Canada and a 6th Century Monk

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

This is super cool–another Canada Day post for intelligent readers. And another great post from writer, L.A. Smith. I have been fascinated with St. Brendan since I read Frederick Buechner‘s stunning little book, Brendan. I am his namesake, after all (sort of, maybe). Read this post and you will discover which Europeans were the first to really find their way to Canada.

About Brenton Dickieson

“A Pilgrim in Narnia” is a blog project in reading and talking about the work of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Inklings, L.M. Montgomery, and the worlds they created. As a "Faith, Fantasy, and Fiction" blog, we cover topics like children’s literature, myths and mythology, fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, poetry, theology, cultural criticism, art and writing. This blog includes my thoughts as I read through my favourite writings and reflect on my own life and culture. In this sense, I am a Pilgrim in Narnia--or Middle Earth, or Fairyland, or Avonlea. I am often peeking inside of wardrobes, looking for magic bricks in urban alleys, or rooting through yard sale boxes for old rings. If something here captures your imagination, leave a comment, “like” a post, share with your friends, or sign up to receive Narnian Pilgrim posts in your email box. Brenton Dickieson (PhD, Chester) is a father, husband, friend, university lecturer, and freelance writer from Prince Edward Island, Canada. You can follow him: www.aPilgrimInNarnia.com Twitter (X) @BrentonDana Instagram @bdickieson Facebook @aPilgrimInNarnia
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5 Responses to Canada and a 6th Century Monk

  1. Allacin Morimizu says:
    July 2, 2016 at 11:17 am

    Thanks for sharing, Brenton. I just shared this St. Brendon story myself in honor of Canada Day from a Yank, and decided to follow your friend’s blog. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Jared Lobdell says:
    July 2, 2016 at 4:50 pm

    Appropriate since the Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis is one of the inspirations/sources for The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader”

    Reply
    • Brenton Dickieson says:
      July 8, 2016 at 2:33 pm

      Jared, thanks for this. I missed it last week. I appreciated your Ransom work for its unusual links to the past.
      Have you read Kris Swank’s work, was it in Mythlore? She found Irish connections behind Tolkien’s Roverdam.

      Reply
  3. David Llewellyn Dodds says:
    July 2, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    Excellent – thanks first to L.A. Smith, and to you for bringing this to our attention! This is a good nudge to getting me to scoot Tim Severin’s The Brendan Voyage (1978) up to near the top of my ‘what should I read next’ list! (I had already had a nudge, from noticing John Garth’s link at his site to his 2014 interview with Tim Severin.) Another nice Inklings tie-in is Tolkien’s (poetic) attention to St. Brendan, in a poem published in 1955, which Christopher revealed more about in connection with ‘The Notion Club Papers’ in The History of Middle-earth, volume IX, Sauron Defeated (1992).

    Reply

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