The Voyage of St. Brendan: Celtic Otherworld Tale, Christian Apologia, or Medieval Travelog?

Authors

  • James E. Doan Nova Southeastern University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2595-8127.v2i1p79-85

Abstract

This essay examines various theories on the composition of the ninth-or tenth-century Hiberno-Latin text, Navigatio Sancti Brendani ("The Voyage of St. Brendan"), including its relation to the Celtic immram or voyage tale (e.g., Immram Brain), its support for the Christian order which had replaced the native religion, and its role as a travelog intended primarily to entertain a monastic audience. Based on a close reading of the text, the essay challenges many of the received notions about the work. The essay also looks at the influence of the Navigatio on medieval and early modern explorers, including those who journeyed to the New World during the 15th through 18th century.

Author Biography

  • James E. Doan, Nova Southeastern University

    JAMES E. DOAN is Professor in the Department of Liberal Arts, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale. He obtained his Ph.D. in Folklore and Celtic Studies from Harvard University in 1981 and has published widely in the areas of Celtic literature, folklore and mythology, and the arts. He has served as Secretary of the American Conference for Irish Studies, U.S. Secretary/Treasurer of IASIL, Celtic Studies Representative on the MLA Executive Committee, and President of the South Florida Irish Studies Consortium. He was a visiting professor at the University of So Paulo in March 1997.

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Published

01-06-2000

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2000): ABEI Journal 2

Section

Travel Writing

License

Copyright (c) 2000 James E. Doan

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Doan, J. E. (2000). The Voyage of St. Brendan: Celtic Otherworld Tale, Christian Apologia, or Medieval Travelog?. ABEI Journal, 2(1), 79-85. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2595-8127.v2i1p79-85