Just one thing: the names Brazil comes from brazil-wood, which populated much of the Brazilian coast when the Portuguese landed. There's no reason for Grand Banks to be called Brasil ITTL.
Just one thing: the names Brazil comes from brazil-wood, which populated much of the Brazilian coast when the Portuguese landed. There's no reason for Grand Banks to be called Brasil ITTL.
When Portuguese explorers found these trees on the coast of South America, they used the name pau-brasil to describe them. Pau is Portuguese for "stick" (or, by metonymy, "wood" in general), and brasil is said to have come from brasa, Portuguese for "ember", meaning "emberlike". The wood of this tree has a deep red hue, which may be why it received this name. Pau-brasil had been earlier used to describe a different species of tree found in Asia and other places, called Sappanwood which also produced red dye [x]
The expedition briefly came ashore, and named the landmass “Brasil” after the red resin from the pine trees indigenous to the island.
Huy Brasil is totally unrelated- it was an Irish myth.Actually there was a designation to an island west of Ireland named "Ilha Brasil" long before 1500. Because of this, a mountain on the island of Angra do Heroismo is named Monte Brasil, and this pre-dates 1500. The island appears on 14th and 15th century maps.
Brazil itself was named Ilha (Terra) da Vera Cruz in 1500, Terra da Santa Cruz 1501.
Below is a Catalan map from 1375 showing the island of Brasil
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_C2vvRlOtkLc/S9Xqiaf5KKI/AAAAAAAAEJ4/XxXuiCyhQzg/s1600/catalan.jpg
The map below from 1588 shows the island of Brasil
http://livinlavidarick.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/14-hybrasilmunstercol-1588-fb.jpg
Huy Brasil is totally unrelated- it was an Irish myth.
While true, if a mythical island called "Brazil" or Brasil was supposed to exist west of Ireland, and several maps of the day referenced it. There is a good chance the explorers might name Newfoundland that, at least at first. Let us not forget that the French thought they would reach China going up the Saint Lawrence River, hence the naming of the Lachine Rapids.
He's right.Definitely liking this so far. A couple minor linguistic nitpicks: one, adjectives and nouns agree in number in Portuguese, so it should be Ilhas Floreiras, not Ilhas Floreira