9th Grade Wrestles Sea monsters
Over Spring Break 9th graders studied 16th Century exploration and cartography by asking why so many medieval maps depict sea monsters. They read conflicting historical claims explaining cartographers’ obsession with mythological sea creatures, evaluated those, and then shared what they learned by either writing an analytical essay, creating a historical fiction short story, or crafting a map of their own.
Here are some of the maps they looked at:
They did archival research by analyzing maps from UNC Chapel Hill’s digital archive
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/9602/rec/6)
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/117/rec/5)
Here’s a sample of their work:
Short Story by Penelope Goldstein
Since she was five years old, Guinevere Scavo (Gwen for short) knew that she was going to be a cartographer. For as long as the Scavos had lived in Italy, which as far as Gwen knew was forever, the Scavos were mapmakers. The idea of making maps as a profession used to bore Gwen, up until recently. Now, in 1505, as oceanic travel was beginning to flourish, Gwen couldn’t have thought of a better job. Especially since she met her mentor, Fra Mauro. Fra Mauro was an Italian monk with a big nose who always wore a baggy hat. He also just so happened to have been one of the most skilled mapmakers in the world, and luckily, he had agreed to mentor Gwen.
Gwen admired how Frau Mauro made his maps. Instead of sitting in the dark study reading books all day to gain knowledge of the world, like Gwen’s parents did, Fra Mauro went out and heard stories of the world. At first, Gwen was skeptical, but after seeing one of Fra Mauro’s maps she was convinced. You didn’t need to get on a boat and travel the world and you also didn’t have to sit in a dark study reading outdated books. A composition of stories could compose a beautiful, accurate, map.
It was a cold, gray, February afternoon, and Gwen was assisting Fra Mauro by cleaning up the spilled ink from his quill, when he called her into his chancellery.
“Gwen,” he began, “You have helped me so much this past year and I have enjoyed my time spent as your mentor. But I am no longer of service to you. You must stop cleaning up my messes and helping me with my maps, and instead go forth and design your own!”
“I appreciate it, sir. But I’m not ready to design my own map. I don’t have enough knowledge of the world yet.” Gwen said.
“Of course you do. Do you think I know everything about the world? Of course not. But you, like I, have the knowledge of your world at your grasp. You just need to listen to it. Do you remember the very first thing I taught you?”
Gwen nodded, “The best information is from the stories of the sailor’s who have explored the world.”
“That’s right. Tomorrow, Gwen, I want you to go to Porte Haverknick and talk to three sailors. Find out their stories and write them down. Really listen to what they have to say. You’d be surprised at how much you can learn from their stories. Then after, add what you learned to your map.”
“But-”
“Lead on without hesitation. Oh, and remember, sailor’s are known for their exaggerations. Make sure you check your facts.”
So the next day, Gwen woke even before the sun rose. She left her home with nothing but a scroll and quill, and prepared for the storm of sailors.When she arrived at the porte, sailors were everywhere. Most of them were busy cleaning ships, unloading or unloading cargo, or drinking beer. But much to her disappointment, the sailors barely noticed the frail girl in the corner, much less paid her any attention.
“Excuse me-,” Gwen began, to the large, hairy, sailor who brushed by her without a second glance.
“Excuse me-,” Gwen began, to the man holding a net of smelly fish, who didn’t give her the time of day.
“Sorry to bother you, but-,” Gwen began, to the short man with a wooden leg, who quite obviously was ignoring Gwen.
Gwen was beginning to give up hope. She wondered how Fra Mauro was able to get the sailor’s attention. Why were all of the sailors ignoring Gwen? Well, all of them except for one.
“Hello,” said a boy, around Gwen’s age, “Are you looking for a sailor to talk to?”
“Yes,” Gwen said, “My mentor said I need to make a map, and to begin I need to hear three sailor’s stories. I haven’t had much luck though. Do you know any sailors?”
