Brandan's was sometimes supposed to lie in the NorthernAtlantic, sometimes farther south. It often appears as the Fortunate Isleor Islands, "Insulae Fortunatae" or "Beatae."On some early maps (1306 to 1471) there is an inlet on the western coastof Ireland called "Lacus Fortunatus," which is filled with FortunateIslands to the number of 358 (Humboldt, "Examen," II. p. 159), and in onemap of 1471 both these and the supposed St. Brandan's group appear indifferent parts of the ocean under the same name. When the Canary Islandswere discovered, they were supposed to be identical with St. Brandan's,but the latter was afterwards supposed to lie southeast of them. After thediscovery of the Azores various expeditions were sent to search for St.Brandan's until about 1721. It was last reported as seen in 1759. A fullbibliography will be found in Winsor's "Narrative and Critical History,"I. p. 48, and also in Humboldt's "Examen," II. p. 163, and early mapscontaining St. Brandan's will be found in Winsor (I. pp. 54, 58). Thefirst of these is Pizigani's (1387), containing "Ysolae dictaeFortunatae," and the other that of Ortelius (1587), containing "S.Brandain."XIII. HY-BRASAIL"The people of Aran, with characteristic enthusiasm, fancy, that atcertain periods, they see Hy-Brasail, elevated far to the west in theirwatery horizon.
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