Here is a special #Flashlore tale for this week’s #Superstitiology collaboration with #OfDarkAndMacabre, #BookWormSat & #BookChatWeekly!

Legend says that the Irish St Brendan was the first to discover the island of Madeira.

Sailing out from Ireland to seek “Heaven on Earth” in the 6th century CE, it is said that Brendan did indeed find paradise — and it was an island full of trees.

But researchers can’t seem to agree on the location of this heavenly place, with claims going to the Canaries, the Faroes or even North America.

Yet, the explorer Gonçalves Zarco is said to have followed instructions in the chronicle Navigatio Sancti Brandani to find this blessed isle, leading to the discovery of the Madeiran archipelago by the Portuguese later in the 15th century.

Local tales have no doubt Brendan referred to Madeira, since the island’s name means Wood, owning to its thick vegetation and misty climate.

What about you, where do you think Brendan’s “Heaven on Earth” is?

Image: Holst, Laurits Bernhard (1891). Madeira. Available HERE.

Further reading: Moutinho, Jose Viale (2017). Lendas das ilhas da Madeira e Porto Santo.

Thank you for reading!
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