The poem shares similar themes and elements with other Irish
immrama, such as
The Voyage of Brendan and
The Voyage of Máel Dúin, both written in early to mid-900. For example, both Bran's and Máel Dúin's voyagers reach an island of laughter or laughing people, and in each case a crew member is left abandoned. And the material may possibly have been borrowed by the
Navigatio sancti Brendani abbatis, the Latin work on St. Brendan's voyage.
Heinrich Zimmer contended that it led to the episode of the third latecomer being abducted by the demons (
Navigatio 24), though did not see this as an obvious parallel. A different episode open to comparison is Brendan's abandonment of one of the monks to the psalm-singing choirs (
Navigatio 17), although the situation in Brendan's case is a happy one and contrastive to Bran. Elsewhere, Bran is told of a tree with holy birds that all sing at the same time, similar to what Brendan encounters in his voyage, and Mael Duin encounters trees full of birds as well. However, some scholars emphasise that commonality of the voyage is only a superficial similarity, since the true
immrama are "exclusively ecclesiastical in inspiration" in contrast to the
echtrae (including Bran's Voyage) whose central theme is the voyage to the Celtic Otherworld. However, there are also specific points of close similarity, because the
immrama do "draw to a limited extent on the motifs of the native secular literate" (including the
echtrae).
Saint Brendan The Voyage of Bran may have influenced the later story of
Saint Brendan's voyage, owing perhaps to the similarity of the names of the leading figures. The
Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis stands out among other
immrama since it mentions the
terra repromissionis, which translates into Irish as
Tír Tairngire ("Land of Promise"), which is the term for the Otherworld in the non-Christian tales. The stories are also similar in that at one point, one of the travellers is exorcised or left behind on an island, either by free will or as punishment for a sin.
Voyage of Máel Dúin The Voyage of Bran has many parallels to
The Voyage of Máel Dúin. • The island of laughter is a common theme. Bran and company visit the "Island of Joy." After being sent by Bran to investigate the island, one of Bran's men will not speak to the crew, only gaping at them, just like the inhabitants of the island. The man is then abandoned and left on the island. Similarly in
The Voyage of Máel Dúin, one of Máel Dúin's men is sent to investigate, cannot stop laughing, loses the ability to recognize his crew and is eventually left behind. • The motif of the magical pulling yarn is another motif found in both works. Bran and company reach the "Island of Women", where they are welcomed by many women, fed well, and one of the women uses a ball of yarn in order to magically ensnare Bran. In
The Voyage of Máel Dúin, the crew reaches an island that is home to seventeen women, who are hospitable to them. When they try to leave, one of the women throws a ball of yarn that magically clings to Diurán's hand. But this motif occurs additionally in other works, e.g. the Irish account of the
Argonauts prefixed to
Togail Troí. • At the end of the tale, one of Bran's men jumps from the coracle after having been magically at sea for hundreds of years. Upon touching dry soil, he is turned into ash. In
The Voyage of Máel Dúin, one of the foster brothers tries to steal a necklet and is burnt to ash by a magical cat.
Mabinogion The Voyage of Bran may also be compared to the Welsh text
Branwen Daughter of Llŷr from the
Mabinogi. The parallels are not along the lines of plot, as with
The Voyage of Brendan and
The Voyage of Máel Dúin, but rather in similarity in the names of characters (Brân son of Febal vs. Bran son of Llŷr). Alfred Nutt expressed scepticism over the notion that the Celtic Otherworld was founded on the Classical Greek
Elysium, and contrasts the free-love milieu of the Land of Women in Bran's Voyage with
Virgil's Elysium of chastity. == Manuscript sources ==