10 ancient world maps with sea monsters from different corners of the planet

In the view of the inhabitants of the Middle Ages, sea monsters were not just huge whales, sharks, octopuses or crocodiles. In those days, the wild fantasy of people went much further. They believed that any earthly living creature has a similar "relative" in the water. So, on the maps of the world these truly frightening creatures appeared, similar to the hybrids of humans and land animals, or a mixture of several animals simultaneously.

The ghostly humanoid monster from the handwritten atlas of Urbano Monte. 1590 year. Archbishop's Seminary Library, Venegono Inferiore, Italy.

Guinea pig from Carta Marina Olaf Magnus. From engraving on copper. 1572 year. The source of the image was a brochure of 1537. The Royal Library, Stockholm, Sweden.

Unusual marine animal - a hybrid of a pig and a dog on the map of Giacomo Gastaldi La desсriptione dela Puglia, published in Venice. 1567 year. British Library, London, United Kingdom.

Ichthyocentaur playing the viola. A fragment of the map of Scandinavia from "Spectacles of the Circle of the Earth" by Abraham Ortelius. 1571 year. British Library, London, United Kingdom.

The ziphius monster has the same owl face as on the map of Olaf Magnus. From Hortus Sanitatis, treatise De piscibus, chapter No. 104. 1491 year. British Library, London, United Kingdom.

Siren from Hortus Sanitatis, De piscibus, chap. 83. 1491 year. British Library, London, United Kingdom.

Saint Brendan's ship and praying sailors on the back of a whale on a map from the book Honorius Philoponus, Nova typis transacta navigatio. British Library, London, United Kingdom.

Unsigned Kraken from the map of Iceland in the atlas of Theatrum orbis terrarum of Abraham Ortelius. 1598 year. British Library, London, United Kingdom.

Whale attack on a ship. Sailors throw barrels into the sea, and a man on board tries to scare away monsters with trumpet sounds. Carta Marina of Olaf Magnus, 1539. With a copper-engraved reproduction of 1572. The Royal Library, Stockholm, Sweden.

Terrible monster from the map of Africa Gastaldi in the book of Giovanni Ramusio "Delle Navigazioni e Viaggi", edition of 1563. British Library, London, United Kingdom.