Our current family-friendly exhibition Voyage to the Deep features the world of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas. In the novel, a giant squid attacks the submarine and kills a member of the crew.
As ocean exploration became more of a fixture of life, tales of sea monsters and ocean dwelling creatures grew and grew.
Whether based in truth, or the imaginings of ocean-weary sailors, we take a look at some sea monster stories.
Kraken
Originating in Scandinavian folklore, the Kraken is an aggressive cephalopod-like creature that attacks ships and drags sailors to the depths of the ocean.
It was first mentioned by Norwegian king Sverre Siggurdsson in 1180 CE. Its huge body was sometimes mistaken for an island, drawing sailors and seafarers closer before being attacked.
The origins of the kraken most likely come from sightings of real-life giant squid, with depictions of the kraken showing them with many tentacles or arms.
Scene of a ship being ensnared and damaged by a kraken from The Naturalist’s Library’ by Robert Hamilton
Merfolk and sirens
You may have a vision of a mermaid that comes from the Disney film, or even from Harry Potter. But merfolk have existed in folklore for thousands of years and are certainly more aggressive than Ariel ever was.
Sailors would tell of maidens sitting on rocks, combing their long hair and signing alluring songs. This combined with the long-time sailors spent alone at sea would draw them in, causing them to crash into the rocks.
In The Odyssey Odysseus and crew encountered Sirens in the Odyssey and plugged their ears with beeswax so as not to hear their music.
One theory for the origin of these tales is that drunken or sea-mad sailors saw manatees coming to the surface and mistook them for women. It’s an interesting take, especially when you see what manatee’s look like…
In the Horniman collection we have what is called a ‘merman’ but is in fact a model made in Japan.
The famous Horniman Merman, Heini Scheebeli
Typically referred to as ‘ningyo’ there are numerous merman models around the world that originate in Japan and are made from the mummified body of a monkey sewn to the lower half of a fish.
Our merman is mostly made of sticks, glue and good old papier-mâché.
Hydra and serpents
Hydra appears in Greek and Roman mythology and is a serpent-like creature who attacks ships, with poisonous breath and blood.
In Greek mythology Hydra is referred to as Hydra of Lerna, and lived in the Lake of Lerna in the Argulid. Lerna was reputed to be the entrance to the Underworld.
In the myth of Hydra it is killed by Hercules as one of his 12 labours.
The origins of Hydra, and many other sea serpents that crop up in mythology, may be the Oarfish. Growing up to eight metres long, with a red crest along the top of its silver body, the oarfish certainly appears like a sea serpent.
Hercules and the Hydra of Lerna: Hercules grasps his club with both hands and confronts the seven-headed hydra, from the series ‘The Labors of Hercules’ (1608). CC 1.0
Kelpie
A shape-shifting spirit found in Scottish lochs, Kelpie have a horse-like appearance when in their natural form. They do, however, have the ability to transform, often taking on the form of beautiful young women, or old wizened men.
When they shape-shift it is said that they keep their horses hooves, connecting them to the devil in appearance.
Kelpie prey on the humans that they encounter and may have begun as a cautionary tale to children to keep away from large bodies of water.
They also appear in Welsh, Manx and Irish folklore.
The Kelpie – Herbert James Draper, Public Domain