¤ St Brenvard of Manann


"Call me Brenvard. Years ago, the desire took me to go across the waves, to seek what lies beyond the sunset; and the glory of Manann shone from the blue waters and drew me like a sparkling gem. Thus I found myself compelled to have a ship built and a fine company of seamen composed. Great things Manann held in store for us…"
The beginning of the 'Chanson de Saint Brenvard'

Cult


The exact details of St Brenvard are very vague indeed; all that can be said is that he (may have) lived many years before the time of Gilles le Breton and before regular records began to be kept. Nevertheless, this has not impeded the imagination of dozens of wily sea-dogs and devotees of Manann over the years, and a wealth of stories and traditions have built up around St Brenvard.
Although these stories vary considerably concerning the saint's early life, all agree that he was a cleric of Manann living on the north coast of Bretonnia (l'Anguille makes a strong claim to be his home) and received a vision of Manann. In this vision, the god commanded him to go on a great voyage into the ocean to the west, so as to spread the god's glory amongst men and encourage them to take to his realm of the sea.
Brenvard duly had a small but doughty ship constructed and gathered a crew of brave clerics and seamen. At last they set sail, guided by Brenvard's unerring navigational skills and uncanny knowledge of the seas' treacherous ways. On this fantastic voyage, Brenvard and his companions encountered many wonderful things: an island inhabited by men with four hands and no feet; a sea monster so huge the saint landed on its back and made camp before realising his mistake; an eery, creaking hulk that prowled the waves collecting the souls of all men who died at sea (Brenvard's name is invoked by nearly all seamen, regardless of religious affiliation, if they ever see this apparition...and sightings are not unheard of). The voyage's conclusion, however, is still the part of the tale that arouses most awe and controversy: it is claimed that St Brenvard reached the 'Island of the Blessed' far across the sea, a land of luxury untouched by man and overflowing in natural bounty. After giving thanks to Manann for leading him to this discovery, Brenvard returned to his homeland and spread word of his great discovery and his amazing journey; thanks to this, the cult of Manann made considerable progress in the north of the kingdom.
Today, St Brenvard's cult is undergoing something of a renaissance as interest in the New World over the western ocean grows: his legend is avidly researched and pursued by explorers and academics, in the hope of finding some sort of proof that can cement Bretonnian territorial claims. 'Landlubbers' tend not to take most of his other legends very seriously, but there are many who, with more experience of the ocean, know to pay more heed to the mysteries of the deep.
St Brenvard's hard core of worshippers is still amongst the shipping and fishing communities of the north coast; they see Brenvard as the supreme sailor and navigator. Those who pray to him hope to be guided safely home by the saint's supreme navigational powers. Fishermen in particular have adopted him as their own, for a later legend states that he once prayed for a fishing boat that had vanished in a thick fog, and that the little boat soon came home safely.

Shrines


Because worshippers of Manann tend to be more practical than others, they have little time for big temples and long, complex rituals. That said, they also know to pay respect to any power that might lend them some sort of help. Thus, shrines and temples to St Brenvard, like most of those to Manann in Bretonnia, tend to be very impressive but dour, quiet and sombre; they contain many monuments and memorials to sailors lost at sea. Nearly every coastal town and village features a shrine or temple to Manann, many of which are dedicated to St Brenvard. The largest temples to St Brenvard are found in the biggest coastal cities of the north coast: l'Anguille, Flerrion, Candort and Honblanc. That situated in l'Anguille is the largest and most important because of that city's wealth and large seagoing population.

Relics


     As befits a saint of Manann, it is said that Brenvard's body was committed to the keeping of the sea, so that he could take care of those who lost their lives in Manann's watery kingdom. Thus, many personal, private offerings to Brenvard are actually thrown into the sea.
There are some relics associated with St Brenvard kept on land; these consist mostly of pieces of the ship in which he made his fantastic voyage. They are highly respected and venerated, even for relics, and there is a story that when once one of these relics was stolen from the temple in Flerrion half the town was wiped out in a great storm; the thief's body was found on the beach after the waves receded the following morning, the undamaged relic clutched in his hands. Security measures have improved significantly since that time.
At some time in the past, one of the pieces of Brenvard's ship was burned and the ashes carefully kept; these ashes were split into hundreds of tiny portions and mixed into clay amulets, shaped like a man in a sailing boat. Although the design has been much copied since then, original amulets containing some of the venerated ashes are believed to be truly potent charms for those taking to the high seas: it is said that anyone who carries such an amulet will never be shipwrecked.
¤ In Search of Bretonnia 10-02-2005