The islands seem to be somewhere between two worlds. This is also land, but surrounded by the sea. The isolation they envision has become fertile ground for fiction and has also inspired folk tales around the world.
How many sailors noticed the island on the horizon and wondered if this meant salvation for them or some kind of supernatural threat? Here are ten mysterious islands from folklore sources that brave readers might want to sail to.
Avalon
King Arthur, the legendary king of the British, was very similar to the modern descendants of British royalty - he too had family problems. When he discovered that his queen was having an affair with Sir Lancelot, he pursued the traitorous knight as far as France.
While Arthur was out of the kingdom, he was captured by the vile Mordred. Upon his return, Arthur fought to reclaim England. In the battle, Mordred was killed, but Arthur was mortally wounded. He was placed on a boat that transported him from our world to the magical island of Avalon.
Avalon, also known as the island of apples, was the enchanted island where the sword Excalibur was forged. It was also the home of the witch (fairy) Morgana. Those close to the king, apparently, hoped that her powers could heal the dying. Legends tell different stories about what happened to Arthur next. Perhaps he was healed, or perhaps he was put into a magical dream. Everyone agrees that Arthur is not gone forever. When Britain needs his help, he will return from Avalon.
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Many have tried to find Avalon. Some consider it to be an island in the Atlantic, off the coast of Britain. Others perceive the island of Avalon as a poetic description of Glastonbury Tor, a hill that is often surrounded by fog and looks like an island floating above the ground.
Hi-Brazil (Brazil)
Before Brazil became known to Europeans, there was the island of High Brasil to the west of Ireland. Hi Brasil has been marked on nautical charts for centuries before finally being removed from them in the 1860s. Irish legend talked long and hard about the different lands in the west that intrepid travelers discovered, but High Brasil was the most enduring myth.
When John Cabot, the first European to land on the North American mainland since the Vikings, returned from his expedition, he reported that he had been brought to lands "discovered in the past by people from Bristol who found Brazil." As geographic exploration intensified and Hai-Brasil was left with less and less space on the maps, legends began to explain its absence. It was assumed to have always been surrounded by dense fog, except for, for example, one day every seven years. Maps began to depict the island as an increasingly smaller object until it was simply labeled Brasil Rock, a lonely mountain in the sea.
One expedition claiming to have landed on High Brasil reported that the island was inhabited by huge black rabbits and one magician. From his lonely stone castle, the wizard distributed gold and silver to the aliens.
The floating island of Redesmere
Redesmere is a 0.8-kilometer lake in England that appears to have had a floating island. How it floated is part of a local legend. The young knight, whose family owned the land in which the lake was located, began to suspect that his lady of the heart was deceiving him. He vowed that he would not speak to her again until the island in the middle of the lake floated away.
Soon after, the knight fell seriously ill, and his former love took care of him and restored his health. When he was no longer dangerously ill, a mighty storm hit the ground and displaced the island, forcing him to move across the lake. Taking this as a sign of loyalty to his beloved, the knight married her.
Interestingly, the old maps recorded an island on this lake, but they showed it in different places. Those hoping to find an island now will be disappointed as there is no longer an island on the lake. The island appears to have collided with the lake shore and is now motionless. It is likely that the floating island was a huge layer of peat and vegetation, which in particularly bad weather could move along the surface of the lake.
Buyan Island
In Slavic folklore, Buyan Island is a kind of paradise. It is the home of the sun and winds and the place that affects the weather. The seeds of every plant in the world can be found there. Unfortunately, for those who are looking for this heaven on earth, Buyan Island disappears and reappears in a new place each time.
To make the island even more seductive for wanderers, a magical white stone called Alatyr is located in its center. They say that it denotes the center of the universe, and rivers flow from it that can heal all wounds and diseases. Anyone who finds Alatyr will always be happy.
Before equipping the ship and going in search of Buyan Island, you should know that it is guarded by the Gagan bird with iron claws and beak and a magic snake.
Demon Island
Demon Island should probably change its name so that tourists want to go there. Although, given what is said to be lurking there, they may never do it. It also has a terrible honeymoon, a young bride named Margaret was able to verify this.
Married to a French nobleman, young Margaret sailed to meet him in the New World. But it looks like she was attracted by a handsome sailor from the ship. The captain was upset by the young bride's scandalous behavior and did what any psychopath would do: he dropped her off on an island known as Demon Island. No one lived on it, because, as they said, the demons that inhabited it tore to shreds everyone who appeared there. With only three months of food supplies, Margaret could not hope for anyone other than her lover, nanny and demons.
Margaret was the only survivor on the island when another ship rescued her two years later. Little is known about her later life or the whereabouts of Demon Island.