“Well, I know plenty of sailors, but none who would be interested in helping you with your map… except me, of course.” said the boy.
“You’re a sailor?” Gwen asked.
“Kind of. You see, my father is a sailor, but he lets me come on the trips. He says it’s practice for when I’m a sailor one day. For right now though, I just get to clean the deck.”
“Have you traveled anywhere recently, on the boat?” Gwen asked.
Gwen felt a glimmer of hope. Sure, this boy wasn’t a sailor, but it sounded like her spent a lot of time on ships. Not to mention, it wasn’t like any real sailors were going to talk to her anyways. What was the difference between a sailor and a young deck cleaner? Both of them traveled the sea.
“I’ve been to lots of places,” the boy answered, “In fact, I just got back from Greece.”
“Could you tell me about the geography of Greece? Or the trip to Greece?” Gwen asked.
“Certainly. The trip took over a month to get to Greece, since I’m from Britain. Our plan was to sail to Africa, but something happened with the navigation that caused us to end up in Greece. Greece was way warmer than Britain, and the people were a lot nicer. I ate a lot of olives there. I’ve heard you guys have better olives here in Italy, though. I’m hoping to try them at some point. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” Gwen asked.
“Well, what else do you want to hear? I can tell you about the scum that I cleaned off the deck of the ship-”
“No, no, that’s okay.” Gwen interrupted, “So there’s really nothing else I should know about?”
“I did see an Afanc in a greek river though! It was much scarier than I had imagined it would be.”
“An Afanc?” Gwen asked, “Fra Mauro doesn’t have that on his map. What’s that?”
“Have you really never heard of the Afanc?” the boy asked.
He looked at Gwen wide-eyed.
“Never.” Gwen responded, “Could you tell me?”
“Afancs are a type of sea-monster, even though they live in lakes. They’re fat and green and have huge teeth.”
The boy continued talking as Gwen started writing. She wrote down everything that the boy said, so that she could later include this monster on her map. She knew how important it was that her map included where the Afancs were. That way, nobody could be eaten by the beasts when they went to Greece.
“Jack! Jack, we’re going inland for the day. Help us move the crates.” the boy’s father called, interrupting his story.
“I have to go,” the boy, Jack, said. But I’ve told you everything that you need to know.”
“Thank you, Jack.” Gwen said.
“My pleasure,” Jack said, walking off, “Good luck finding more stories.”
Once Jack had walked off, Gwen began sketching out the rivers in Greece that Jack had told her about. She then carefully drew the Afanc. She made sure to get every detail right. A couple minutes later, an old lady walked over. She wore a dark purple dress with a matching shawl over her head. She sat down next to Gwen.
“I overheard you talking to that boy with the funny accent,” the old lady said to Gwen, “So you want to hear stories about sea monsters, huh?”
“Well, not really-” Gwen began.
“Good, because I have quite the story for you.” the old lady interrupted, “You see, that boy may think he knows about Greek sea monsters, since he’s been there once. But I lived there for sixty years. I will always remember THAT day when I was nine years old. My aunt took me down to the water for the day. I was standing on a peer, watching the sunset, when a large hippocamp swam right up to the surface of the water.”
“A hippocamp?” Gwen asked, “What’s that?”
“It has the top of a horse and has a tail for it’s bottom.” the old lady explained, “But trust me, it isn’t a beautiful sight.”
“Do you think that you could describe it to me? And tell me where it is? I have to include this on my map.”
So the old lady told Gwen all about what the hippocamp looked like, and she even told her where to find it. Gwen was convinced that people had to know where to find this monster, so that they could avoid it at all costs. After the lady was finished and the sketch on Gwen’s map was complete, the old lady hobbled away, up a hill. Now Gwen had talked to two “sailors”, so she only needed to speak to one more.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” asked a younger woman with a baby in her arms.
“No, go ahead,” Gwen answered.
The woman sat down next to Gwen and began putting her baby to sleep in her arms.
