mediumaevum:Here be Medieval Sea MonstersThis sea pig, which was compared to heretics that distorted
mediumaevum:Here be Medieval Sea MonstersThis sea pig, which was compared to heretics that distorted truth and lived like swine, lived in the North Sea on Olaus Magnus’s 1539 Carta Marina, a lushly illustrated map that inspired many after it.An ichthyocentaur (parts human, horse and fish) plays a viol on a map of Scandinavia from the 1573 edition of Ortelius’s Theatrum orbis terrarum. The sea surrounding Scandinavia showed sailing ships and this traditionally peaceful ichthyocentaur, perhaps suggesting safe passage.Polypus (meaning “many-footed”) was used to describe many animals, from the lobster to the centipede to the octopus. While Olaus Magnus (1539) drew a giant lobster here, his text describes an octopus, showing the true confusion about what lived in the sea.Two whales attack a ship as sailors try to scare them away by tossing barrels and playing a trumpet on Olaus Magnus’s 1539 Carta Marina. -- source link
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