Found in many early medieval Irish manuscripts, an Immram is the traditional Old Irish tale of a sea voyage in which a saint travels across various islands in search of the Otherworld of eternal bliss. One of the most well known depictions of the sea voyage is The Voyage of Saint Brendan, which follows Saint Brendan and his brothers as they embark on their journey in search of the Promised Land of the Saints. Throughout their legendary seven-year journey, Brendan and his followers encounter an assortment of animals such as sheep, birds, a whale, and a devouring beast – all of which are allegories that allude to the central theme of the Last Judgment. This eschatological theme is conveyed through the helpful or threatening nature of these creatures,
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To begin, the sheep on the Island of Sheep and the Island of the Three Choirs serve as allegorical Christ figures. When the men reach the Island of Sheep on Maundy Thursday, Brendan declares that they must “sacrifice the Spotless Victim to God” to celebrate the Paschal feast (O’Meara 15). Once the sacrificial sheep is selected, Brendan and his men emphasize its pure white colour as a symbol of its purity, and therefore continuously refer to it as “the Spotless Lamb” (O’Meara 16). Likewise, this name is repeated during a sacrifice on the Island of the Three Choirs, and the choirs chant, “take this … blood of the Saviour for everlasting life” (O’Meara 45). The representation of both sheep as “the Spotless Lamb” is significant in alluding to Christ, who is often referred to in the Bible as “the Lamb of God,” and therefore reminds the men of Christ’s sacrifice to redeem the sins of humanity (Bray 183). Moreover, the use of the sheep’s blood for “everlasting life” reassures Brendan and his men that displays of purity and avoidance of sin will liken them with Christ and aid in achieving eternity in heaven. Similar to the sheep, the birds reinforce the importance of purity and obedience to God by depicting the destructive effects of sin. When Brendan asks the bird why they congregate on the Island of Birds, she
To begin, the sheep on the Island of Sheep and the Island of the Three Choirs serve as allegorical Christ figures. When the men reach the Island of Sheep on Maundy Thursday, Brendan declares that they must “sacrifice the Spotless Victim to God” to celebrate the Paschal feast (O’Meara 15). Once the sacrificial sheep is selected, Brendan and his men emphasize its pure white colour as a symbol of its purity, and therefore continuously refer to it as “the Spotless Lamb” (O’Meara 16). Likewise, this name is repeated during a sacrifice on the Island of the Three Choirs, and the choirs chant, “take this … blood of the Saviour for everlasting life” (O’Meara 45). The representation of both sheep as “the Spotless Lamb” is significant in alluding to Christ, who is often referred to in the Bible as “the Lamb of God,” and therefore reminds the men of Christ’s sacrifice to redeem the sins of humanity (Bray 183). Moreover, the use of the sheep’s blood for “everlasting life” reassures Brendan and his men that displays of purity and avoidance of sin will liken them with Christ and aid in achieving eternity in heaven. Similar to the sheep, the birds reinforce the importance of purity and obedience to God by depicting the destructive effects of sin. When Brendan asks the bird why they congregate on the Island of Birds, she