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When discussing underwater lore and legends, Atlantis is an obvious subject of interest. However, the lost island of Hy-Brasil is just as intriguing and has more first-person accounts.
Hy-Brasil is also spelled Hy-Breasal, Hy-Brazil, Hy-Breasil, Brazir and related variations. It may be the reason that the South American country, Brazil, was so named. The central image on the Brazilian flag, a circle with a channel across the center, is the symbol for Hy-Brasil on early maps.
The name of Hy-Brasil may come from the Middle Ages term brazil, which seems to indicate a source of rare red dye. The dye may have acquired its name from the legendary island, or vice versa.
Or, the name Hy-Brasil, also called the Fortunate Island, may originate with the old Irish word, breas, meaning noble or fortunate.Or, the name Hy-Brasil, also called the Fortunate Island, may originate with the old Irish word, breas, meaning noble or fortunate.
In folklore, this island country takes its name from Breasal, the High King of the World, in Celtic history.
(He may or may not be related to Bresal Echarlam mac Echach Baethlaim, from the stories of Lugh at Tara. He was not St. Breasal, although pre-Christian folklore may be the foundation for that saint’s legends.)
Hy-Brasil was noted on maps as early as 1325, when Genoese cartographer Dalorto placed the island west of Ireland. On successive sailing charts, it appears southwest of Galway Bay.
On some 15th century maps, islands of the Azores appear as Isola de Brazil, or Insulla de Brazil.
After 1865, Hy-Brasil appears on few maps since its location could not be verified.
Regardless of the name or location, the island’s history is consistent: It is the home of a wealthy and highly advanced civilization. Those who visited the island returned with tales of gold-roofed towers and domes, healthy cattle, and opulent citizens.
The lore of Hy-Brasil is equally fascinating. For example, it is shrouded in fog or perhaps beneath the ocean, and appears only briefly, once every seven years.
The island has been visited by many people for centuries. Both Saint Barrind and Saint Brendan found the island on their respective voyages, and returned home with nearly identical descriptions of Hy-Brasil, which they dubbed the “Promised Land.”
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In 1971, Harvey L. Sharrer, wrote a short research note that bears on the debate.[9] Sharrer's paper concerned an entry in a Spanish Basque chronicle written by Lope García de Salazar (1399-1476). The entry in question must have been written before Salazar's death in 1476 and may have been written considerably earlier, given that it is found in the eleventh of this twenty-five 'book' chronicle. The entry concerns the island where the legendary King Arthur was supposed to have been buried following his final battle. While most accounts give this as Avalon, Salazar suggests Arthur's resting place was the Island of Brasil. Salazar finishes his account by noting that he has heard from certain Englishmen that a ship from Bristol had at one time found this isle but the mariners had subsequently been unable to relocate it. Sharrer took this as evidence that Bristol mariners had in fact discovered some unknown land to the west of Ireland. Since no islands lie between Ireland and North America, the account, if the story Salazar retold did relate to a genuine voyage, would provide further evidence that Bristol men had discovered North America before John Cabot's 1497 expedition
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The Island of Brasil is significant to the history of Bristol's early discovery voyages because the first known voyages from Bristol, in 1480 and 1481, involved expeditions to search for this mythical isle.[2] Moreover, when the Spanish ambassador, Pedro de Ayala, wrote to his sovereigns in 1498, he claimed that 'For the last seven years the people of Bristol have equipped two, three [and] four caravels to go in search of the island of Brazil and the Seven Cities'.[3] This suggests that Bristol had continued its search for Brasil after 1481. These expeditions are regarded as significant, in part, because it is generally supposed that John Cabot's 1496-98 voyages of discovery were launched from Bristol because of the port's established interest in Atlantic exploration, as evidenced by the Brasil expeditions
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Alwyn Ruddock was at last making moves to publish her long-awaited book on the voyages of John Cabot. It appears that he therefore felt it sufficient to pass Sharrer's article on to Ruddock, so she could incorporate the information into her book. It is at least the case that, on 10 November, he wrote of Ruddock that 'I have a piece of information for her that I will send as soon as I have given the SNR Lecture', while, a couple of months later, Dr Ruddock wrote to Quinn to say that:
'I was very surprised and pleased to read the article from ROMANIA you sent me before Christmas. This Spanish version of the Isle of Brasil is quite new to me and will be valuable too. The discovery was already reported and put on record in Italy before 1470 so the evidence from both Spain and Italy support each other convincingly, don't you agree?'[12]
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The Truth is Out There - the X Files. 