“That’s a really cute baby,” Gwen said, to the woman.
“Thank you,” the woman said, “He’s five months old. His father is a sailor, and he’s supposed to be arriving with his ship from Portugal at any moment. It will be the first time that his dad gets to meet him.”
“I’m sorry, but did you say that your husband is a sailor?” Gwen asked the lady.
“Indeed he is,” the woman replied, “It’s a good business to be in right now. But, unfortunately he’s away a lot.”
“This may seem odd to ask, but do you know of any stories from your husband in his time overseas?” Gwen asked, “I’m trying to make a map, and my mentor said that the best way to learn about the shape of the world is through stories.”
“He’s written me letters,” the woman said, “Here, I actually have one that he wrote me from Ireland a couple of months ago.”
The woman reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a crumpled up letter, careful not to wake her sleeping baby. She handed the letter to Gwen, who began reading it. The letter was crumpled and stained with salt from the sea. But, Gwen was still able to read it. The letter was long and very nondescript. The woman’s husband told about basic life on the ship, and not much at all about the geography of Ireland. It wasn’t until Gwen read that back of the letter that she found something that peaked her interest. The letter wrote:
...but life on the ship has not been all pleasure. In fact, I’m quite lucky to be alive and well enough to write you this letter. Last week, we were sailing off the northern west coast of Ireland when one of our three ships was destroyed out in the open sea. It was eaten in one bite by a huge, slimy, creature. One of the men on the crew drew a picture of it, which I have included below for you to see. The Irish natives had told us tales of such creatures at a pub one night, but I never assumed it to be true. The horrific beast took the lives of all thirteen men on that ship. It was so daunting that we actually ended up changing course on our navigational route. That’s why I’m writing to you now from Portugal and….
“I can’t believe it,” Gwen said, “This monster is petrifying!”
“I know, dear,” the woman said, bouncing her baby who had just woken up, “Be sure to draw it on your map. People have got to know to look out for that monster when they sail off the north-western coast of Ireland.”
So, Gwen began drawing the picture of the monster just as the sailor’s crewmate had. By the time she was done, a loud fog horn rang out and a large wooden ship pulled into the port. The woman’s husband had just arrived.
“Here is your letter,” Gwen said, extending her arm to give the woman back the letter, “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”
“Keep it.” the woman said, “You could use it to make more maps.”
With that, the woman and her baby got up to greet the sailor who was currently getting off the ship. This left Gwen all alone with her map, feeling proud of her work for the day. She may not have found out a lot about the geography of Greece or Britain or Ireland, but she knew that including the sea monsters was just as vital in ensuring sailors could carefully navigate their way across sea. Gwen couldn’t wait to show Fra Mauro her work.
Analytical Essay, by TJ Giles
If you were to find a map during the 1500s and 1600s, chances are you may see some crazy sea creatures. I know that may seem crazy, but some of these sea creatures were actually used for identifying certain places or areas back then. And they can be found in almost any map made in Europe during the medieval era. There were many different reasons for adding these creatures, and today we’ll be uncovering some of the theories about why all these old European maps had some of the most bizarre and unheard of animals drawn within them.
One theory states that “Most of the decorated maps weren’t used for navigation, but rather were displayed by wealthy people”. This suggests that the creatures didn’t have any purpose of being on a map other than for being displayed to the rich and wealthy. While this theory may seem kind of dull, Chet Van Duzer states that “To our eyes, almost all of the sea monsters on all of these maps seem quite whimsical, but in fact, a lot of them were taken from what the cartographers viewed as scientific, authoritative books,”. This meaning that while these creatures may have been drawn purley for the purpose of entertaining the eyes of the wealthy, some cartographers actually viewed these drawings as being somewhat scientific, and were actually used as scientific books for research and investigation. However, another theory might just be a little more crazy than actually using these sea creatures for research.
