Legendary Islands of the Atlantic: A Study of Medieval Geography

1 The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian, in 15 Books, to which are added the fragments of Diodorus, and those published by H. Valesius, I. Rhodomannus, and F. Ursinus, transl. by G. Booth, Esq., 2 vols., London, 1814; reference in Vol. 1, Bk. 3, Ch. 4, p. 195, and Bk. 4, Ch. 1, pp. 235 and 243.

2 A. E. Nordenskiöld: Facsimile-Atlas to the Early History of Cartography, transl. by J. A. Ekelöf and C. R. Markham, Stockholm, 1889, p. 131.

3 I Kings, 10: 22.

4 Chau Ju-Kua: His Work on Chinese and Arab Trade in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries Entitled Chu-fan-chï, transl. and annotated by Friedrich Hirth and W. W. Rockhill, St. Petersburg, 1911, p. 142.

5 W. H. Holmes: Handbook of Aboriginal American Antiquities, Bur. of Amer. Ethnology, Bull. 60, Part I, Smithsonian Instn., Washington, D. C., 1919, p. 27.

6 Historical Library, Vol. 1, Bk. 5, Ch. 2, p. 309.

7 Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 59, No. 19, Washington, D. C., 1913. See also: Recent History and Present Status of the Vinland Problem, Geogr. Rev., Vol. 11, 1921, pp. 265–282.

8 Edrisi’s “Geography,” in two versions, the first based on two, the second on four manuscripts, viz.: (1) P. A. Jaubert (translator): Géographie d’Edrisi, traduite de l’Arabe en Français, 2 vols. (Recueil de Voyages et de Mémoires publié par la Société de Géographie, Vols. 5 and 6), Paris, 1836 and 1840; reference in Vol. 2, p. 27; (2) R. Dozy and M. J. De Goeje (translators): Description de l’Afrique et de l’Espagne par Edrisi: Texte arabe publié pour la première fois d’après les man. de Paris et d’Oxford, Leiden, 1866.

9 M. d’Avezac: Notice des découvertes faites au Moyen Age dans l’Océan Atlantique antérieurement aux grandes explorations portugaises du quinzième siècle, Paris, 1845, p. 23.

10 [E. F.] Jomard: Les monuments de la géographie, ou recueil d’anciennes cartes européennes et orientales ..., Paris, [1842–62], Pl. X, 1.

11 Henry Vignaud: The Columbian Tradition on the Discovery of America and of the Part Played Therein by the Astronomer Toscanelli, Oxford, 1920.

12 Benjamin Jowett: The Dialogues of Plato, Translated into English with Analyses and Introductions, 3rd edit., 5 vols., London and New York, 1892; reference in Vol. 3, p. 534.

13 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edit., Vol. 21, p. 823.

14 Atlantis, the “Lost” Continent: A Review of Termier’s Evidence, Geogr. Rev., Vol. 3, 1917, pp. 61–66; reference on p. 62.

15 Pierre Termier: Atlantis (transl. from Bull. l’Inst. Océanogr. No. 256, Monaco), Ann. Rept. Smithsonian Instn. for 1915, Washington, D. C., pp. 219–234; reference on p. 222.

16 Ibid., pp. 220–221.

17 The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian in 15 Books, to which are added the fragments of Diodorus, and those published by H. Valesius, I. Rhodomannus, and F. Ursinus, transl. by G. Booth, Esq., 2 vols., London, 1814; reference in Vol. 1, Bk. 4, Ch. 1, p. 234.

18 Ibid., Vol. 1, Bk. 3, Ch. 4, p. 195.

19 Jowett, op. cit., Vol. 3, pp. 536–539.

20 Termier, pp. 228–229.

21 Ibid., pp. 230, 231.

22 Geogr. Rev., Vol. 3, 1917, p. 65.

23 Termier, pp. 231 and 232.

24 R. F. Scharff: Some Remarks on the Atlantis Problem, Proc. Royal Irish Acad., Vol. 24. Section B, 1903, pp. 268–302; reference on p. 297.

25 Idem: European Animals: Their Geological History and Geographical Distribution, London and New York, 1907, pp. 102 and 104.

