Fear of the Iberian Atlantic navigation, 15th - 16th centuries

Abstract

During the first iberians atlantic travels, first along the african coast and then towards the western horizon, diverse fears manifested as a result of, on the one hand, the sense of danger that the own marine extension provokes, the beings inhabiting it and the weather events happening there, and on the other, of the knowledge of ancient philosophers, myths and christian beliefs that related the sea with the hell, sin, and death. In this sense, the fears were not only answers to certain external or internal stimulation, but they also were cause and consequence of cultural and ideological constructions toward the natural world. Through the discourse analysis of diaries, chronicles and literary narratives of the epoch, different fears that surprised those sailors are analyzed: the long distance to land; the thirst, hunger and disease suffering; the encounter with pirates or mermaids; as well as those related to the possibility of the ship loss: breakdowns, bad navigations, storms, shipwrecks, but also ominous signs from the other side that put to test the faith of the most devotee. However, despite the dangers, the sailing nations faced the fears motivated by the desire to overcome the adversities and survived the transatlantic travel helped by technology, but above all, hope.