David Leville states that “When a map maker didn't know what was out there," she says, "he might just plop some little creature into the map to signify, 'I don't know what's here but it could very well be a dangerous creature.” Now this may seem bizarre now, but back then it may have been a way for people to stay safe. Because they didn’t have any other way of communicating something may be dangerous, they wrote them down on maps. Dory Klein also says that “So if you were creating a map that would've actually accompanied sailors out to sea, it would've been generally much more practical information," she says. "They would've had an idea that there were probably monsters out there and the map maker didn't need to tell them precisely where to find them. People back in Europe, however, really wanted to get a feel for their world without leaving home because travel was very difficult at that time.” This contributes to the idea of trying to warn others through maps, but only being able to do so through ideas of sea creatures. But with these two different ideas of why the sea creatures were drawn, I and you too most likely wonder how they’re drawn.
Fra mauro was one of the best and most well known map makers in his time. He was known for creating very accurate depictions of these sea creatures through integration travelers and used their information to draw the map itself and pepper it with almost 3,000 annotations. “Regarding the circumference of the Earth, Fra Mauro cited a couple of expert opinions and concluded dismissively that "they are not of much authenticity, since they have not been tested." His robust skepticism marked a transition away from medieval traditions toward the intellectual excitement of the Renaissance.” To conclude, he was very precise and his maps were praised because of this. Fra Mauro loved a good story, and his maps were packed with pictures of amber, rubies, pearls, diamonds, manna and "other notable things." These sea creatures were a very big part of how people perceived the oceans and the potential creatures that may have lied within.
To conclude, sea creatures and their existence within maps during the medieval ages is up for personal interpretation. If it's for the entertainment of the rich, or a warning for travelers, you cannot deny their creation is very interesting, and can make us examine the luck we have in our maps today. And even for the time, map makers like Fra Mauro used extensive work and creativity to create these maps that can still fascinate today. But with the information on why and how these creatures were drawn on these maps, how do you think you would draw them? Or do you really know why?
Map by Anna Moore The critter on the left is a sea bee. Many Europeans in the Middle Ages believed the sea echoed life in land. Sea bees, by that logic/ early understanding of nature, would have pollinated coral.
Here are some of the maps they looked at:
They did archival research by analyzing maps from UNC Chapel Hill’s digital archive
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/9602/rec/6)
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/117/rec/5)
Here’s a sample of their work:
Short Story by Penelope Goldstein
Since she was five years old, Guinevere Scavo (Gwen for short) knew that she was going to be a cartographer. For as long as the Scavos had lived in Italy, which as far as Gwen knew was forever, the Scavos were mapmakers. The idea of making maps as a profession used to bore Gwen, up until recently. Now, in 1505, as oceanic travel was beginning to flourish, Gwen couldn’t have thought of a better job. Especially since she met her mentor, Fra Mauro. Fra Mauro was an Italian monk with a big nose who always wore a baggy hat. He also just so happened to have been one of the most skilled mapmakers in the world, and luckily, he had agreed to mentor Gwen.
Gwen admired how Frau Mauro made his maps. Instead of sitting in the dark study reading books all day to gain knowledge of the world, like Gwen’s parents did, Fra Mauro went out and heard stories of the world. At first, Gwen was skeptical, but after seeing one of Fra Mauro’s maps she was convinced. You didn’t need to get on a boat and travel the world and you also didn’t have to sit in a dark study reading outdated books. A composition of stories could compose a beautiful, accurate, map.
It was a cold, gray, February afternoon, and Gwen was assisting Fra Mauro by cleaning up the spilled ink from his quill, when he called her into his chancellery.
“Gwen,” he began, “You have helped me so much this past year and I have enjoyed my time spent as your mentor. But I am no longer of service to you. You must stop cleaning up my messes and helping me with my maps, and instead go forth and design your own!”
“I appreciate it, sir. But I’m not ready to design my own map. I don’t have enough knowledge of the world yet.” Gwen said.
