Legendary islands of the Atlantic; a study in medieval geography

56 ISLAND OF BRAZIL

settled item. This carries us well back toward the first settled
date for the Irish Brazil in cartography. Further, the name still
adheres to Terceira, though long restricted to a single mountain-
ous headland. The explanation remains a matter of conjecture.
Perhaps the Azores islands that bore it borrowed from the older
Brazil west of Ireland. Perhaps also the word had gone about
that islands were notable for dyes archil, for example and the
special dye name brazil has been loosely affixed in consequence.

On some of the maps certain alternative names are given,
which do not greatly further our investigation. Thus the very
first one which shows Brazil Dalorto, 1325 adds Montonis
as a second choice (Fig. 4). This has been understood to mean the
Isle of Rams, linking it with Edrisi's Isle of Sheep, a quite ancient
fancy, sometimes referred to the Faroes, but of very uncertain
identification. But Freducci, 13 1497, makes it Montanis; Cala-
poda, 14 1552, Montorius; and an anonymous compass chart of
I384, 15 Monte Orius. In all these the idea of mountains, not
sheep, is dominant. The change from "a" to "o" is easy with
a not very vigilant transcriber, and it is most likely that Freducci
preserves the original form and meaning.

The Pizigani map of 1367 is confused and enigmatic on this
point, as in all its inscriptions. It seems to read (Fig. 2) "Ysola de
nocorus sur de brazar," but it may best be set aside as too uncer-
tain.

Equally unenlightening is the "de Brazil de Binar" of Bianco's
1448 map. 16 If the V be read "m," the inscription may mean
"Brazil of the two seas;" but the allusion is mystifying.

Fra Mauro's inscription before quoted merely bears testimony
to Brazil's benign and almost Elysian repute and its connection
with the Green Isle in fancy.

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

" Ibid., PL 26.

Ibid., PI. 15.

18 Theobald Fischer: Sammlung mittelalterlicher Welt- und Seekarten italieni-
schen Ursprungs, i vol. of text and 17 portfolios containing photographs of maps,
Venice, 1877-86; reference in Portfolio n (Facsimile della Carta nautica de Andrea
Bianco dell' anno 1448;, PI. 3.