Hy-Brasil was an island that appeared on ancient maps as early as 1325 A.D. and into the 1800s. On most maps, it was located roughly 200 miles (321 kilometers) off the west coast of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean.
One of the most distinctive geographical features of Hy-Brasil on those maps is that it often appears as a circle with a channel (or river) running east to west across it. Stories about the island have circulated throughout Europe for centuries with tales that it was the promised land of saints or a paradise where an advanced civilization lived. In Irish myth, it was said to be clouded in mist except for one day every seven years when it became visible but still could not be reached.
The Many Names of the Mysterious Island
Hy-Brasil (also called Hy-Breasal, Hy-Brazil, Hy-Breasil, or Brazir) is derived from the name Breasal, meaning the “high king of the world” in Celtic history.
The island was included on a 1325 map by the Genoese cartographer Angelino Dulcert where it was identified as “Bracile.” It later appeared in the Catalan Atlas in 1375, which placed it as two separate islands with the same name, “Illa de Brasil.” In 1436, it showed up as “Sola de Brasil” in the Venetian map by cartographer Andrea Bianco. It would show up again in 1595 on the Ortelius Map of Europe and the Europa Mercator map.
It was occasionally depicted in slightly different locations on various maps over time.
Expeditions in Search of Hy-Brasil
In 1480, John Jay Jr. departed from Bristol, England, on a journey to find the fabled island only to come back unsuccessful after spending two months at sea. In 1481, two more ships, the Trinity and the George, departed from Bristol on an expedition to find Hy-Brasil with no success.