26 L. F. Navarro: Nuevas consideraciones sobre el problema de la Atlantis, Madrid, 1917, pp. 6 and 15 (extract from Rev. Real Acad. de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales de Madrid, Vol. 15, 1917, pp. 537–552).

27 Termier, pp. 226 and 227.

28 Geogr. Rev., Vol. 3, 1917, p. 66.

29 Sir John Murray: The Ocean: A General Account of the Science of the Sea (Home University Library of Modern Knowledge, No. 76), New York, 1913, p. 33.

30 T. J. Westropp: Brasil and the Legendary Islands of the North Atlantic: Their History and Fable, Proc. Royal Irish Acad., Vol. 30, Section C, 1912–13, pp. 223–260; reference on p. 249.

31 E. L. Stevenson: Portolan Charts, Publs. Hispanic Soc. of Amer. No. 82, New York, 1911, pp. 5–6.

32 A. E. Nordenskiöld: Periplus: An Essay on the Early History of Charts and Sailing-Directions, transl. by F. A. Bather, Stockholm, 1897, p. 8.

33 Fridtjof Nansen: In Northern Mists: Arctic Exploration in Early Times, transl. by A. G. Chater, 2 vols., New York, 1911; reference in Vol. 1, p. 38.

34 Ibid., pp. 40–41.

35 Nansen, In Northern Mists, p. 41.

36 [E. F.] Jomard: Les monuments de la géographie, ou recueil d’anciennes cartes européennes et orientales ..., Paris, [1842–62], Pl. X, 1.

37 J. C. Soley: Circulation of the North Atlantic in February and in August [sheet of text with charts on the reverse]. Supplement to the Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean for 1912, Hydrographic Office, Washington, D. C.

Otto Krümmel: Die nordatlantische Sargassosee, Petermanns Mitt., Vol. 37, 1891, pp. 129–141, with map.

Gerhard Schott: Géographie des Atlantischen Ozeans, Hamburg, 1912, pp. 162–164 and 268–269, Pls. 16 and 26.

38 Krümmel (paper cited in footnote 26) suggests applying the name Sargasso Sea to the area limited by the curve of 5 per cent probability of occurrence on his map (our Fig. 1). This area amounts to 4,500,000 square kilometers, or somewhat less than half the area of Europe. Schott (see footnote 26), p. 140, gives 8,635,000 square kilometers as the area of his natural region Sargasso Sea, which is based not only on the occurrence of gulfweed but also on the prevailing absence of currents and on the relatively high temperature of the water in all depths.—Edit. Note.

39 T. A. Janvier: In the Sargasso Sea, New York, 1896, p. 26.

40 Ibid., p. 27.

41 Murray, pp. 140–141.

42 Soley, column 2, lines 3–5.

43 Reprint of Hydrographic Information: Questions and Answers, No. 2, June 2, 1910, Hydrographic Office, Washington, D. C., p. 17.

44 Anecdota Exoniensia: Lives of the Saints, from the Book of Lismore, edited, with a translation, notes, and indices, by Whitley Stokes, Oxford, 1890, p. 252.

45 T. J. Westropp: Brasil and the Legendary Islands of the North Atlantic: Their History and Fable, Proc. Royal Irish Acad., Vol. 30, Section C, 1912–13, pp. 223–260; reference on p. 230.

46 Westropp, Brasil, p. 229.

47 The Anglo-Norman Trouvères of the 12th and 13th Centuries, Blackwood’s Edinburgh Mag., Vol. 39, 1836, pp. 806–820; reference on p. 808.

48 Alexander von Humboldt: Examen critique de l’histoire de la géographie du nouveau continent et des progrès de l’astronomie nautique aux quinzième et seizième siècles, 5 vols., Paris, 1836–39; reference in Vol. 2, p. 166.

49 R. D. Benedict: The Hereford Map and the Legend of St. Brandan, Bull. Amer. Geogr. Soc., Vol. 24, 1892, pp. 321–365; reference on p. 344.

