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Video: Russian translation of the Catalan map and the Fra Mauro map
2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-16 18:34
Translation of the textual part of the Catalan map of 1375 and of the Fra Mauro map of 1490
Catalan map of 1375. Source with English translation -
They have "dull" illustrations from a faded map, but I have a more colorful copy, so I replaced their images with my own, for an aesthetic look.
It seemed very strange to me that a single fragment from all 4 parts of the map has not been translated, showing the modern Far East of Russia, where, according to excerpts, it is said that diamonds are mined in this region and that Alexander the Great visited there (I immediately recall Andrei Golubev with his article). I also want to note that in the extreme part of the map depicting Katay and the peoples of Gog and Magog, opposite the translation, no illustrations are given, only 4 images, and everything else is empty cells. In the previous fragments, almost all translations are illustrated with fragments from the map. In a word, you just need to see it:
In all other respects, everything was done carefully, a lot of work was done, for which the translators are grateful, since it is very difficult to parse the printed Latin text, and even handwritten is even more so. It is clear that the translators were professional translators.
So, translations. All cards are clickable.
Section 1
| There are many beautiful islands in Hibernia [Ireland] whose existence is beyond doubt; among them there is one small one where people never die, because when they are old and feel that they will soon die, they leave the island. There are no snakes, no frogs, no poisonous spiders, because the soil repels them, provided that it is in the area of the Lacerie island. In addition, there are trees that attract birds with ripe fruits. There is also another island where women never give birth, because when they are about to give birth, they are taken out of the island, as is customary. | |
| Island Stillanda [Shetlandic or Icelandic], the inhabitants speak Norwegian and are Christians. | |
| Archania island. On this island six months of the year are light and six months dark. | |
| The Luckie Islands [Canary Islands] are located in the great sea on the west side. Isidore says in his Book XV that these islands are called fortunate because there are many kinds of goods: cereals, fruits, herbs and trees. Pagans believe that this is paradise, because there is a soft sun and fertile lands. Isidore also says that the trees are 140 feet high and are full of fruits and birds. There is honey and milk, especially on the island of Capraria, because they have a lot of goats. Previously, these islands were called Canary Islands, because of the many dogs, large and strong. Pilus [Pliny] Master of Cartography says that among the lucky islands there is one with all the goods of the world, because the fruit grows on the top of the mountain without planting or sowing. The trees are leafy along with the fruit. The islanders eat these fruits during part of the year, while the rest of the time they reap the grass. That is why pagans from India believe that after death their souls end up on these islands, where they live in eternity and enjoy these fruits; they think this is their paradise. But in reality, this is just a fairy tale. | |
| The ship Jaime Ferrer set sail for the Golden River on August 10, 1350, the Feast of St. Lawrence. | |
| Cape Finisterre [end of the earth] in western Africa. Here begins Africa, which ends in Alexandria and Babylon; it begins here and covers the entire barbarian (barbaric) coast up to Alexandria, south to Ethiopia; there is a lot of ivory in these regions due to the very large number of elephants (…) | |
| The region of Norway is very harsh, it is very cold, the mountains are wild and covered with forests. Its inhabitants eat more fish and meat than bread; barley and cereals are not grown here because of the cold. There are also many animals such as deer, polar bears and gyrfalcon. | |
| This mountain range is called Carena by the Saracens and the Claris mountains by Christians. In these mountains there are many good cities and castles, which are at war with each other; Also in these mountains there is an abundance of bread, wine, oil and all kinds of good fruits. | |
| The merchants who enter the land of the Negroes of Gineva [Ghana] pass through this place; This passage is called the Darcha Valley. | |
| This black king is called Mousse Melli and is the ruler of the land of the blacks Gineva [Ghana]. This king is the richest and most noble of all these lands due to the abundance of gold that is extracted from his lands. | |
| This land is inhabited by people who wrap themselves in such a way that only their eyes can be seen; they live in tents and ride camels. There are animals called Lemp [orice] whose skin is used to make good leather protection |
Section 2
| The city of Leopolis [Lvov]. Some traders arrive in this city on their way to the Levant across the La Mancha [Baltic Sea] in Flanders. | |
