Bragmanni were a mythical race of people thought by medieval Europeans to live on the fringes of the known world. The name could be derived from that of the Hindu caste of the

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...

; however, some medieval writers clearly differentiate between the Brahmins and the imagined Bragmanni. Although they were often lumped together with monstrous races such as

cyclopes In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

and

Cynocephali The characteristic of cynocephaly, or cynocephalus (), having the head of a canid, typically that of a dog or jackal, is a widely attested mythical phenomenon existing in many different forms and contexts. The literal meaning of "cynocephaly" is ...

, Bragmanni were normal in appearance, and differed from other humans because of their unique lifestyle.Fritze, Ronald H. ''Travel Legend and Lore: An Encyclopedia''. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1998. Bragmanni were unclothed, cave-dwelling wise men who were extremely moralistic and ascetic.Medieval World View (Southwestern University)
They are often merged or confused with

Gymnosophists Gymnosophists ( grc, γυμνοσοφισταί, ''gymnosophistaí'', i.e. "naked philosophers" or "naked wise men" (from Greek γυμνός ''gymnós'' "naked" and σοφία ''sophía'' "wisdom")) is the name given by the Greeks to certain anc ...

, a similar group of wise men.

References

Asceticism Medieval legends Mythological peoples {{Europe-myth-stub