“Of course you do. Do you think I know everything about the world? Of course not. But you, like I, have the knowledge of your world at your grasp. You just need to listen to it. Do you remember the very first thing I taught you?”
Gwen nodded, “The best information is from the stories of the sailor’s who have explored the world.”
“That’s right. Tomorrow, Gwen, I want you to go to Porte Haverknick and talk to three sailors. Find out their stories and write them down. Really listen to what they have to say. You’d be surprised at how much you can learn from their stories. Then after, add what you learned to your map.”
“But-”
“Lead on without hesitation. Oh, and remember, sailor’s are known for their exaggerations. Make sure you check your facts.”
So the next day, Gwen woke even before the sun rose. She left her home with nothing but a scroll and quill, and prepared for the storm of sailors.When she arrived at the porte, sailors were everywhere. Most of them were busy cleaning ships, unloading or unloading cargo, or drinking beer. But much to her disappointment, the sailors barely noticed the frail girl in the corner, much less paid her any attention.
“Excuse me-,” Gwen began, to the large, hairy, sailor who brushed by her without a second glance.
“Excuse me-,” Gwen began, to the man holding a net of smelly fish, who didn’t give her the time of day.
“Sorry to bother you, but-,” Gwen began, to the short man with a wooden leg, who quite obviously was ignoring Gwen.
Gwen was beginning to give up hope. She wondered how Fra Mauro was able to get the sailor’s attention. Why were all of the sailors ignoring Gwen? Well, all of them except for one.
“Hello,” said a boy, around Gwen’s age, “Are you looking for a sailor to talk to?”
“Yes,” Gwen said, “My mentor said I need to make a map, and to begin I need to hear three sailor’s stories. I haven’t had much luck though. Do you know any sailors?”
“Well, I know plenty of sailors, but none who would be interested in helping you with your map… except me, of course.” said the boy.
“You’re a sailor?” Gwen asked.
“Kind of. You see, my father is a sailor, but he lets me come on the trips. He says it’s practice for when I’m a sailor one day. For right now though, I just get to clean the deck.”
“Have you traveled anywhere recently, on the boat?” Gwen asked.
Gwen felt a glimmer of hope. Sure, this boy wasn’t a sailor, but it sounded like her spent a lot of time on ships. Not to mention, it wasn’t like any real sailors were going to talk to her anyways. What was the difference between a sailor and a young deck cleaner? Both of them traveled the sea.
“I’ve been to lots of places,” the boy answered, “In fact, I just got back from Greece.”
“Could you tell me about the geography of Greece? Or the trip to Greece?” Gwen asked.
“Certainly. The trip took over a month to get to Greece, since I’m from Britain. Our plan was to sail to Africa, but something happened with the navigation that caused us to end up in Greece. Greece was way warmer than Britain, and the people were a lot nicer. I ate a lot of olives there. I’ve heard you guys have better olives here in Italy, though. I’m hoping to try them at some point. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” Gwen asked.
“Well, what else do you want to hear? I can tell you about the scum that I cleaned off the deck of the ship-”
“No, no, that’s okay.” Gwen interrupted, “So there’s really nothing else I should know about?”
“I did see an Afanc in a greek river though! It was much scarier than I had imagined it would be.”
“An Afanc?” Gwen asked, “Fra Mauro doesn’t have that on his map. What’s that?”
“Have you really never heard of the Afanc?” the boy asked.
He looked at Gwen wide-eyed.
“Never.” Gwen responded, “Could you tell me?”
“Afancs are a type of sea-monster, even though they live in lakes. They’re fat and green and have huge teeth.”
The boy continued talking as Gwen started writing. She wrote down everything that the boy said, so that she could later include this monster on her map. She knew how important it was that her map included where the Afancs were. That way, nobody could be eaten by the beasts when they went to Greece.
“Jack! Jack, we’re going inland for the day. Help us move the crates.” the boy’s father called, interrupting his story.
