The Voyage of Bran
Also known as: Immram Brain maic Febail, The Voyage of Bran, Voyage of Bran son of Febal
An Old Irish otherworld voyage-tale in which Bran mac Febail, summoned by a fairy woman and guided by Manannán mac Lir, sails to marvellous islands, including the Island of Women, before returning to Ireland where centuries have passed.
Description
The Voyage of Bran (Immram Brain maic Febail) is a foundational Irish immram narrative combining prose with embedded verse. A fairy woman entices Bran with a silver branch and song of the Otherworld, prompting a sea-journey with companions. En route, Bran encounters Manannán mac Lir riding a chariot over the waves, who prophesies future events and speaks of time’s different measure across realms. The crew visits paradisal islands—Joy, Laughter, and the Island of Women—where delight and forgetfulness contend with the taboo of return. When Bran finally approaches Ireland, he learns that long ages have passed; a crewman who touches the shore crumbles to dust. Bran relates his tale to the people and then departs again upon the sea. The tale blends pre-Christian otherworld topoi with subtle Christian-era textual horizons, shaping later voyage literature.
Historiography
The text survives in medieval Irish manuscripts, notably the 12th-century Lebor na hUidre, with later copies preserving variant readings and verse insertions. Its language points to an early Old Irish composition and an extended transmission before redaction. Kuno Meyer’s late-19th-century edition and translation helped establish the modern study of the immrama. Scholars debate the balance of pre-Christian motifs and Christian-era moral framing, and its relationship to related voyage tales and prophetic poetry.
Date Notes
Composed in Old Irish; preserved in medieval manuscripts such as Lebor na hUidre (12th c.) and later copies; likely drawing on earlier oral immram motifs.
Themes
Major Characters
- Bran mac Febail
- Manannán mac Lir
Myths
- The Branch from the Otherworld
- The Sea Voyage to the Isles of Wonder
- The Land of Women and the Taboo of Time
- The Fatal Return to Ireland
Facts
- An exemplar of the Irish immram (voyage) genre blending prose narrative with lyric interludes.
- The silver apple-branch motif marks royal or otherworldly summons and legitimates Bran’s departure.
- Manannán mac Lir appears as a sea-borne guide, speaking prophetic verse while riding over waves.
- Islands function as moral and metaphysical tests—joy, laughter, and sensual ease—each with peril.
- Temporal dislocation is central: brief otherworld sojourn equals centuries in Ireland.
- A crewman’s contact with the shore reduces him to dust, dramatizing the taboo of return.
- Manannán’s prophecy links the tale to Mongan mac Fiachna, bridging myth and historical legend.
- Survives in medieval manuscripts; language suggests an earlier Old Irish composition.
- The narrative influenced or resonates with later voyage-tales like Máel Dúin and St Brendan.
- Combines pre-Christian otherworld motifs with Christian-era redactional horizons.