Sea serpents

Sea serpents are monsters present in the myths and folklore of various cultures. While no explicit rules exist as to what qualifies as a sea serpent, most are massive, snake-like creatures that live in oceans or other large bodies of water. They are most commonly depicted attacking ships and the humans who are operating them.

Similar to krakens and other sea monsters, sea serpents represent the ocean’s danger and mystery. For much of human history, people lacked the ability to explore very far beneath the ocean’s surface. Centuries ago, voyages into the open ocean were extremely strenuous and dangerous; and even later sea voyages required many precautions and a well-trained crew. A sea serpent was a creature capable of emerging from the depths undetected, destroying ships, and pulling victims underwater. It embodied travelers’ fears of unknown when they sailed on the sea.

Background

Because of what sea serpents represent, myths and stories surrounding them were most common among people who lived by or traveled on large bodies of water. The Scandinavian and East Asian regions are the most common sources of sea serpent stories. Sea monsters have also been interpreted as serpents in Jewish and Christian writings.

One of the most well-known sea serpents comes from Norse mythology. Jormungandr—also known as Jormungand, the World Serpent, and the Midgard Serpent—is a son of Loki and the giantess Angrbooa. Odin, ruler of the Norse gods, banished Jormungandr to Earth, where he lived in the ocean. Jormungandr thrived there and grew large enough that he could wrap himself around the entire planet.

Jormungandr was described as the nemesis of the thunder god Thor, and a few known stories involved them clashing. Once, Thor attempted to fish for Jormungandr and kill him, but the serpent escaped. On another occasion, the serpent transformed himself into a cat, and a giant dared Thor to lift him as a test of strength. Most notably, when Jormungandr grew large enough to encircle the world, he clutched his tail in his mouth. It was said that when he let go and became active again, it would signal the beginning of Ragnarok, a great battle that would transform the world. During Ragnarok, Thor finally killed Jormungandr, but the serpent’s venom proved fatal to the thunder god shortly afterward.

Jewish and Christian texts describe a creature known as Leviathan. Scholars from both religions have debated Leviathan’s exact nature and whether or not it is a serpent. Leviathan has been interpreted as the embodiment of Satan, another deity that opposed God, or a sea creature that is powerful but not strictly good or evil. What is clear is that Leviathan is a massive, extremely formidable aquatic being.

The sea serpents found in East Asian myths were not always depicted as menaces. Many were deities with intelligence and personalities. Some possessed an array of powers beyond their sheer size and strength. The Japanese serpent Ryujin, for instance, was worshipped as a deity of the sea. He ruled over other sea creatures and used magical jewels to control the tides. Like Jormungandr, he was able to transform into other creatures—a human, in Ryujin’s case. Dragons in East Asian mythology tend to be very serpentine in appearance, even if they are not directly affiliated with the sea.

Topic Today

Over the centuries, sailors have reported seeing sea serpents. It is believed that many of these sightings were the result of misidentifying other ocean-dwelling creatures. Long sea voyages could leave sailors exhausted, starved, and dehydrated. Weather and ocean conditions could limit visibility. Until recent centuries, most sailors could only rely on the naked eye to observe their surroundings.

The giant oarfish shares many traits with the traditional description of a sea serpent. Oarfish are ocean-dwelling fish with snakelike bodies. Massive creatures, they are known to reach thirty-six feet in length and weigh up to six hundred pounds, although some accounts have described larger specimens. Unlike their mythical counterparts, these creatures feed primarily on krill and other tiny animals, posing no threat to humans or ships. In fact, they are rarely seen near the ocean’s surface. In Japan, it is believed that an oarfish sighting is a warning of an earthquake, because sightings seemed most common shortly before an earthquake occurred.

The giant squid is another real-life animal that scientists believe is often mistaken for a mythological creature. A giant squid can exceed forty feet in length and has a long, narrow body.

Pods of whales, dolphins, or seals can resemble a single, gigantic creature when only glimpses of their backs are visible. Nineteenth-century scientist Richard Owen theorized that sailors confused an elephant seal for a sea serpent. Because technology did not allow previous generations to explore oceans very thoroughly, very little was known about the sheer variety of sea life in existence. Combine this with quick sightings in high-stress situations, and it can lead people to unknowingly exaggerate what they saw.

A more modern version of mythological monsters is the concept of cryptozoology. This involves creatures—known as cryptids--that people claim to have encountered but cannot produce evidence to prove what they have seen. Popular cryptids include the Sasquatch, yeti, and Loch Ness Monster. The Loch Ness Monster—or Nessie—is a creature that many people claim to have seen in a Scottish lake. Nessie is often depicted as a sea serpent.

Sea serpents continue to appear in modern fiction. Fear and superstition surrounding possible serpent sightings are central to the 2016 novel The Essex Serpent. In the original King Kong film (1933), a plesiosaur-like creature attacks Kong. A more direct depiction of a sea serpent briefly appears to battle Kong in the film King Kong Escapes (1967).

The creators of Godzilla also made the film Atragon (1963), which features an undersea kingdom and its deity, Manda. Like mythological Japanese serpents, Manda is a serpentine creature revered by its people. Manda returned in multiple Godzilla films and other media associated with the series.

Serpents frequently appear in video games—such as the God of War and Castlevania series--as powerful enemies to defeat or avoid. The Pokemon series allows the player to capture and train a few different types of sea serpents as allies. Some of them are relatively benevolent and have a degree of control over the elements, like East Asian serpents. Others are known for being ferocious and destructive, like the type common in Scandinavian folklore.

Bibliography

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