50 Edrisi’s “Geography,” in two versions, the first based on two, the second on four manuscripts, viz.: (1) P. A. Jaubert (translator): Géographie d’Edrisi, traduite de l’Arabe en Français, 2 vols. (Recueil de Voyages et de Mémoires publié par la Société de Géographie, Vols. 5 and 6), Paris, 1836 and 1840; reference in Vol. 2, p. 27; (2) R. Dozy and M. J. De Goeje (translators): Description de l’Afrique et de l’Espagne par Edrisi: Texte arabe publié pour la première fois d’après les man. de Paris et d’Oxford, Leiden, 1866.

51 Konrad Miller: Die Weltkarte des Beatus (776 n. Chr.), with facsimile of one derivative, Heft 1 of his “Mappaemundi: Die ältesten Weltkarten,” Stuttgart, 1895. The 9 other derivatives on Pls. 2–9 of Heft 2 (Atlas von 16 Lichtdrucktafeln, Stuttgart, 1895).

52 The Guanches of Tenerife: The Holy Image of Our Lady of Candelaria and the Spanish Conquest and Settlement, by the Friar Alonso de Espinosa of the Order of Preachers, translated and edited, with notes and an introduction, by Sir Clements Markham, Hakluyt Soc. Publs., 2nd Ser., Vol. 21, London, 1907, p. 29.

53 A. E. Nordenskiöld: Periplus: An Essay on the Early History of Charts and Sailing-Directions, Stockholm, 1897, Pl. 8.

54 The Geography of Strabo, literally translated with notes: the first six books by H. C. Hamilton, the remainder by W. Falconer, 3 vols., H. C. Bohn, London, 1854–57; reference in Vol. 1, p. 226.

55 The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian, in 15 Books, to which are added the fragments of Diodorus, and those published by H. Valesius, I. Rhodomannus, and F. Ursinus; transl. by G. Booth, Esq., 2 vols., London, 1814; reference in Vol. 1, Bk. 5, Ch. 2, pp. 308–309.

56 [E. F.] Jomard: Les monuments de la géographie, ou recueil d’anciennes cartes européennes et orientales ..., Paris, [1842–62], Pl. X, 1.

57 Theobald Fischer: Sammlung mittelalterlicher Welt- und Seekarten italienischen Ursprungs, 1 vol. of text and 17 portfolios containing photographs of maps, Venice, 1877–86; reference in Portfolio 5 (Facsimile del Portolano Laurenziano-Gaddiano dell’ anno 1351), Pl. 4.

58 Book of the Knowledge of All the Kingdoms, Lands, and Lordships That Are in the World, and the Arms and Devices of Each Land and Lordship, or of the Kings and Lords Who Possess Them, written by a Spanish Franciscan in the middle of the 14th century, published for the first time with notes by Marcos Jiménez de la Espada in 1877, translated and edited by Sir Clements Markham, Hakluyt Soc. Publs., 2nd Ser., Vol. 29, London, 1912; reference on p. 29.

59 Theobald Fischer, Portfolio 8 (Facsimile del Portolano di Giacomo Giraldi di Venezia dell’anno 1426), Pl. 4.

60 First published by the author in the Geogr. Rev., Vol. 8, 1919, Pl. 1, facing p. 40.

61 Gustavo Uzielli: Mappamondi, carte nautiche e portolani del medioevo e dei secoli delle grandi scoperte marittime construiti da italiani o trovati nelle biblioteche d’Italia, Part II (pp. 280–390) of “Studi Bibliografici e Biografici sulla Storia della Geografia in Italia,” published on the occasion of the Second International Geographical Congress, Paris, 1875, by the Società Geografica Italiana, Rome, 1875; reference on Pl. 8 (the second edition, Rome, 1882, does not contain the plates).

62 Konrad Kretschmer: Die Entdeckung Amerika’s in ihrer Bedeutung für die Geschichte des Weltbildes, 2 vols. (text and atlas), Berlin, 1892; reference in atlas, Pl. 5.

63 Ibid., atlas, Pl. 4.

64 W. H. Babcock: Indications of Visits of White Men to America before Columbus, Proc. 19th Internatl. Congr. of Americanists held at Washington, Dec. 27–31, 1915, [Smithsonian Institution], Washington, D. C., 1917, pp. 469–478; map on p. 476.

