2. Fernao Lopes: The Mutilated Hermit of St Helena
The island of St Helena is one of the most remote islands in the world. It lies in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of Brazil. The island was found to be entirely uninhabited when Portuguese navigator Joao da Nova discovered it in May 1502. Da Nova named it St Helena after of St Helena of Constantine, whose feast day the sailors had just celebrated. For years, St Helena was just a stopover for ships sailing between Europe from Asia and Africa. Today, it is best known as the final place of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte. However, long before Napoleon took up residence, St Helena was home to another outcast.
Like Gonzalo Guerrero, Fernao Lopes was a solider that changed sides and fought against his native country. While on campaign in India, Lopes converted to Islam and switched allegiance to fight alongside local Muslims who had rebelled against the Portuguese in Goa. When the Portuguese captured Lopes, they exacted terrible revenge, cutting off his ears, nose and his right hand. Disfigured and disgraced, Lopes knew he could never go home. So, in 1516, he stowed away on a ship bound for Portugal. However, once it reached St Helena, he disembarked and hid in the uninhabited forests on the island.
Lopes staved off loneliness by making a pet of a rooster. However, otherwise, he kept entirely to himself. When sailors landed on St Helena, he hid away, waiting until they had departed to take the charitable gifts of food and clothing they left for him. Somehow the sailors learned of his sad past and back in Europe Lopes acquired a new name: “The Hermit of St Helena.” His story reached the ears of the King of Portugal and the pope who, full of pity for Lopes, offered him a full pardon- and the chance to return home. However, Lopes chose to continue to live on St. Helena, alone, until his death in around 1545.