Stories & Legends
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St. Brendan & the Sea Monsters
St. Brendan, born in 484 AD in County Kerry, is considered one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He became known as Brendan the Navigator because of a long sea voyage upon which he and 14 of his monks embarked on the high seas of the Atlantic.
During the voyage many fantastic and miraculous events took place. The following incidents occurred during this voyage.
The great sea fishes rejoice with St. Brendan on the feast of St. Paul
“Sing lower, Master, or we shall be shipwrecked. For the water is so clear that we can see to the bottom, and we see innumerable fishes great and fierce, such as never were discovered to human eye before, and if thou dost anger them with thy chanting, we shall perish.”
Then the Abbot upbraided them for fools and laughed a great laugh.
“What, has driven out your faith?" said he. “Fear naught but the Lord our God, and love Him in fear. Many perils have tried you, but the Lord brought you safely out of them all. There is no danger here. What are ye afraid of?”
And turning again, Brendan celebrated Mass more solemnly than before.
And thereupon the monsters of the deep began to rise on all sides, and making merry for joy of the Feast, followed after the ship. Yet when the Office of the day was ended, they straightway turned back and went their way.
Jasconius
When they approached an island on the eve of Easter Sunday, the boat began to ground before they could reach its landing place. St. Brendan ordered the brothers to disembark from the boat into the sea, which they did. They held the boat on both side with ropes until they came to the landing-place.
The island was stony and without grass. There were a few pieces of driftwood on it, but no sand on its shore.
The priest Amphibalus baptizing & teaching the people
When morning came he ordered each of the priests to sing his Mass [for it was Easter], which they did. While St. Brendan was himself singing his Mass in the boat, the brothers began to carry the raw meat [that they had procured on the Island of Sheep] out of the boat to preserve it with salt. When they had done this, they put a pot over a fire that they built on the island.
When, however, they were plying the fire with wood and the pot began to boil, the island began to be in motion like a wave. The brother rushed to the boat, crying out for protection to the holy father. He drew each one of them into the boat by his hand.
Then, leaving all they had had on the island behind, they began to sail. Then the island moved out to sea. The lighted fire could be seen over two miles away. St. Brendan told the brother what the island really was, saying, “Brothers, are you surprised at what this island has done?
They answered, “We are very surprised and indeed terror stricken.”
He said to them, “My sons, do not be afraid. God revealed to me during the night in a vision the secret of this affair. Where we were was not an island, but a fish – the greatest of all that swim in the ocean. He is always trying to bring his tail to meet his head, but he cannot because the tail is not long enough. His name is Jasconius.”
Adapted from Bede's Ecclesiastical History,
(London: George Bell and Sons, 1907)
Posted July 12, 2025
(London: George Bell and Sons, 1907)
Posted July 12, 2025
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