No. 216

Hy-Brasil

Legend Legends

Detail of Abraham Ortelius' 1572 map of Europe, depicting Ireland. The phantom island of Brasil is shown to the west. — Abraham Ortelius, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Travel there with Lyra

Where: West of Ireland
Type: Legend
First told: Irish legend; on sea charts until 1865
Behind it: A phantom island copied from map to map for centuries.
The truth: No lost city has ever been found.

El mar Mediterráneo, copiado del Atlas catalán de Cresques Abraham. Copia de 1959 del original de 1375 — Copia de 1959 del original de 1375, CC BY 3.0

Europe map; title: Europa, ad magnae Europae; size 38 x 46 cm — Mercator, Gerard, Public domain

Lyra Kael can take you here on the globe, tell you the story out loud and answer your questions. Start the time jump.

Background

Hy-Brasil (Irish: Uí Bhreasail) is a phantom island said to lie in the Atlantic Ocean 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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.