Mayda (Maida) – Crescent Phantom of the Atlantic
Mayda · Maida · Mayde · Asmaidas
Medieval–Modern cartography (1367 Pizzigani – 1906)·Italian Majorcan–Bristol cartographic·🇵🇹 Mid-Atlantic crescent phantom west of Brittany, Portugal
About
About Mayda (Maida) – Crescent Phantom of the Atlantic
Crescent (Asmaida) phantom since Pizzigani Chart 1367 and Beccario 1435 at 46N 20W west of Brittany/Finisterre; shown crescent moon shape with concave east, indicating mis-copied Cape Breton or Newfoundland Banks silhouette by Bristol fishers returning 1430s. Persisted to 1906 Chart of Admiralty (last contested). Name perhaps from Flemish 'Mayde' (maiden) vs Arabic 'al-maida' (table). No rock; Atlantic depth 4,200 m at 46.5N 20W — abyssal. Flagged hypothetical: enduring 500-yr phantom after physics disproved by 1802 depth sounding.
Why it mattersLongevity of cartographic inertia — why phantom survived 539 years despite empty mid-Atlantic: Bristol fishery politics and Beccario prestige.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Was Mayda's crescent Breton mainland or Newfoundland Breton-named cape?
- 02Why did 1906 Admiralty still print Mayda despite 1802 sounding?
Theories
- 01Green 1967 linked Mayda crescent to Cape Breton shape viewed offshore — matched 1430 Bristol fishery dates
- 02Admiralty inclusion post-sounding demonstrates chart reproduction inertia, not belief
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 1367 Pizzigani first crescent west of Brittany
- Period
- Medieval–Modern cartography (1367 Pizzigani – 1906)
- Culture
- Italian Majorcan–Bristol cartographic
- Purpose
- Fishery bank myth + Breton silhouette
- Abandoned
- 1906 Admiralty drops Mayda, 1930s bathymetry abyssal
- Rediscovered
- 1367
- Excavation
- Not applicable
1367
Pizzigani portolan shows Asmaidas crescent west of Finisterre
1435
Battista Beccario charts Mayda at 46N 20W with crescent shape
1595
Mercator places Mayda near Brasil 38N while retaining Mayda 46N — double phantom
1802
HMS mid-Atlantic sounding 4,200 m proves no Mayda bank
1906
Admiralty final chart still carries Mayda — then removed
On the ground
Structures & features
46.5000° N · 20.0000° W · 0 m · 3 mapped features
Mayda Zeno–Beccario position
phantom46.5N 20W crescent west of Brittany
46.5000° N · 20.0000° WCape Breton real (source)
realCape Breton hook silhouette copied as Mayda
45.5000° N · 60.0000° WAdmiralty 1906 last Mayda
chartFinal Admiralty Mayda before removal
32.0000° N · 18.0000° W
Gallery