| This sea is called the La Manche Sea, the Gotilandia Sea and the Susia Sea. This sea freezes over six months of the year; that is, from mid-October to mid-March; and so strong that it can be crossed with the cart. The weather is very rough here due to the cold north wind. | |
| It is ruled by King Organa, a Saracen who is constantly at war with the Saracens of the coast and other Arabs. | |
| Mesopotamia, now called Asia Minor or Turkey, is home to many provinces and cities. | |
| Asia Minor, also called Turkey, where there are many cities and castles. | |
| This lake is called (…) [probably Lake Ilmen or Lake Ladoga based on the map Villadestes 1413] Sturgeons and other various strange fish are found here. | |
| Here lies the body of St. Catherine theotokos. | |
| The sons of Israel passed through this gorge when they fled Egypt. | |
| Mount Sinai, where God gave the Law to Moses. | |
| This is the middle mountain of the Taurida Mountains, Tibesti. Many Saracens traveling from the west to Mecca to see the Ark of the Covenant of Mohamed, which contains their law, pass through this mountain. | |
| This sea is called the Red Sea and was crossed by the twelve tribes of Egypt. The water in this sea is not red, but its bottom is of this color. Most of the spice ships arriving in Alexandria from India pass through this sea. | |
| This is the Sultan of Babylon [Al-Fustat, Egypt] the greatest and most powerful in the region | |
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Spices coming from India end up in this Chos city [Al-Qusayr, Egypt]. They are then delivered to Babylon and Alexandria. |
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| (…) City of Nubia. The King of Nubia is constantly at war with the Christians of Nubia, who are under the rule of the Emperor of Ethiopia and the land of Presbyter John. |
Section 3
| Mount Ararat, where Noah's ark rested after the flood | |
| This sea is called Sarah and Bacu | |
| Those wishing to cross this desert stop and rest for a week in a town called Lop. Here travelers and their animals rest and enjoy themselves. After that, they buy what they need for the next seven months of the journey, because in the desert everyone travels day and night until they reach drinking water; However, after a day and a half, they can find enough water to water 50 or even 100 people. And if it happens that the rider is tired of the journey, whether he fell asleep or for some other reason separates from his comrades, he will often hear the voices of devils, similar to the voices of their comrades, who call him by name. Thus, demons lead him through the wilderness, and the traveler cannot find his companions. A thousand stories are known about this desert. | |
| It is home to the emperor of this northern region, whose empire begins in the province of Bulgaria and ends in the city of Organcio. His name is Jambech, Lord of Sarah. | |
| This city is called Siras and in ancient times it was called the City of Grace because astronomy was invented here by the great sage Ptolemy. | |
| This city is called Great Nineveh, it was destroyed because of its sins. | |
| Here was Great Babylonia, where Nebuchadnezzar lived, now called Baldaca. Many spices, as well as other noble products, come to this city from India and are distributed through Siria, in particular to the city of Damascus. | |
| This city is called Hormes and is the beginning of India. Ships arrive in this city, which have eight and ten masts with reed sails. | |
| In front of the Baldach Delta lies the Indian and Persian Seas. Pearls are fished here and sent to the city of Baldach. The fishermen say they use a charm to keep the fish from swimming away and not interfere with the pearl fishing. | |
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Mecca. In this city there is the ark of the covenant of Mohamed the prophet of the Saracens, who make pilgrimages here from all regions. Pilgrims say that after seeing such a beautiful object, they are not worthy to see anything else, and "clear their eyes" in honor of Muhammad. |
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| Arabia Sebba. The area ruled by Queen Sebba; Now it belongs to the Saracen Arabs, and it has very good spices, as well as myrtle and incense. Gold, silver and precious stones are in abundance, and there you can meet a bird named Phoenix. | |
| This province is called Tarsia, from here three wise kings went and came to Bethlehem in Judea with their gifts and worshiped Jesus Christ. They are buried in the city of Cologne, which is two days' journey from Bruges. | |
| This caravan left the Sarah Empire and is heading for Alcatayo. | |
| Sebur Mountains, where the great Edil River originates | |
| Many Civitas Magni [large cities] were built by Alexander the King of Macedon. | |
| Here lives a great sultan, powerful and very wealthy. This Sultan has seven hundred elephants, one hundred thousand cavalry soldiers under his command, and countless foot soldiers. A lot of gold and many precious stones can be found in these regions. | |
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These ships are called Nichi, and are sixty cubits high and thirty-four cubits long; They have at least 4 masts, some have 10. The sails are made of reeds and palm leaves. |
