Medieval map of Britain may reveal evidence of mythological islands
Categories: Historical news
Medieval map ofBritain may reveal evidence of mythological islands
A fadedmedieval map of Britain may reveal evidence of "long lost"islands detailed in Welsh mythology, a new study finds. Researchers discoveredthe "missing" islands after analyzing the 650-year-old Goughmap, which is now housed in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.In the area now known as Cardigan Bay, in Wales, the map shows two islands thatno longer exist, study co-researchers Simon Haslett and Davis Willis wrote in astudy published in the June issue of the journal Atlantic Geoscience(opens innew tab).
However,while some researchers think the Gough map (which can be viewed onlinehere(opens in new tab)) may be solid evidence of these mythological islands,not everyone agrees with the team's findings.
Lostland?
"Inrecent [in the last few centuries] folklore, Gwyddno is presented as the rulerof Cantre'r Gwaelod and the inundation is the result of the negligence of thedrunken gatekeeper, Seithiennin," Haslett, an honorary professor of science and engineering atSwansea University in Wales, and Willis, the Jesus professor of Celtic atUniversity of Oxford's Jesus College, wrote in the paper.
The duo alsoinvestigated other early sources for mentions of Cantre'r Gwaelod and foundthat the ancient writer Ptolemy (lived circa A.D. 100 to 170 in Roman Egypt)wrote coordinates in his "Geographia" that suggest that thecoastline of Cardigan Bay was farther west than it is located now, Haslett andWillis noted in the article. In essence, Ptolemy's description suggests thatthe Welsh shoreline has eroded substantially over the millennia.
The teamalso noted that the erosion of the shoreline of Cardigan Bay continues today,with shore sediments being soft enough that the ocean can gradually erode them.
Thesixth-century British monk Gildas noted the unrelenting sea in his Latin sermon"On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain." In this sermon, Gildasdescribed how people living near Cardigan Bay were caught between an invadingforce and an unruly sea.
Research isongoing, and more evidence of this lost land may be found in the future. "Weare planning to undertake geographical surveys along the present coastline ofCardigan Bay to see if further evidence into the post-glacial evolution of thecoastline might be collected," Haslett said.
Arethe islands the mythological Welsh land?
Live Sciencecontacted several experts not affiliated with the research to get theirthoughts on the study. While some of the scholars were supportive of thefindings, others were skeptical.
That's notthe cartographer's only mistake. The Gough map shows a number of islands offBritain, but they are inaccurate. "Only a notional selection of islandsis given, represented as rough circles and ellipses of disproportionate sizearbitrarily distributed all around the coasts of Britain,"Delano-Smith said.
WhileDelano-Smith didn't completely rule out the possibility that the two islandsthe researchers refer to represent lost islands off Wales, she was skeptical. "TheGough Map has no place in a geomorphological discussion of post-glacial coastalevolution," Delano-Smith said.