65 Theobald Fischer, Portfolio 11, Pls. 3 and 4.

66 Ibid., Portfolio 13, Pl. 5.

67 E. G. Ravenstein: Martin Behaim, His Life and His Globe, London, 1908, p. 59.

68 Kretschmer, atlas, Pl. 7.

69 S. E. Dawson: The Voyages of the Cabots in 1497 and 1498; With an Attempt to Determine Their Landfall and to Identify Their Island of St. John, Trans. Royal Soc. of Canada, Vol. 12, Section II, 1894; map on p. 86. The map is also reproduced by Jomard, in the work cited in footnote 13.

70 A. E. Nordenskiöld: Facsimile-Atlas to the Early History of Cartography, transl. by J. A. Ekelöf and C. R. Markham, Stockholm, 1889, Pl. 46.

71 Alberto Magnaghi: La carta nautica costruita nel 1325 da Angelino Dalorto, with facsimile, Florence, 1898 (published on the occasion of the Third Italian Geographical Congress). Cf. also: idem: Il mappamondo del genovese Angellinus de Dalorto (1325): Contributo alla storia della cartografia mediovale, Atti del Terzo Congr. Geogr. Italiano, tenuto in Firenzi dal 12 al 17 Aprile, 1898, Florence, 1899, Vol. 2, pp. 506–543; and idem: Angellinus de Dalorco (sic), cartografo italiano della prima metà del secolo XIV, Riv. Geogr. Italiana, Vol. 4, 1897, pp. 282–294 and 361–369.

72 James Hardiman: The History of the Town and County of Galway from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Dublin, 1820, p. 2.

73 [M. F.] Santarem: Atlas composé de mappemondes, de portulans, et de cartes hydrographiques et historiques depuis le VI^e jusqu’au XVII^e siècle ... devant servir de preuves à l’histoire de la cosmographie et de la cartographie pendant le Moyen Age ..., Paris, 1842–53, Pls. 43–48 (Quaritch’s notation); reference on Pl. 46.

74 Alexander von Humboldt: Examen critique de l’histoire de la géographie du nouveau continent, 5 vols., Paris, 1836–39.; reference in Vol. 2, pp. 216–223. See also Fridtjof Nansen: In Northern Mists: Arctic Exploration in Early Times, transl. by A. G. Chater, 2 vols, New York. 1911; reference in Vol. 2, p. 229.

75 L. A. Muratori: Antiquitates Italicae Medii Aevi, 6 vols., Milan, 1738–42; reference in Vol. 2, pp. 891 and 894.

76 Sir Henry Yule: The Book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East, 3rd edit., revised ... by Henri Cordier, 2 vols., London, 1903; reference in Vol. 2, p. 299. See also pp. 306, 313, and 315 (note 4).

77 Antonio de Capmany: Memorias historicas sobre la marina, comercio, y artes de la antigua ciudad de Barcelona, 4 vols., Madrid, 1779–92; reference in Vol. 2, pp. 4, 17, and 20.

78 T. J. Westropp: Early Italian Maps of Ireland from 1300 to 1600. With Notes on Foreign Settlers and Trade, Proc. Royal Irish Acad., Vol. 30, Section C, 1912–13, pp. 361–428; reference on p. 393.

79 Humboldt, Examen critique, Vol. 2, p. 223.

80 See Soncino’s second letter to the Duke of Milan, published in many works on John Cabot; e. g. in “The Northmen, Columbus, and Cabot, 985–1503,” edited by J. E. Olsen and E. G. Bourne (Series: Original Narratives of Early American History), New York, 1906; reference on p. 426.

81 [E. F.] Jomard: Les monuments de la géographie, ou recueil d’anciennes cartes européennes et orientales ..., Paris, [1842–62], Pl. X, 1.

82 Book of the Knowledge of All the Kingdoms, Lands, and Lordships That Are in the World, and the Arms and Devices of Each Land and Lordship, or of the Kings and Lords Who Possess Them, written by a Spanish Franciscan in the middle of the 14th century, published for the first time with notes by Marcos Jiménez de la Espada in 1877, translated and edited by Sir Clements Markham, Hakluyt Soc. Publs., 2nd Ser., Vol. 29, London, 1912, p. 29.