“I have to go,” the boy, Jack, said. But I’ve told you everything that you need to know.”
“Thank you, Jack.” Gwen said.
“My pleasure,” Jack said, walking off, “Good luck finding more stories.”
Once Jack had walked off, Gwen began sketching out the rivers in Greece that Jack had told her about. She then carefully drew the Afanc. She made sure to get every detail right. A couple minutes later, an old lady walked over. She wore a dark purple dress with a matching shawl over her head. She sat down next to Gwen.
“I overheard you talking to that boy with the funny accent,” the old lady said to Gwen, “So you want to hear stories about sea monsters, huh?”
“Well, not really-” Gwen began.
“Good, because I have quite the story for you.” the old lady interrupted, “You see, that boy may think he knows about Greek sea monsters, since he’s been there once. But I lived there for sixty years. I will always remember THAT day when I was nine years old. My aunt took me down to the water for the day. I was standing on a peer, watching the sunset, when a large hippocamp swam right up to the surface of the water.”
“A hippocamp?” Gwen asked, “What’s that?”
“It has the top of a horse and has a tail for it’s bottom.” the old lady explained, “But trust me, it isn’t a beautiful sight.”
“Do you think that you could describe it to me? And tell me where it is? I have to include this on my map.”
So the old lady told Gwen all about what the hippocamp looked like, and she even told her where to find it. Gwen was convinced that people had to know where to find this monster, so that they could avoid it at all costs. After the lady was finished and the sketch on Gwen’s map was complete, the old lady hobbled away, up a hill. Now Gwen had talked to two “sailors”, so she only needed to speak to one more.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” asked a younger woman with a baby in her arms.
“No, go ahead,” Gwen answered.
The woman sat down next to Gwen and began putting her baby to sleep in her arms.
“That’s a really cute baby,” Gwen said, to the woman.
“Thank you,” the woman said, “He’s five months old. His father is a sailor, and he’s supposed to be arriving with his ship from Portugal at any moment. It will be the first time that his dad gets to meet him.”
“I’m sorry, but did you say that your husband is a sailor?” Gwen asked the lady.
“Indeed he is,” the woman replied, “It’s a good business to be in right now. But, unfortunately he’s away a lot.”
“This may seem odd to ask, but do you know of any stories from your husband in his time overseas?” Gwen asked, “I’m trying to make a map, and my mentor said that the best way to learn about the shape of the world is through stories.”
“He’s written me letters,” the woman said, “Here, I actually have one that he wrote me from Ireland a couple of months ago.”
The woman reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a crumpled up letter, careful not to wake her sleeping baby. She handed the letter to Gwen, who began reading it. The letter was crumpled and stained with salt from the sea. But, Gwen was still able to read it. The letter was long and very nondescript. The woman’s husband told about basic life on the ship, and not much at all about the geography of Ireland. It wasn’t until Gwen read that back of the letter that she found something that peaked her interest. The letter wrote:
...but life on the ship has not been all pleasure. In fact, I’m quite lucky to be alive and well enough to write you this letter. Last week, we were sailing off the northern west coast of Ireland when one of our three ships was destroyed out in the open sea. It was eaten in one bite by a huge, slimy, creature. One of the men on the crew drew a picture of it, which I have included below for you to see. The Irish natives had told us tales of such creatures at a pub one night, but I never assumed it to be true. The horrific beast took the lives of all thirteen men on that ship. It was so daunting that we actually ended up changing course on our navigational route. That’s why I’m writing to you now from Portugal and….
“I can’t believe it,” Gwen said, “This monster is petrifying!”
“I know, dear,” the woman said, bouncing her baby who had just woken up, “Be sure to draw it on your map. People have got to know to look out for that monster when they sail off the north-western coast of Ireland.”
So, Gwen began drawing the picture of the monster just as the sailor’s crewmate had. By the time she was done, a loud fog horn rang out and a large wooden ship pulled into the port. The woman’s husband had just arrived.