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| King Colombo, a Christian, reigns here. Colombo Province. | |
| In the Indian Ocean, there are very rich islands. The fishermen say that they use a charm to make the fish swim away, otherwise the fish will swallow them. |
Section 4
| Ysicol. In this place there is a monastery of Armenian monks, where the body of the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew lies. | |
| These trumpeters are made of metal, cast by order of the great and powerful Tsar Alexander the Great | |
| The Caspian Mountains, where Alexander saw trees so tall that their crowns touched the clouds. Here he almost died if Satan did not come to his aid, who took him out of there, using his arts. And using his cunning, Alexander locked the Tartar Gogs and Magogs here; and for them he ordered the casting of the two trumpeters mentioned above. Then he locked up many different races here, who did not hesitate to eat all kinds of raw meat; It is from here that the Antichrist will come out and they will perish from the fire that will fall from heaven. | |
| Merchants from the Sarah Empire arrive in this city of Lop on their way to Cathay by direct route. They ride oxen, carts and camels. | |
| Men and women in this region cremate the dead with music and gaiety, although the relatives of the deceased cry for him. And from time to time it happens that wives rush into the fire after their husbands, but husbands never rush after their wives. | |
| In these islands, very good gyrfalcons and falcons are born, which are caught only for the Great Ham, the ruler and emperor of Cathay. | |
| King Chabech, the ruler of the Medėja empire, reigns here. She is in Emalech. | |
| People are born here so small that they reach no more than three feet in height (91 cm). And although they are small in stature and not capable of doing hard work, they are very skillful in weaving and raising cattle. These people become sexually mature at the age of 12. They usually live up to forty years. They also live an ordinary life without prosperity. They protect themselves from the herons, which they catch and eat. This is where the land of Catayo [Cathay] ends. | |
| The Christian king Stephen reigns here. Here lies the body of the Apostle Saint Thomas. Located near the town of Butifilis. | |
| City of Carnan. This is where Catay [Cathay] ends | |
| The city of Jana has many aloe, camphor, sandalwood, galangal, nutmeg and cinnamon spices. These spices are more in demand than any other in India. There is also nutmeg. | |
| An island of naked people, where men and women wear sheets in the front and back. | |
| Not far from the town of Chambalech, there is a town called Guatibalu in the old days. The Great Ham learned, using astrology, that this city would rebel against him and ordered the evacuation of all inhabitants and the construction of Chambalech. This city has twenty-four leagues around its perimeter. It is well fortified with a square wall; each side is six leagues long and twenty steps high and ten steps wide. There are twelve gates and one bell tower that rings for Vespers (first sleep) or earlier. After the last bell is struck, no one dares to walk around the city. Each gate is guarded by thousands of people, and not because they are afraid, but because they respect their sovereign. | |
| Prophet Isaiah LXVII: "I will send those who survived the Last Judgment to Africa and Lydia," and further: "to distant islands and to those that have never heard of me or my glory, and they will bring my glory to these people." … | |
| Grand Duke ruler of Gog and Magog. He will appear with many people during the time of the Antichrist. | |
| Antichrist. He will ascend to Goraym from Galilee and at the age of thirty he will begin preaching in Jerusalem; contrary to the truth, he will claim to be Christ, the living Son of God. He will say that he will rebuild the Temple. | |
| The most powerful tartar prince is called Holubeim, which means Great Ham [Kubilai Ham]. This emperor is richer than any other emperor in the world. This emperor is protected by twelve thousand horsemen with their four captains, who remain in the royal court for three months a year. | |
| These people are savages; they feed on raw fish, drink sea water and go naked. | |
| In the Indian Sea [Sea of China] there are seven thousand five hundred and forty-eight islands, whose wonders of gold, silver, spices and precious stones, we cannot describe here | |
| Trapobana Island [Taprobana]. This island of the Tartars is called Magno Caulii and it is the last island of the East. The island is inhabited by people who are very different from the rest; There are giants in some of the mountains of this island, twelve cubits high. There are very black and stupid ones; they eat white people and foreigners if they capture them. This island has two summers and three winters, and trees and grasses bloom twice a year. | |
| The sea of the West Indies, where spices are produced. Many ships from many countries cross this sea. Here you can find the children of the fish of the three sirens: one of them is half fish, half woman, the other half woman, half bird. | |