83 A. E. Nordenskiöld: Periplus: An Essay on the Early History of Charts and Sailing-Directions, transl. by F. A. Bather, Stockholm, 1897, Pl. 22.

84 Ibid., Pl. 26.

85 Ibid., Pl. 15.

86 Theobald Fischer: Sammlung mittelalterlicher Welt- und Seekarten italienischen Ursprungs, 1 vol. of text and 17 portfolios containing photographs of maps, Venice, 1877–86; reference in Portfolio 11 (Facsimile della Carta nautica de Andrea Bianco dell’ anno 1448), Pl. 3.

87 A. E. Nordenskiöld, Periplus, Pl. 8.

88 Theobald Fischer, Portfolio 5 (Facsimile del Portolano Laurenziano-Gaddiano dell’ anno 1351), Pl. 5.

89 W. H. Babcock: Indications of Visits of White Men to America before Columbus, Proc. 19th Internatl. Congr. of Americanists, Held at Washington, Dec. 27–31, 1915 [Smithsonian Institution], Washington, D. C., 1917, pp. 469–478; map on p. 476.

90 Theobald Fischer, Portfolio 8 (Facsimile del Portolano di Giacomo Giraldi di Venezia dell’ anno 1426), Pl. 5.

91 The section of which the author has a photograph (first published in the Geogr. Rev., Vol. 8, 1919, opposite p. 40, and here reproduced, Fig. 3, somewhat curtailed) does not extend far enough to show the island of Brazil.

92 Gustavo Uzielli: Mappamondi, carte nautiche e portolani del medioevo e dei secoli delle grandi scoperte marittime construiti da italiani o trovati nelle biblioteche d’Italia, Part II (pp. 280–390) of “Studi Bibliografici e Biografici sulla Storia della Geografia in Italia,” published on the occasion of the Second International Geographical Congress, Paris, 1875, by the Società Geografica Italiana, Rome, 1875; reference on Pl. 8 (the second edition, Rome, 1882, does not contain the plates).

93 In the Kohl collection of maps relating to America, No. 17, in the Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.

94 A. E. Nordenskiöld, Periplus, Pl. 20; Theobald Fischer, Portfolio II, Pl. 3.

95 Original in Majorca. A good copy is owned by T. Solberg, Register of Copyrights, Washington, D. C.

96 Konrad Kretschmer: Die Entdeckung Amerika’s in ihrer Bedeutung für die Geschichte des Weltbildes, 2 vols. (text and atlas), Berlin, 1892; reference in atlas, Pl. 5.

97 E. L. Stevenson: Facsimiles of Portolan Charts Belonging to the Hispanic Society of America, Publs. Hispanic Soc. of Amer. No. 104, New York, 1916, Pl. 2.

98 Kretschmer, atlas, Pl. 4, map 1.

99 Ibid., Pl. 7.

100 A. E. Nordenskiöld, Periplus. Pl. 11.

101 Ibid., p. 164.

102 Kretschmer, atlas, Pl. 4, map 8.

103 Justin Winsor: Cartier to Frontenac, Geographical Discovery in the Interior of North America in Its Historical Relations, 1534–1700. With Full Cartographical Illustrations from Contemporary Sources, Boston and New York, 1894; reference on p. 28.

104 Kretschmer, atlas, Pl. 4, map 5.

105 A. E. Nordenskiöld, Periplus, Pl. 29.

106 Nansen, In Northern Mists, Vol. 2, p. 228.

107 T. J. Westropp: Brasil and the Legendary Islands of the North Atlantic: Their History and Fable, Proc. Royal Irish Acad., Vol. 30, Section C, 1912–13, pp. 223–260.

108 Winsor, Cartier to Frontenac. p. 60.

109 A. E. Nordenskiöld, Periplus, Pl. 27.

110 Kretschmer, atlas, Pl. 19, map 3.

111 A. E. Nordenskiöld: Bidrag till Nordens äldsta Kartografi. Stockholm, 1892, Pl. 5. Also (reduced) in Nansen’s “In Northern Mists,” Vol. 2, p. 280, and in T. J. Westropp’s “Brasil.” Pl. 20, facing p. 260.

