The Boat Of St. Brendan: A Historical Mystery

Saint Brendan, also known as Brendan the Navigator, was an early Irish monastic saint and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is believed to have been born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, in 484 AD and lived to be 93. Saint Brendan is known for his legendary voyage to find the Isle of the Blessed, which is sometimes referred to as Saint Brendan's Island. The narrative of his journey is documented in the Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (The Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot), written about three centuries after his death. This text describes Brendan's voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, encountering sea monsters, volcanoes, and icebergs, among other adventures. The boat used by Saint Brendan in his travels is said to have been made of animal skin or oxhide, stitched together and coated with grease or oak bark to make it waterproof.

St Brendan's boat was likely made of animal skin

St Brendan's boat was likely made of oxhide. The Navigatio describes the boat as being covered with hides tanned in oak bark and softened with butter or grease. The Latin word used for grease in the text does not specify what type of fat was used, but the text does mention that St Brendan took a spare supply of the fat with him on his journey to re-apply to the leather. It is theorised that this fat was likely lanolin, or wool grease, a wax secreted by sheep.

In 1976, Tim Severin attempted to recreate St Brendan's journey in a boat made in the same way as described in the Navigatio. Severin's boat was covered with 49 oxhides stitched together with flax cords. The hides were treated with oak bark, which was proven to be the best leather treatment after numerous lab studies. The oak-bark-tanned leather was coated in wool grease, which was determined to be the best dressing for the leather. The resulting stench was described as "nearly unbearable".

Severin's boat proved to be successful, making landfall in Newfoundland, Canada, and demonstrating that it was possible for a leather-clad boat to traverse the North Atlantic.

The boat was probably coated in oak bark-treated leather

St Brendan's boat, which he used to sail to the "`promised land" in the 6th century, was likely coated in oak bark-treated leather.

The Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (The Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbot) describes St Brendan's boat as a "skin boat" covered in oxhide. The text also mentions that the hides were "`tanned in oak bark`" and coated in "grease" to make them waterproof.

Tim Severin, an explorer, author, and historian, set out to recreate St Brendan's journey in 1976-1977. He worked with scholars and experts to build a boat that matched the one used by St Brendan. Severin discovered that oak bark was, indeed, the best treatment for leather and found a tannery in Britain that could provide the necessary hides.

The process of tanning the hides involved soaking them in a lime solution to remove hair and flesh, then soaking them in an oak bark solution for about a year. After drying, the hides were dipped in a hot bath of wool grease and layered with more hot grease in between. This process resulted in the hides taking up 30-37% grease, increasing their weight significantly.

Severin's boat, named "Brendan," required 47-49 hides to cover its 36-foot frame. The hides were stitched together using hand-twisted flax cord and coated with wool grease. The boat's light frame and flexible leather skin allowed it to mould to the waves, giving Severin and his crew "a sense of being part of the sea's motion."

The combination of the medieval design and natural materials made St Brendan's boat extremely durable and well-suited for ocean voyages. Severin's recreation of the journey successfully demonstrated that it was possible for Irish monks to have sailed to North America in leather boats, long before the voyages of Columbus and the Vikings.

The boat was built on the west coast of Ireland

The boat, which was built on the west coast of Ireland, was made of animal skin, with a hull constructed from 49 ox hides stitched together with flax cords and stretched over a wooden frame. The leather was tanned in oak bark and coated in grease, likely lanolin or wool grease, to make it waterproof. The boat was modelled on the traditional Irish curragh, which was still in use on the west coast of Ireland at the time.

The construction of the boat was a challenging process that took years of hard work. Severin, the man behind the recreation of St Brendan's boat, had to research, learn, and collaborate with various experts to bring the vessel to life. He worked with a master harness maker, John O'Connell, who taught him how to stitch the thick leather. The joints of the boat were lashed together with miles of leather stripping.

The boat was built to match the one described in the Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (The Voyage of St.section of text missing]renan the Abbot), a document written about three centuries after St Brendan's death. The Navigatio describes St Brendan's westward journey to the "Promised Land", which some believe was a reference to North America. The text mentions a boat covered in oxhide, which provided Severin with the first clues about the materials he would need to build the boat.

The boat was constructed in preparation for a journey that would retrace St Brendan's route across the Atlantic to Newfoundland. Severin set sail in 1976 from Brandon Creek in County Kerry, Ireland, and successfully completed the voyage in 1977. This achievement proved that it was possible for a leather-clad boat to traverse the North Atlantic, lending credibility to the idea that St Brendan could have reached America.

The boat was crewed by St Brendan and 14 monks

St Brendan, also known as Brendan the Navigator, is believed to have been born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, in AD 484. He is one of the early Irish monastic saints and is recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church. He is also one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland and is considered the patron saint of sailors and travellers.

St Brendan is best known for his legendary voyage to find the "Isle of the Blessed", which is sometimes referred to as "Saint Brendan's Island". The written account of his journey comes from the "Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis" (Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot), written about three centuries after his death.

According to the "Navigatio", St Brendan and his crew of 14 monks set out on a seven-year voyage to the "Promised Land of the Saints" or the Earthly Paradise. They travelled westward in a boat made of animal skin, encountering various islands and fantastic creatures along the way. The journey is described as a spiritual pilgrimage, filled with mystery and adventure.

The boat used by St Brendan and his crew was likely a traditional Irish curragh. It was covered with oxhides tanned in oak bark and coated with grease, possibly lanolin or wool grease, to make it waterproof. The construction of the boat is described in detail in the "Navigatio", and this information was used by Tim Severin in 1976 to recreate the journey in a boat built to the same specifications.

St Brendan and his crew of 14 monks faced many challenges and dangers during their voyage. They visited islands such as the Island of Sheep, the Paradise of Birds, and the Island of Strong Men. They encountered a sea monster, believed to be a giant whale named Jasconius, and explored volcanic islands with geysers and lava flows. They also faced storms, strong currents, and icebergs.

The voyage of St Brendan and his crew of 14 monks lasted for seven years, and they finally arrived at the Promised Land for Saints. They were welcomed and allowed to enter, exploring the land for forty days. Awed by what they had seen, they returned to Ireland rejoicing.

The boat's construction was based on ancient texts

St Brendan's boat, which he used to sail to the promised land in the west, was constructed based on ancient texts. The boat, a medieval "skin boat", was a traditional Irish curragh. The texts described the boat as being covered in oxhide, tanned in oak bark, and coated in grease to make it waterproof.

Severin, an explorer and author, recreated St Brendan's journey in 1976. He and his crew set sail from Brandon Creek in County Kerry, Ireland, in a boat constructed according to the ancient texts. The boat's hull was made from 49 oxhides stitched together with flax cords, and the hides were treated with oak bark and coated in lanolin or "wool grease". The boat's mast and hull were made from the right cuts of oak and ash, and the joints were lashed together with miles of leather stripping.

Severin's journey proved that it was possible for a leather-clad boat to traverse the North Atlantic, lending credence to the idea that St Brendan could have reached America nearly a thousand years before Christopher Columbus.

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