“Here is your letter,” Gwen said, extending her arm to give the woman back the letter, “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”
“Keep it.” the woman said, “You could use it to make more maps.”
With that, the woman and her baby got up to greet the sailor who was currently getting off the ship. This left Gwen all alone with her map, feeling proud of her work for the day. She may not have found out a lot about the geography of Greece or Britain or Ireland, but she knew that including the sea monsters was just as vital in ensuring sailors could carefully navigate their way across sea. Gwen couldn’t wait to show Fra Mauro her work.
Analytical Essay, by TJ Giles
If you were to find a map during the 1500s and 1600s, chances are you may see some crazy sea creatures. I know that may seem crazy, but some of these sea creatures were actually used for identifying certain places or areas back then. And they can be found in almost any map made in Europe during the medieval era. There were many different reasons for adding these creatures, and today we’ll be uncovering some of the theories about why all these old European maps had some of the most bizarre and unheard of animals drawn within them.
One theory states that “Most of the decorated maps weren’t used for navigation, but rather were displayed by wealthy people”. This suggests that the creatures didn’t have any purpose of being on a map other than for being displayed to the rich and wealthy. While this theory may seem kind of dull, Chet Van Duzer states that “To our eyes, almost all of the sea monsters on all of these maps seem quite whimsical, but in fact, a lot of them were taken from what the cartographers viewed as scientific, authoritative books,”. This meaning that while these creatures may have been drawn purley for the purpose of entertaining the eyes of the wealthy, some cartographers actually viewed these drawings as being somewhat scientific, and were actually used as scientific books for research and investigation. However, another theory might just be a little more crazy than actually using these sea creatures for research.
David Leville states that “When a map maker didn't know what was out there," she says, "he might just plop some little creature into the map to signify, 'I don't know what's here but it could very well be a dangerous creature.” Now this may seem bizarre now, but back then it may have been a way for people to stay safe. Because they didn’t have any other way of communicating something may be dangerous, they wrote them down on maps. Dory Klein also says that “So if you were creating a map that would've actually accompanied sailors out to sea, it would've been generally much more practical information," she says. "They would've had an idea that there were probably monsters out there and the map maker didn't need to tell them precisely where to find them. People back in Europe, however, really wanted to get a feel for their world without leaving home because travel was very difficult at that time.” This contributes to the idea of trying to warn others through maps, but only being able to do so through ideas of sea creatures. But with these two different ideas of why the sea creatures were drawn, I and you too most likely wonder how they’re drawn.
Fra mauro was one of the best and most well known map makers in his time. He was known for creating very accurate depictions of these sea creatures through integration travelers and used their information to draw the map itself and pepper it with almost 3,000 annotations. “Regarding the circumference of the Earth, Fra Mauro cited a couple of expert opinions and concluded dismissively that "they are not of much authenticity, since they have not been tested." His robust skepticism marked a transition away from medieval traditions toward the intellectual excitement of the Renaissance.” To conclude, he was very precise and his maps were praised because of this. Fra Mauro loved a good story, and his maps were packed with pictures of amber, rubies, pearls, diamonds, manna and "other notable things." These sea creatures were a very big part of how people perceived the oceans and the potential creatures that may have lied within.
To conclude, sea creatures and their existence within maps during the medieval ages is up for personal interpretation. If it's for the entertainment of the rich, or a warning for travelers, you cannot deny their creation is very interesting, and can make us examine the luck we have in our maps today. And even for the time, map makers like Fra Mauro used extensive work and creativity to create these maps that can still fascinate today. But with the information on why and how these creatures were drawn on these maps, how do you think you would draw them? Or do you really know why?
Map by Anna Moore The critter on the left is a sea bee. Many Europeans in the Middle Ages believed the sea echoed life in land. Sea bees, by that logic/ early understanding of nature, would have pollinated coral.
