The Atlantic Moving Islands

Summary

Many sailors who take part in cross Atlantic journeys often have tales of impossible islands that move from place to place, keeping up with their own vessels or even out-pacing them, veering wildly around in the ocean on their own. The floating islands have often been reported to have strange animals on them unlike any found elsewhere on the planet, unrecognizable to any who dare to get close to them. Few stories exist of people actually managing to make landfall on the islands, but of those that exist, almost all of them include details of extensive suffering and illness following anyone who attempted to do so afterward, such as mysterious burns, dramatic weight loss, necrosis anywhere they touched the foliage or animals, and death. Some variations tell of mysterious beings on the islands that attack any who would dare come close to them, speaking in unknown languages and looking 'wrong' in some way, though the tellers of these tales often are unable to communicate how.
A popular retelling of the legend tells of a cargo ship suddenly being landed on by dozens of tropical birds far from land one of the sailors can recognize, or finding dogs swimming out in the ocean and pulling them aboard. Swarms of birds and debris in the water lead the sailors to believe that there may be a ship in distress nearby, so the crew made the decision to divert course and follow the debris to look for survivors. On finding not a ship, but an island, many of the crew attempt to board it, and the island began to move, tearing apart their ship's hull and stranding them to either drown with their ship, or risk the island itself. Deciding against the sure death of the sea, the sailors climbed aboard the island by the overgrown vines and trees fallen into the water, one by one falling ill, wounds festering, and vomiting until the healthiest among them could craft a raft from debris and attempt to leave the cursed place, being rescued by another ship.

Historical Basis

There appears to be some historical basis to the legend, as several records from human era settlements in parts of India, China, Malaysia, and South Korea have records of blueprints for massive ships designed to operate at sea for extended periods of time, estimated 5 years or more, with massive greenhouse domes and an upper deck planted with deciduous trees and plants. It is thought these ships may have been intended to function as at sea nature preserves for endangered species in order to conduct research, breed, and isolate plants and animals without the risk of habitat destruction. Another theory is that during the increasing conflict with dragons, humans may have been planning to use these vessels for themselves in order to escape the mainland. Many of the blueprints, though they often vary in design, seem to imply the ships may have operated entirely on wind, solar, hydroelectric, and nuclear power, with no need to refuel with gas or diesel, being semi-autonomous and drifting on the currents.
The leading theory in explaining the myth of floating islands is that perhaps, some of these ships may have actually been constructed and inhabited for some period of time, eventually their populaces leaving or dying off, leaving the ships in states of disrepair and neglect. Over time, if they didn't sink, the ships may have become completely overgrown by their decks, leading to those who saw them to believe they may be strange islands appearing to move. Most generally agree that these vessels do not currently exist and that tales of them have simply carried on to the modern day, as many sailors often claim they know someone that knows of someone else claiming to see them, but very few people have come forward with reports of actually seeing the supposed islands.

Spread

Stories of these islands are a common ghost story among sailors in the Atlantic and around coastal shipping ports. Often, they are spread from person to person during slow times when there is time for sailors and crews to chat, rest, and like the case of many ghost stories and myths, are told under the influence of a great amount of liquor.