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imram
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imram

Irish literary genre
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Also known as: imramha
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Article History
Old Irish:
“rowing about” or “voyaging”,
Also spelled:
immram
Plural:
imramha

imram, in early Irish literature, a story about an adventurous voyage. This type of story includes tales of Irish saints traveling to Iceland or Greenland, as well as fabulous tales of Celtic heroes journeying to the otherworld (echtrae). An outstanding example of an imram is Imram Brain, or The Voyage of Bran, which describes a trip to the enchanted Land of Women. After what seems to be a year, Bran (spelled Brân in the Welsh tradition) and his colleagues return home to discover that their voyage had lasted longer than any memories and was recorded only in ancient sources. See also Celtic literature.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by René Ostberg.