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Thule

File:Thule_carta_marina_Olaus_Magnus.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as ultima Thule, Thoúlē, Thūlē

thumb|upright=1.4|Thule as Tile on the Carta marina of 1539 by [[Olaus Magnus, where it is shown located to the northwest of the Orkney islands, with a "monster, seen in 1537", a whale ("balena"), and an orca nearby]]

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Mappa di Eratostene.jpg
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Thule (mythological island)
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12 sections
Contents
  • Classical and medieval accounts
  • Modern research
  • Namesakes
  • Literary references
  • Classical literature
  • Medieval and early modern literature
  • Modern literature
  • In Nazi ideology
  • See also
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • External links

thumb|upright=1.4|Thule as Tile on the Carta marina of 1539 by [[Olaus Magnus, where it is shown located to the northwest of the Orkney islands, with a "monster, seen in 1537", a whale ("balena"), and an orca nearby]]

Thule ( ; also spelled as Thylē) is the most northerly location (if not Hyperborea) mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature and cartography. First written of by the Greek explorer Pytheas of Massalia (modern-day Marseille, France) in about 320 BC, it was often described by later writers as an island north of Ireland or Britain, despite Pytheas never explicitly describing it as an island. Modern interpretations have included Orkney, Shetland, Northern Scotland, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland. Other potential locations are the island of Saaremaa in Estonia, or the Norwegian island of Smøla.

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