Includes bibliographical references (p. [313]-326) and index.

Preliminary Materials / J.S. Mackley -- Introduction / J.S. Mackley -- Chapter One. St Brendan: The Man And The Manuscripts / J.S. Mackley -- Chapter Two. Accepting The Fantastic: From The Familiar To The Fantastic-Uncanny / J.S. Mackley -- Chapter Three. The Marvels Of The Ocean: From The Fantastic-Uncanny To The Marvellous / J.S. Mackley -- Chapter Four. The Mirrors Of Salvation / J.S. Mackley -- Conclusion / J.S. Mackley -- Appendix One. The Genealogy Of The Manuscripts Of The Navigatio And The Anglo-Norman Voyage / J.S. Mackley -- Appendix Two. The Anglo-Norman Voyage Of St Brendan / J.S. Mackley -- Bibliography / J.S. Mackley -- Index / J.S. Mackley.

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The Legend of St Brendan is a study of two accounts of a voyage undertaken by Brendan, a sixth-century Irish saint. The immense popularity of the Latin version encouraged many vernacular translations, including a twelfth-century Anglo-Norman reworking of the narrative which excises much of the devotional material seen in the ninth-century Navigatio Sancti Brendani abbatis and changes the emphasis, leaving a recognisably secular narrative. The vernacular version focuses on marvellous imagery and the trials and tribulations of a long sea-voyage. Together the two versions demonstrate a movement away from hagiography towards adventure. Studies of the two versions rarely discuss the elements of the fantastic. Following a summary of authorship, audiences and sources, this comparative study adopts a structural approach to the two versions of the Brendan narrative. It considers what the fantastic imagery achieves and addresses issues raised with respect to theological parallels.