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The Norwegian Sea Monster Map
Norway is a fishing nation. With miles of indented coastline, glacial fjords and deep bays, Norwegians have relied on seafood since the Stone Age. Warm Gulf Stream waters keep the channels open and the harbors largely ice-free. Locals dry their catch to be re-hydrated during freezing winter months. To be a fisherman in Norway is to be honored, feted and lavished from all corners of society.
Fishing in Norway is dangerous. Historians from the Norwegian Historical Society estimate that up to 10% of 16th century Norwegian ships were lost at sea. Storms, collisions, rogue icebergs and poor ship design played a role as did piracy and navigational error. But to the nautical explorers of yore there was another cause of shipwrecks at sea. Mythic sea monsters who prowled the vast oceans looking for seamen to devour.
All fishermen were familiar with whales. These enormous creatures uttered low-toned guttural roars and struck the hulls of ships creating colossal wave formations. During evenings when visibility was low, creatures even more ferocious than whales emerged. In 1539, a cartographer named Olaus Magnus created a map called the Carta Marina. It was an accurate detailing of Norwegian coastal geography. It was also a chart with illustrations of sea monsters reportedly encountered by sailors.