| * The only untranslated fragment (top) of all 4 parts of the map. Quite strange, considering that the smallest inscriptions have been translated and, moreover, painstakingly and efficiently. I don’t know if this is due to malicious intent or not … The fragment talks about diamonds and about Alexander the Great (well, this is the region of Yakutia on the map, where most diamonds are mined now). Well, something about the literacy of the population, this is indicated by two men with parchment and a pen. Or maybe it's a bag? It's all strange in a word * |
Fra Mauro's map from 1490. Resolution 5000 by 5000 (not found anymore). View map online -
The excerpts that could be found on the net:
| In the year 1420 our ship was rescued, called the Zoncho de India at the intersection of the Indian Sea towards the island of Men and Women, caught up in a storm near Cape Diab, sailing through the Green Isles, into the Sea of Darkness, heading west and southwest towards the Algarve. Nothing but air and water was visible for forty days, they swam about 2000 miles and their luck left them. When the storm subsided, they returned to Cape Diab for seventy days and, as they approached the shore to anchor, the sailors saw an egg of a bird called Rukh. The egg was about the size of a seven-gallon barrel, and the size of the bird was sixty steps from the tip of one wing to the other, and it could lift an elephant or any other large animal quite easily. This does a lot of damage to the locals and makes it very fast to fly. | |
| This most excellent and powerful emperor has sixty crowned kings under his dominion. When he travels, he sits in a gold and ivory carriage that is adorned with precious stones of indescribable value. This carriage is pulled by a white elephant. The four noblest kings in their dominions stand one at each corner of this wagon to accompany him; and everyone else is walking in front with a large number of armed men, both in front and behind. And there are all the noblest pleasures and customs in the world. | |
| Little Java, a very fertile island with eight kingdoms, surrounded by eight islands, in which various spices grow, such as ginger and others in large quantities, and all the crops from this and other [islands] are forwarded to Giava major, where it is divided into three parts: one for Zaiton and Cathay, another for the Indian Sea, Hormuz, Jeddah and Mecca, and the third for the countries north of Cathay from the sea side. On this island, according to the testimony of those who sailed in this sea, the brightness of the polar star increases during Brazo [?]. | |
| Greater Java, a very noble island located in the east in the far part of the world in the direction of Cin, belonging to Katai, and the bay or port of Zaiton, 3000 miles in circumference and has 1111 kingdoms; people are idolaters and sorcerers. The island is delightful and very fertile, gold is mined here in large quantities, aloe tree, spices and other wonders grow. And in the south there is a port called Randan, beautiful, large, and safe: in the immediate vicinity is the very noble city of Giava, many of whose wonders have already been voiced. | |
| Some write that these peoples live on the slopes of the Caspian Mountain or not far from there, which, as you know, were closed by Alexander the Great. But this opinion, definitely erroneous, cannot be supported in any way, because the various peoples that live around this mountain have been noticed; it is not possible that such a large number of peoples remain unknown, given that these regions are quite well known to us: these places were often visited not only by our people, but also by Georgians, Mingrelians, Armenians, Cherkassians, Tartars and many others who constantly travel around this route. Therefore, if these peoples were imprisoned there, I think that others would have been notified of this, and this fact would be known to us. But, given that these peoples are on the edge of the earth - about which I have reliable information - this explains why all the peoples I have listed above do not know more about them than we do. From this I conclude that these peoples are far from the Caspian mountain and live, as I said, in the extreme limit of the world, between the northeast and the north, and are enclosed by rocky mountains on three sides and the ocean. They are located in the north of the Kingdom of Tenduch and are called Ung and Mongul, whom our people know as Gog and Magog and believe that they will appear during the time of Antichrist. But, of course, this mistake is connected with the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, when people see what they want to see. Therefore, my opinion is the same as that of St. Augustine, who in his work De Civitate Dei rejects all the opinions of those who claim that Gog and Magog are peoples who will support the Antichrist. And Nikolai Lyra agrees with these claims, explaining the two names from their Jewish origin. | |
