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Jun 18, 2024 · There are a select few sea monsters that stand out among the countless that are mentioned in global mythology. Let’s take a look at the best of the best below! 1. Bukavac ©iStock.com/Windzepher. In Slavic tradition, there is a terrifying sea monster known as the Bukavac.
Jul 25, 2018 · These are our favorite sea monsters from the mists of mythology to serpents on the silver screen. From Cthulhu to the Kraken and beyond, these beasts enthrall. Explore uncharted waters with these denizens of the deep.
- Jörmungand
- Cthulhu
- Kraken
- Leviathan
- Scylla & Charybdis
- Sirens
- The Terrible Dogfish
- Sea Bishop
- Sea Goat
- Umibōzu
Jörmungandr is a famous sea creature from Norse mythology known as the Midgard Serpent or the World Serpent. It is the child of Loki and giant Angrboða. The serpent is so large that it can wrap itself around the earth and bite its own tail. Legend states that when the snake lets go of its tail, the apocalypse or Ragnarök will begin. Real-life sight...
Cthulhu is a literary monster who first appeared in H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu.” Lovecraft describes Cthulhu as a cosmic monster who came to earth and resided in the Earth’s oceans in a fictional city known as R’yleh. It’s part of the Great Old Ones within Lovecraft’s pantheon of creatures. It is worshiped by cults throughout the story a...
The Kraken is one of the most famous sea monsters from mythology. It takes the shape of a giant squid in most iterations. It supposedly lives off the coast of Norway and Greenland and terrorizes sailors passing through that area. Some suggested that the legends of the Kraken originated from sights of giant squid (which can grow to be quite large). ...
The Leviathan has a Hebrew origin. It appears in the Old Testament Bible as a sea serpent with multiple heads. It appears inPsalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Amos. The monster is described as chaotic and life-threatening. It is also cited as eating the damned afterlife. It is often associated with the sin of envy. Today, t...
Scylla & Charybdis are sea monsters from Greek mythology, described notably by Homer in his Odyssey. They are described as residing on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Calabria. The two sea monsters present travelers with the choice of facing one of two evils. Scylla is a six-headed sea monster and Charybdis is a whirlpool...
In Greek mythology, sirens are female sea monsters who live near the surface of the water. They sing, enchanting passing sailors with their beautiful music, and draw ships towards the shore where they inevitably crash. Some myths suggest sirens can even charm the wind. The sirens were usually a combination of a woman and various birds. Sometimes, w...
While not dating back to ancient mythology, this sea creature is just as terrifying. The dog-like sea monster features in the 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio. It is described as at least five hundred feet long and with three rows of teeth. Its mouth is big enough to swallow a train car. The fish is first mentioned in Chapter XXIV when Pinocch...
The Sea Bishop or Sea Monk is a legendary sea creature reported in the 16th century. According to legend, this creature, which resembled a monk or bishop, was caught and brought to Poland. The King of Poland wanted to keep it, but after showing it to Catholic bishops, they decided to release it upon its request. It’s said that the creature made a s...
The Capricorn or sea-goat is a legendary creature that’s described as half goat and half fish. The beast is related to the constellation Capricornus. The monster was introduced into Greek mythology from the Babylonian zodiac. There are also references to this sea monster in Jewish mythology. The legend states that all creatures in the sea must offe...
The Umibōzu or sea priest is a creature from Japanese mythology. There is not much known about the origin of this sea spirit, but there have been sightings throughout Japanese history. It appears to sailors on a calm sea, quickly upsetting the waters. The ship it shows itself to usually breaks right away or after the monster demands something from ...
Jul 13, 2021 · Top 50 Mythical Sea Creature List: 1. The Loch Ness Monster. The Loch Ness monster is a mythical sea creature believed to be living in the Scottish Loch (Lake) Ness in the Scottish highlands. It is said to be very large with a long neck and one or more humps on its back.
Sep 29, 2018 · A sea monster is, by definition, any creature that comes from the sea – real or mythical – and is unusually large or threatening. There are hundreds of accounts of these creatures – any culture that had contact with the sea has at least one form of sea monster reported in their mythological history.
Skýlla, pronounced) is a legendary, man-eating monster who lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart, the sea-swallowing monster Charybdis. The two sides of the strait are within an arrow's range of each other—so close that sailors attempting to avoid the whirlpools of Charybdis would pass dangerously close to ...
Join Oliver Crimmen, Senior Curator of Fish, and Jon Ablett, Senior Curator of Mollusca, as they explore the real-life inspiration behind fantastic sea monsters of yore that are lurking in the Museum's wet collections.
