Islands of the Blessed

A mythical region, a sacred overseas country located in the middle of the ocean, somewhere on the edge of the world or even in another world.

• Sumerian myths tell of the island of Dilmun lying far away in the southern seas, where no one knew poverty, disease and death. This is a pristine "pure", "immaculate", "bright" country, "the land of the living", where there were no snakes, scorpions, lions, wild dogs and wolves.
• In ancient Greek myths Islands of the Blessed (Elysium, Elysium) — a country in the extreme west, where people who have received immortality from the gods, or those of mortals whose life is judged by the afterlife (Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthus) was recognized as righteous and pious. In some versions of the myth, the destiny on the Islands of the Blessed is given to those souls who have already passed through the earthly incarnation three times.
• Celtic mythology traditionally places the otherworld in the middle of the ocean. To the west were the islands of the blessed, "three times fifty in number" (the saga "The Voyage of Bran, the son of Phoebus"). Many names of these islands are known: the Great Land, the Land of Life, etc.
• In Gaulish mythology, the souls of the dead, under the patronage of the god Cernunnus, are escorted to a certain inaccessible island in the western ocean — the Island of the Blessed. The way to the island is indicated by a dolphin and a taurus. Heroes who have fallen in battle are carried away to this heavenly land by a winged horse.
• In the legends of the Britons Avalon, "the island of fruits, which is also called happy," which does not know sorrows and suffering, serves as a place of residence of immortal heroes and wizards. The wonderful apples growing on the island grant immortality.
• Irish myths describe the mysterious Cid, "Another World", which is also depicted as a distant island among the sparkling waves of the sea. The Irish called this island High-Breasale, High-Breaseal, or simply Brazilian. Here is the plain of Bliss and the land of Youth. Sid — Kingdom Dagda, the Celtic god of the otherworld, who suspends the passage of time. From there supposedly came the people who originally settled Ireland. Later, the Celts overthrew the newcomers, and they sailed west again.
• The Arabs' idea of an overseas country of happiness and immortality is drawn from ancient authors, first of all Ptolemy. In the works of some Arab geographers of the late IX — first half of the XII century (al-Battani, al-Biruni, al-Idrisi), it is said about the Happy Islands ("Jaza'iru as-Suada") or the Eternal Islands ("Jaza'iru-l-Khalidat") lying in the far West. At the same time, the legend of paradise on earth is mixed with real evidence of the islands of the Eastern Atlantic, which, apparently, were reached by Arab sailors.
• According to the testimony of the Archbishop of Novgorod Vasily Kaliki, paradise was seen by the Novgorodians, led by Moislav, marching on three rooks. The storm brought them to the island, where a man-made azure was visible on a high mountain. Deesis. Wonderful singing could be heard from behind the mountain, and the sky there closed with the earth. The sacral nature of this space is also indicated by the fact that time does not move here.
• The paradisiacal surroundings are also surprising. Not far from them, the springs of immortality beat and the dog-heads live.
• The idea of the "islands of the blessed" in traditional Russian culture is also associated with the legend of the island of Buyan.
• In Chinese legends, there is an image of three sacred islands-mountains that served as the abode of the celestials. (In total, according to Taoist beliefs, there are 36 heavenly caves and 72 happy countries, which are considered as a paradise abode). The most detailed description of the islands is contained in the treatise "Le Tzu". In the eastern part of the bay Bohai, far, far away from the shore there is a large bottomless abyss called Guixu. The waters of all rivers, seas, oceans and even the heavenly river (the Milky Way) flow into it and maintain a constant water level without raising or lowering it. According to legend, there were five sacred mountains near Guixu: Daiyu, Yuanjiao, Fangzhang, Yingzhou and Penglai. The circumference of each of them is 30 thousand li, the plateau at the top is 9 thousand li, the mountains are 70 thousand li apart from each other. All the buildings there are made of gold and jade, all the animals and birds are sacred white. After flowering, jade and pearl fruits appeared on the trees, which tasted good and brought immortality to those who ate them. Immortals also dressed in white clothes, small wings grew on their backs. Little immortals could often be seen flying freely in the blue azure of the sky over the sea like birds. They flew from mountain to mountain, looking for their relatives and friends. Their life was fun and happy. These islands floated freely in the sea, which caused the immortals anxiety when strong waves rose.
• In Japanese fairy tales there is a plot about the Island of eternal youth, which is many days away, "in the land of unknown strangers." On it (as well as in the Novgorod legend) is the world tree.

Despite the obvious legendarity of this image, they tried to associate quite real geographical objects with it The Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.