Saint Brendan's Island facts for kids
Saint Brendan's Island is a mysterious, legendary island. People believed it was in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Africa. It's named after Saint Brendan of Clonfert, an Irish monk. Stories say he and his followers found it while sailing and spreading their faith. This island appeared on many old maps, even during Christopher Columbus's time. One famous map was Martin Behaim's Erdapfel from 1492. In Spanish, it's called La isla de San Borondón or isla de Samborombón.
The first time this island was mentioned was in a Latin book from the 800s. It was called Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis, which means "Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot." This book helped make the island a part of Irish and European folklore (old stories).
Contents
History of the Mysterious Island
Early Stories and Beliefs
Saint Brendan's Island is named after Saint Brendan. He was a monk who, according to legend, landed on the island in the year 512 AD. He was with 14 other monks. They are said to have celebrated a special church service called a Mass there. The monks reported staying on the island for 15 days. However, the ships waiting for them thought they were gone for a whole year! During that time, the island was hidden behind a thick mist.
In the book Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis, another monk named Barino also claimed to have visited this "Paradise" in the Atlantic. He described it as a mountainous island covered in thick forests. The sun never set there, so it was always daytime. He said there were many plants, trees with lots of fruit, fresh water rivers, and birds singing sweetly.
Old maps also showed the island. In the Planiferio de Ebstorf from 1234, it was called "the lost island discovered by St Brendan, but nobody has found it since." The Mapamundi de Hereford from 1275 described a group of islands as "The Isles of the Blessed and the Island of St Brendan."
Later Sightings and Searches
In the 1400s, a Portuguese writer named Luís Perdigão wrote about the island. He said the King of Portugal was very interested in it. A sea captain told Henry the Navigator (a Portuguese prince) that he had found the island. But rough seas forced him away. Henry told him to go back, but the captain sailed off and never returned. Even Christopher Columbus was said to believe the island existed.
In 1520, explorers with Ferdinand Magellan might have named Samborombón Bay in Argentina after Saint Brendan's Isle. They thought the bay's round shape was because the wandering island had broken off from the South American mainland.
In 1566, a judge in the Canary Islands, Hernán Pérez de Grado, ordered an investigation. He wanted to find out more about the island. A French adventurer claimed he had visited San Borondón. He said he left when a storm hit and sailed to La Palma for safety in just one day. Another report came from Alonso de Espinosa, a governor. He said he saw San Borondón island northwest of El Hierro and "leeward" (downwind) of La Palma. He listed 100 people who saw it too.
Juan de Abréu Galindo wrote in his book Historia de la Conquista de las siete Islas Canarias: "the island of Saint Brendan (San Borondon)... seems to be located 40 kilometres west of La Gomera."
Modern Times and Disappearing Acts
In 1719, a Scottish monk named Sigbert de Gembloux reported seeing the island. So did Don Matea Dacesta, a mayor in the Canary Islands, in 1721. Because of these sightings, a new search team was sent out that same year. But they didn't find any new proof, and people's interest faded. A historian named Ramirez said that in 1723, a priest performed a special prayer to make the island go away. This happened during one of its appearances behind a low cloud. Many people saw it and swore it was true.
In 1759, a monk wrote about seeing the island. He said he was in La Palma and saw it clearly on May 3rd at 6 AM. He could see El Hierro island at the same time. He described the island as having many trees in its center when he looked through a telescope. He called a priest who had seen it twice before. The priest only saw part of it before a cloud covered the mountain. The island was visible for another 90 minutes and about forty people saw it. But in the afternoon, when they returned, they couldn't see anything because of heavy rain.
In his book Noticias (1772), Viera y Clavijo wrote about a ship captain. The captain thought he saw La Palma island while returning from the Americas. He set his course for Tenerife based on this. But the next morning, he was surprised to see the real La Palma appear in the distance. Viera added that a similar event happened to Colonel don Roberto de Rivas. The colonel noted that his ship was near La Palma in the afternoon but didn't arrive until late the next day. He concluded that the wind and current must have been very strong during the night.
More expeditions were organized to find the island. However, after the 1800s, reports of seeing San Borondón became less common.
In Popular Culture
In the video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Saint Brendan's Island is shown as Vinland. In the game's story, Vinland is located in upstate New York.
See also
In Spanish: Isla de San Brandán para niños
