Read Land to the West : St Brendan's Voyage to America (The Geoffrey Ashe Histories)

Land to the West : St Brendan's Voyage to America (The Geoffrey Ashe Histories)

Geoffrey Ashe

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Description:Was an Irish priest who lived some time during the fifth century the first European to travel to America? Eminent historian Geoffrey Ashe examines the legendary voyage of Saint Brendan.The discovery of America is a question which has preoccupied historians for centuries. Long before Columbus brought his three little ships to the Bahamas, man had speculated about the existence of land over the Western Ocean. It is now accepted that the Vikings probably made the crossing, by a different route, sometime in the tenth century. But even before the Vikings, there was a tradition set forth in writing which affirmed that the Irish sailor-saint Brendan had found his way, hundreds of years earlier, to a mysterious coast straight out across the Atlantic from his native Ireland.In the earliest full account of Saint Brendan’s voyage, the Navigatio Sancti Brendani , there are striking affinities between phenomena recorded as encountered by the saint and the real topography of the North Atlantic. Islands of sheep and birds, an isolated rock, an island of hellish fire and a crystal arch correspond closely with the Faeroes, Rockall, the volcano Hekla in Iceland, and a typical iceberg formation. How much of all this did Saint Brendan see with his own eyes?Geoffrey Ashe investigates suspected megaliths in New Hampshire, Mexican ringed crosses oddly reminiscent of Ireland, and the famous bearded white men of South American sculpture and legend. Lastly, he tries to establish whether the story of Saint Brendan’s Voyage was a significant influence on the plans of Columbus.The resulting book is not only a piece of exciting historical detection - in the manner of the author’s Arthurian studies - but a book to fire the imagination on man’s earliest exploration of the globe.‘Stimulating and exciting. Mr. Ashe has written a valuable account of an obscure period’ - The Times Literary Supplement‘Wholly fascinating. As an example of intensive scholarship gracefully, luminously and sometimes humorously conveyed, his study deserves unqualified praise’ - D. B. Wyndham-Lewis, Time & Tide‘Mr. Ashe has unravelled a mysterious and complicated tale with great skill and delicacy. He has a historical, reconstructive imagination of luminous clarity’ - John Connell, Evening NewsBorn in London in 1923, Geoffrey Ashe spent several years in Canada. He graduated from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, before continuing at Cambridge. He has written numerous books, many focused on the Arthurian legend. In 1963 he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and he was awarded an MBE in 2012. He is recognised as a leading cultural historian and author, and lives in Glastonbury, where he is an Honorary Freeman “in recognition of his eminent services to the place”, with his wife Patricia.We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Land to the West : St Brendan's Voyage to America (The Geoffrey Ashe Histories). To get started finding Land to the West : St Brendan's Voyage to America (The Geoffrey Ashe Histories), you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
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Description: Was an Irish priest who lived some time during the fifth century the first European to travel to America? Eminent historian Geoffrey Ashe examines the legendary voyage of Saint Brendan.The discovery of America is a question which has preoccupied historians for centuries. Long before Columbus brought his three little ships to the Bahamas, man had speculated about the existence of land over the Western Ocean. It is now accepted that the Vikings probably made the crossing, by a different route, sometime in the tenth century. But even before the Vikings, there was a tradition set forth in writing which affirmed that the Irish sailor-saint Brendan had found his way, hundreds of years earlier, to a mysterious coast straight out across the Atlantic from his native Ireland.In the earliest full account of Saint Brendan’s voyage, the Navigatio Sancti Brendani , there are striking affinities between phenomena recorded as encountered by the saint and the real topography of the North Atlantic. Islands of sheep and birds, an isolated rock, an island of hellish fire and a crystal arch correspond closely with the Faeroes, Rockall, the volcano Hekla in Iceland, and a typical iceberg formation. How much of all this did Saint Brendan see with his own eyes?Geoffrey Ashe investigates suspected megaliths in New Hampshire, Mexican ringed crosses oddly reminiscent of Ireland, and the famous bearded white men of South American sculpture and legend. Lastly, he tries to establish whether the story of Saint Brendan’s Voyage was a significant influence on the plans of Columbus.The resulting book is not only a piece of exciting historical detection - in the manner of the author’s Arthurian studies - but a book to fire the imagination on man’s earliest exploration of the globe.‘Stimulating and exciting. Mr. Ashe has written a valuable account of an obscure period’ - The Times Literary Supplement‘Wholly fascinating. As an example of intensive scholarship gracefully, luminously and sometimes humorously conveyed, his study deserves unqualified praise’ - D. B. Wyndham-Lewis, Time & Tide‘Mr. Ashe has unravelled a mysterious and complicated tale with great skill and delicacy. He has a historical, reconstructive imagination of luminous clarity’ - John Connell, Evening NewsBorn in London in 1923, Geoffrey Ashe spent several years in Canada. He graduated from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, before continuing at Cambridge. He has written numerous books, many focused on the Arthurian legend. In 1963 he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and he was awarded an MBE in 2012. He is recognised as a leading cultural historian and author, and lives in Glastonbury, where he is an Honorary Freeman “in recognition of his eminent services to the place”, with his wife Patricia.We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Land to the West : St Brendan's Voyage to America (The Geoffrey Ashe Histories). To get started finding Land to the West : St Brendan's Voyage to America (The Geoffrey Ashe Histories), you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

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Land to the West : St Brendan's Voyage to America (The Geoffrey Ashe Histories)

Land to the West : St Brendan's Voyage to America (The Geoffrey Ashe Histories)

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