Myth and Reality: Blurring of Boundaries in The Travels of Sir John Mandeville

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the blending of myth and reality in The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, drawing mainly upon Mircea Eliade’s ideas from Myth and Reality to assess how medieval travel writing blurs boundaries between the mystical and the actual. It does so while upholding the presumption that travelers keep records of their movements, the places they visit, and the men and women they encounter. Mandeville’s text is a blend of real geographic knowledge and mythical elements. It shows remote and strange lands not just as physical spaces but as areas where the human imagination seems to redefine the nature of reality. With the inclusion of classical and medieval myths—such as the Cynocephali, people with one foot, the Well of Youth, and Prester John—Mandeville transforms distant regions into centers of ethical and societal contemplation. Borrowing from Eliade’s notion that myths represent the sacred and the profane while determining human understanding of reality, this paper examines how The Travels serves as a narrative of both the fictional and the verifiable worlds. In medieval Europe, Mandeville’s incorporation of mythical elements satisfied a dual role: giving religious lessons combined with addressing the concerns of exoticism and wonder. Using Eliade’s lens to view myths, this paper discusses the ways The Travels functions as a channel for presenting humanity’s inner aspirations and anxieties about the unknown, or the world yet to be known. The integration of myth and reality creates a narrative where the unknown and revered merge with the empirical. Thus, the paper serves a refreshing approach in the long-standing tradition of considering myths as integral elements of human experience.