112 A. E. Nordenskiöld, Periplus. p. 90; also discussed by Joseph Fischer: The Discoveries of the Norsemen in America, With Special Relation to Their Early Cartographical Representation, transl. by B. H. Soulsby, and London, 1903.

113 Winsor, Cartier to Frontenac, p. II.

114 See Ayala’s letter to Ferdinand and Isabella, copied in many Cabot narratives; e. g. in the work cited above in footnote 10, p. 430, and at the beginning of the next chapter.

115 G. E. Weare: Cabot’s Discovery of North America, London, 1897, p. 59.

116 Alberto Magnaghi: La carta nautica costruita nel 1325 da Angelino Dalorto, with facsimile, Florence, 1898 (published on the occasion of the Third Italian Geographical Congress). Cf. also: idem: Il mappamondo del genovese Angellinus de Dalorto (1325): Contributo alla storia della cartografia mediovale, Atti del Terzo Congr. Geogr. Italiano, tenuto in Firenze dal 12 al 17 Aprile, 1898, Florence, 1899, Vol. 2, pp. 506–543; and idem: Angellinus de Dalorco (sic), cartografo italiano della prima metà del secolo XIV, Riv. Geogr. Italiana, Vol. 4, 1897, pp. 282–294 and 361–369.

117 A. E. Nordenskiöld: Periplus: An Essay on the Early History of Charts and Sailing-Directions, transl. by F. A. Bather, Stockholm, 1897, Pl. 2.

118 Konrad Kretschmer: Die Entdeckung Amerika’s in ihrer Bedeutung für die Geschichte des Weltbildes, 2 vols. (text and atlas), Berlin, 1892; reference in atlas, Pl. 4, map 8.

119 E. g. by Nordenskiöld, op. cit., p. 164.

120 Ferdinand Columbus: The History of the Life and Actions of Adm. Christopher Columbus, and of His Discovery of the West-Indies, Call’d the New World, Now in Possession of His Catholic Majesty. Written by His Own Son, transl. from the Italian and contained in “A Collection of Voyages and Travels, Some Now First Printed from Original Manuscripts, Others Now First Published in English,” by Awnsham Churchill and John Churchill (6 vols., London, 1732), Vol. 2, pp. 501–628; reference on p. 512.

121 [E. F.] Jomard: Les monuments de la géographie, ou recueil d’anciennes cartes européennes et orientales ... Paris, [1842–62], Pl. X, 1.

122 Gustavo Uzielli: Mappamondi, carte nautiche e portolani del medioevo e dei secoli delle grandi scoperte marittime construiti da italiani o trovati nelle biblioteche d’Italia, Part II (pp. 280–390) of “Studi Bibliografici e Biografici sulla Storia della Geografia in Italia,” published on the occasion of the Second International Geographical Congress, Paris, 1875, by the Società Geografica Italiana, Rome, 1875; reference on Pl. 8 (the second edition, Rome, 1882, does not contain the plates).

123 Kretschmer, atlas, Pl. 4, map 1.

124 W. H. Babcock: Indications of Visits of White Men to America before Columbus, Proc. 19th Internatl. Congr. of Americanists, Held at Washington, Dec. 27–31, 1915, [Smithsonian Institution], Washington, D. C., 1917, pp. 469–478; map on p. 476.

125 E. G. Ravenstein: Martin Behaim: His Life and His Globe, London, 1908, p. 77.

126 A. E. Nordenskiöld: Facsimile-Atlas to the Early History of Cartography, transl. by J. A. Ekelöf and C. R. Markham, Stockholm, 1889, p. 65 and Pl. 32.

127 Ferdinand Columbus, p. 514.

128 Antonio Galvano: The Discoveries of the World from Their First Original unto the Year of Our Lord 1555, Hakluyt Soc. Publs., 1st Series, Vol. 30, London, 1862, p. 72.

129 Manuel de Faria y Sousa: The History of Portugal, transl. by Capt. John Stevens, London, 1698; reference in Bk. 2, Ch. 6, p. 112.