Celtic fairy traditions
Bran’s Otherworld Voyage
An unknown woman sings to Bran about a distant island and presents a branch associated with Emain. Its silver twigs and crystal blossoms give the invitation an object that seems to belong elsewhere. When she leaves, the branch springs from Bran’s hand into hers despite his effort to hold it. The voyage that follows turns an encounter at court into a crossing of worlds.
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In the sources
Principal account
ReportedAn unknown woman sings to Bran about a distant island and presents a branch associated with Emain. Its silver twigs and crystal blossoms give the invitation an object that seems to belong elsewhere.
Further detail
ReportedWhen she leaves, the branch springs from Bran’s hand into hers despite his effort to hold it. The voyage that follows turns an encounter at court into a crossing of worlds.
Context & interpretation
Evans-Wentz combines named informants, manuscript narratives, and his own psychical theory in a 1911 survey. This entry preserves those distinctions: collected belief and literary tradition do not establish the physical existence of an Otherworld.
Original passages
Source 1
The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
fifty quatrains to Bran : — A branch of the apple-tree from Emain I bring, like those one knows ; Twigs of white silver are on it,Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Celtic fairy traditions; active reader leaf 370
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0045-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0045-E001-P0370
- Original scan leaf
- 371
- Recorded leaf number
- 371
- Current Reader position
- 366
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
she took her branch with her. The branch sprang from Bran's hand into the hand of the woman, nor was there strength in Bran's hand toOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Celtic fairy traditions; active reader leaf 370
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0045-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0045-E001-P0370
- Original scan leaf
- 371
- Recorded leaf number
- 371
- Current Reader position
- 366
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed