Where islands dream, and stories cross oceans.

From the volcanic heart of the Atlantic rise tales that have traveled through centuries—stories whispered around hearths, sung in work songs, carried in the wind across nine islands. Whispers of the Atlantic: Legends from the Azores gathers these timeless narratives and brings them into English, offering readers a journey through the enchanted archipelago where myth and memory intertwine. Giants, saints, sailors, and dreamers live side by side with the sea, the volcano, and the hydrangea. These are not only legends of the past; they are living echoes of a people who have always dwelled between fire and water, exile and belonging, homeland and diaspora.

The legend of the discovery of the island of Santa Maria, Azores 

The legend takes place during the time of Prince Henry the Navigator, founder of the mythical Sagres Nautical School. According to it, Gonçalo Velho Cabral, a sailor of the Prince and a devout friar of “Our Lady,” set sail in a caravel on the Prince’s orders, promising the Virgin that he would name the first land he found in the “Ocean Sea” after her.

The sea voyages of discovery were generally difficult, lengthy, and unpredictable. Sailors depended on the lookout, perched high in the crow’s nest, almost at the top of a mast, to scan the horizon from dawn until dusk and try to spot land.

Gonçalo Velho meticulously examined the maps, noted the currents, and prayed. Calm and storms passed, nights and days, months… Then, on a summer’s day, on Our Lady’s Day in August, a clear, gentle day dawned, with a clean sky. The view stretched to great distances.

On the horizon, a cloud began to appear, growing larger, gaining shape and clarity. At a certain point, the lookout had no more doubts and shouted: ” Land ahoy! “. Gonçalo Velho Cabral and the rest of the crew began the day, as was their custom at such times, with prayers to God and Our Lady to help them find new lands. They were praying the ” Hail Mary,” and at that precise moment, they pronounced “Holy Mary.”

Gonçalo Velho considered it a miracle of Our Lady, reminding him of the promise he had made. This was the first island discovered in the Azores, the “mother island,” which was immediately named Santa Maria Island.

According to legend, this faith of Gonçalo Velho has been perpetuated in the place, where great devotion to Our Lady is still maintained, celebrated effusively in August each year.

FURTADO-BRUM, Ângela. Açores, Lendas e Outras Histórias (2a. ed).. Ponta Delgada: Ribeiro & Caravana Editores, 1999. ISBN 972-97803-3-1 p. 25-26.

Whispers of the Atlantic: Legends from the Azores

Vision Statement

To preserve, translate, and reimagine the legendary heritage of the Azores as a cultural bridge across oceans—connecting generations, honoring the voices of the ancestors, and ensuring that these stories remain vibrant for the future of the diaspora and the world.

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Mission Statement

Through the Whispers of the Atlantic series, Bruma Publications and Filamentos are committed to:

• Collecting and translating Azorean folktales, myths, and legends with literary fidelity and poetic resonance.
• Sharing these stories with English-speaking readers in North America and beyond fosters cultural pride and cross-cultural dialogue.
• Preserving centuries-old oral traditions as living cultural treasures, not museum relics.
• Inspiring new generations of writers, artists, and dreamers to draw from Azorean heritage in building bridges across languages, cultures, and oceans.