| Some write that Sithia spreads on the near and far slopes of Mount Imaum. But if they saw this area with their own eyes, they would significantly expand their intended boundaries, because Sithia contains the largest number of peoples who live between the Northeast and the East, between the Northeast and the North. These peoples have countless kingdoms and empires and great powers. I do not think, however, that the ancients were able to judge their true names properly, I believe that their interpreters made many mistakes in their writings. That is why I am not very sure that it is possible to find the real names of these peoples, for it is impossible to establish an agreement between such a variety of languages in which descriptions of these peoples were written, in which the names change and are confused in accordance with their own idioms. These names now need to be changed in the correct form due to the diversity of languages, the long time span and mistakes made by scribes. |
| Norvegia is a very large province surrounded by the sea and connected to Svetia. Neither wine nor oil is produced here, people are strong, healthy and tall. Likewise, in Svetia, men are very cruel; and according to some reports, Julius Caesar was not ready to face them in battle. These peoples also brought many tribulations to Europe; in the time of Alexander the Great, the Greeks did not dare to subjugate them. But now they are significantly weakened and no longer have the reputation that was with them before. Here is said to be the body of Saint Bridget, who some say was from Svetia. There are also many new species of animals, especially huge polar bears and other wild animals. | |
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Note that in ancient times England was inhabited by giants, but some Trojans who survived the devastation of Troy came to this island, fought with the locals and defeated them; after that, in honor of their prince Brutus, they named these islands Britain. But later the Saxons and Germans conquered these territories, and after one of their kings, Angela, they named them England. These peoples were converted to Christianity by Pope Saint Gregory, who sent them a priest named Augustine. As shown, Scotia is adjacent to England, but in the southern part it is separated from it by water and mountains. People are simple-minded, but cruel towards their enemies; they prefer death to slavery. The island is very fertile, there are many pastures, rivers, springs and animals and all other things; in this way Scotia is like England. |
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The Thanai (Don) river originates in Russia, and not in the Riphei mountains, as it is located very far from them. The southeastern tributaries flow close to the Edil River, at a distance of about 20 miles. Then, at Belciman, it deviates almost to the southwest and flows into the Abache Sea - that is Meotide swamp (the Sea of Azov was a swamp ???) … And whoever wants to argue with this should know that I have testimonies from very worthy people who saw it with their own eyes, so we can say that this river does not mark a very clear border between Europe and Asia. First, because it cuts off most of Europe; secondly, because of its looping shape, which is shaped like 5 Vs; and thirdly, because it is not formed where it is written. The Caspian Mountains, shown above the beginning of the Pontus Sea, expand to the east, to the Khircan Sea, which is also called the Caspian Sea, because there are iron gates near its coast, which are named as because they are invulnerable, It is through them that you need to pass if someone wants pass through these mountains, which are very high, their thickness is a multiple of 20 days of travel, and the length is equal to countless days of travel. In these mountains there are 30 nations speaking another language and another faith. They live in the mountains, all the inhabitants - or at least most of them - forge iron and make weapons and everything that is necessary for the art of war. Let it not seem strange that I showed these mountains as both Caspian and Caucasian, because those who live there claim that this is one chain of mountains, the name of which changes due to the diversity of languages of the people who live there. But to satisfy the cosmographers made a long explanation under this title. One could talk about other things in these mountains, if there was a place to write them. |
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| Some authors argue that the Indian Sea is closed like a lake and has no outlet to the sea. But Solin believes that it is an ocean, and its southern and southwestern parts are navigable. And I claim that some ships sailed and returned along this route. |
This is only a small part of the textual part of the Fra Mauro map. A FULL translation of maps into English is sold on Amazon.com:
In this regard, I had a proposal to throw off whoever can, I will order and buy this work and make a translation from English into Russian. This edition is also valuable in that it contains fragments of the Fra Mauro map in maximum resolution, excellent quality, plus a long accompanying text with explanations. If you are interested, you can help, let's say, the project to restore the historical truth. It takes about $ 130 to collect, plus about $ 30 shipping. Yandex card number: 410011584176074
I would be glad for any help!
All health and sober mind
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