Ulysses, Aeneas, and 

 Hindbad of the sea are striking, and the author of " Bran " certainly knew 

 something of the legends of Ulysses and Dido. The possible Norse influence 

 we must study later. The " Bran " legend mentions Mongan, who died in 

 620, as about to be begotten ; the " Hui Corra " were later than Ailbe of 

 Emly, who died 551 ; and their saga names Mocholmac son of Colman, 

 in Aran, whose feast was on July 25th in the calendar of Oengus. The Hui 

 Corra themselves were commemorated on 31st December ; but the years in 

 neither case are given. The time setting of Snedgus is 639-642 ; and Brendan 

 died in 576. 



The legends very probably date from the ninth century to the end of the 

 eleventh, the earliest manuscript of " Maelduin " being just before 1100, while 

 one of " Brendan " is alleged to be of the ninth century. " Bran " and 

 "Maelduin" are frankly pagan ; the other's are devoutly Christian. "Bran," 

 though varnished, shows the most primitive texture, while " Maelduin" may 

 date before 850. " Snedgus " is the least interesting, being nearly colourless. 

 Some of the episodes have affinities to Adamnan's " Vision " ; the latter and 

 St. Brendan's " Navigatio " had wide-spread influence on Italian thought, and 

 are among the ancestors of the great Florentine epic' The lesser stories 

 (apart from the niche in British literature given by Tennyson to Maelduin) 

 had little influence ; but how far the " Navigatio " of Brendan reacted on 

 Dante and the fifteenth-century explorers can hardly be estimated — certainly 

 not in these pages. 



Let us now briefly study the imrama arranged rather in order of primitive 

 character than by the date of their alleged periods. 



Bran.^— Bran son of Febal, sleeping near his fort {dun), hears sweet music, 

 and awakes to seize a magic apple branch. An unknown woman sings of " a 

 glorious island round which sea-horses glisten — a fair course against the white 

 swelling surge." Jn it dwells no wailing, treachery, death, or sickness; it 

 glows many-coloured in incomparable haze, with snowy cliffs and strands of 

 dragon-stones and crystals. She vanishes, and Bran, with twenty-seven 

 followers, embarks. They meet the sea-god Mananann mac Lir in his chariot, 

 visit Magh Mell, the Isle of Laughter, and the Isle of Women, whose queen 

 draws Bran to it by a magic clue. Entranced by love, the visitors do not 

 note the flight of time ; in apparently undiminished youth and strength they 

 return to Ireland ; it is only when the first to step ashore falls to ashes, as if 



' A. F. Ozanam, " Dante" (Paris, 1840), p. 334 ; Voyage of Brendan; see also Achille Jubinal, 

 " Les sources poetiques de la Divine Comedie," 2nd ed., Paris, 1836, tome t, p. 373. 

 - '• Voyage of Bran," vol. i, p. 12. 



