The Saint and the Sea Monster

In the middle of the sixth century St. Brendan travelled with fourteen monks across some of the most bone chilling waters in the world in a boat that was nothing more than an ox hide stretched over a small wooden frame. He had molten lead thrown at him by devils, was attacked by sea monsters, celebrated Easter on the back of a whale and eventually found his way to the Island of Paradise where he saw the land of saints.

The first salvaged written records that chronicle the voyage of St. Brendan appeared almost 300 years after his legendary journey. Following that sparse recounting hundreds of narratives sprung up in Europe and the British Isles. Embellishments found their way into each version owing to the intent of the author and the nature of his source material.

Several forensic studies have been done to determine the provenance of each story. While these academic works are impressive in their historical scope, none of them gives us a visceral impression of what it was like for the medieval listener to hear these amazing tales firsthand. These listeners would likely have marvelled at the vastness of St. Brendan’s voyage and felt awe at the faith and devotion he showed in the face of extreme conditions and trials. What we do know is that the tales of his journey so captivated audiences that they were recopied, reworked and molded throughout the Middle Ages.