Tir na Nog
The west coast of Ireland boasts an unprecedented number of mythical islands. A place that many would like to visit is Tir Na Nog - the island of eternal youth. There are no diseases on the island, no pain and hunger. Honey and beer flow like a river there, and everyone is happy. No hangovers also appear to be observed.
One of the stories about Tyr na Nog tells about the Irish hero Oisin (Ossian). Niam, a beautiful young girl from the island, was riding when Oisin saw her. Immediately he fell in love with her. Riding a magic horse, he was able to visit the island of Niam. He spent a whole year at Tyr na Nog, but still wanted to see his home. Niam gave him another magical horse that would take him home and bring him back to her. The only condition was that he should not get off his horse or let the ground touch his feet.
Returning to the mortal realm, he saw a group of peasants who were trying to move the stone. A knight (and forgetful person), he jumped off his horse to help them. Instantly, he turned into an old man. One year on Tyr on the Foot is hundreds of years in the mortal world.
Symplegades
The ancient Greeks were skilled sailors, and it is not surprising that many of the ancient Greek myths tell of islands with incredible properties. Sailing on a ship that moves with the help of currents and winds, sometimes it could seem that the rocks are moving. In the case of the Symplegades, it actually was.
According to the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, the Symplegades are two huge rocks in the ocean. The only navigable route was between them. Any ship that tried to sail there was doomed, as the rocks shifted and crushed the ship. Jason had to use a trick to avoid the crash.
He released the bird to fly between the Symplegades. Feeling that something was trying to pass between them, the rocks moved. The bird flew away, losing only a few tail feathers. As the rocks began to part, Jason ordered his crew to steer the ship into the gap between the rocks. The rocks parted to the starting point and then began to move again. But it was already too late. By the time they collided, they had only broken off the jewelry from the back of Jason's ship. Defeated, the Symplegades no longer moved.
Antilia
Antilia, which was allegedly found somewhere far in the west of the Atlantic, was known as the island of seven cities. When Spain submitted to Muslim invaders from North Africa in 714, the legend of Antilia told how seven bishops fled with their followers to this island across the sea. Their ship eventually made it to the island, and the seven bishops split up to create their own cities. Consequently, it turned out to be an island of seven cities.
For hundreds of years, Antilia continued to be depicted on maps. Its location was changing as sea expeditions could not find it, but the legend seemed to only grow stronger. It is reported that a Portuguese ship, swept into the ocean by a storm, docked in Antilia around 1430. The crew went to the church with the residents, but fled for fear of being trapped there. The sailors discovered that the island's sand consisted mainly of gold. Despite the excitement that this discovery caused, Antilia was never found.
Saint Brendan's Journey
Saint Brendan was a 6th century Irish monk who was known as the "Navigator" for his travel habits. He is known to have traveled to many of the smaller islands found around Britain where monastic communities gathered. In later history, Brendan visited islands of a completely different type.
Two centuries after the death of the saint, a book was written entitled The Journey of Saint Abbot Brendan, which described his travels in search of Paradise Island. During their seven-year voyage across the Atlantic, Brendan and his crew made many strange discoveries. On one island they found a dog and food left for a feast, but there were no people there. On the other, they found birds of paradise singing hymns to God. On another island, the team lit a fire and found the island moving and floating - in fact, they were on the back of a whale. The other whale proved to be more obedient, allowing Brendan to celebrate Easter Mass on his back.
In the end, Brendan found his Island of Paradise, it was just as beautiful as its name suggests. Renamed St. Brendan Island, it has appeared on many maps. Episodic evidence of the island took place in the 18th century.
Atlantis
Although most of the islands on this list were struck out as mere fiction, there are still those who believe in Atlantis today. Atlantis, says the philosopher Plato, was a huge island and civilization in the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlanteans were semi-divine people living on rich lands. They were incredibly powerful, but not powerful enough to save themselves. He describes how the island was sunk due to an earthquake and fire sent by the gods to punish them for their misdeeds.
Although Plato refers his story of Atlantis to the distant past (9000 years before himself), this does not prevent people from looking for the real Atlantis. Plato was a philosopher, not a geographer or historian. Most scholars believe that his story is a kind of message. However, those who believe that Atlantis is a real place place it in different locations around the world. Some believe that Atlantis was in the Caribbean, in the Atlantic, others - off the coast of India, in the North Sea or even in the Andes.
One intriguing theory links the historical fate of Santorini with the history of Atlantis. Around 1450 BC, a volcano in Santorini erupted, destroying the island. No one on the island could have survived, and modern scholars have archaeological evidence of a developed culture in Santorini. Its end was undoubtedly due to fire and an earthquake.