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| Hippocampus depiction in ancient art |
Hippocampus – Still no hippos....
Common to Phoenician and Greek
mythology, the hippocampus is typically depicted as the front half
of a horse with a fish’s tail.
Poseidon, god of the sea, but also of horses and
earthquakes (talented chap!), was described by Homer as drawn by "brazen-hoofed" horses
over the sea's surface, whereas Neptune (the Roman name for Poseidon) has a sea
chariot drawn by hippocampi, gicing the god slightly different depictions in each culture.
Neptune's horses do appear as hippocampi in the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
I’ve seen this fountain in the flesh…er, stone… and didn’t realise the
horses were more than just horses! In my defence, it was a little crowded at
the time. And I had sore feet.
You don’t see this one much in fantasy, I’m afraid. So if
you’re looking for something a little unusual… consider the poor, forgotten
hippocampus!
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| The Trevi Fountain in Rome |
Kraken - Oh, giant octopus!
OK, that’s some octopus. The kraken, of truly giant
proportions, probably had more than 8 arms and was reputed to live off the
coasts of Norway
and Iceland.
One tale goes that the Kraken was sometimes mistaken for
an island, and the real danger to sailors is the whirlpool left in its wake.
Other tales more commonly have the kraken wrapping its tentacles around hapless
ships and dragging them to a watery grave. It was said if the kraken were to
seize hold of the largest man-of-war, it could be pulled to the very bottom of the sea.
The myth may have grown from sightings of the giant
squid, estimated to grow to 13–15 m (40–50 ft) in length (including tentacles).
Although giant squid usually lives at great depths, they are sometimes sighted at
the surface and may even have attacked ships.
The kraken makes an appearance in The Sword of Shannara
by Terry Brooks and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. The monster
that drives the Fellowship of the Ring into the mines of Moria may also have been
a kraken or kraken type creature.
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| Man o' War |
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| Kraken |
Each Uisge - Beautiful Horse!
Pronounced Ach (rhymes with Bach, the composer; the
"ch" is a gutteral sound, caught in the throat, almost as if you are
choking – if you’ve ever heard a Scot say ‘Och!’ you know what I mean) ishkeh
(like "shish kabob", without the first "sh" and "bob"
at the end). Yes, as far as I can see, there is no logical connection between the spelling of these words and their pronunciation!
Considered a relative of the Scottish kelpie, or
waterhorse (which is not a Loch Ness Monster type-creature - we'll cover waterhorses ina future post), the Each Uisge of the Scottish Highlands is reputedly the most
dangerous water-dwelling creature in the British Isles.
Unlike the kelpie, the Each Uisge lives in the sea, sea
lochs and fresh water lochs and is far more vicious. It often appears as a
beautiful horse or an incredibly handsome man. In human form, the Each Uisge
can be recognised only by the water weeds in his hair. Highlanders tended to be
wary of lone animals or people near the edges of lochs for fear it was the Each
Uisge.
If a man or woman mounts the Each Uisge while in
horse-form, they are safe so long as they remain out of sight or scent of water
– although this may be difficult in Scotland! For if the Each Uisge scents
water, his back becomes sticky, preventing the rider from dismounting. The Each
Uisge then drags his rider to a watery doom, diving to the very deepest part of
the loch. After the rider has drowned, the Each Uisge devours his victim,
except for the liver which floats to the surface. Presumably the poor soul has
unstuck from the Each Uisge’s back at this point....
One tale of the Each Uisge recounts a blacksmith from
Raasay who lost his daughter to the Each Uisge. In revenge, the blacksmith and
his son made a set of large hooks, then roasted a sheep and heated the hooks
until they were red hot. A mist appeared from the water and the Each Uisge rose
from the depths of the loch, seizing the sheep, and the blacksmith and his son
rammed the hooks into its flesh, killing it. Nothing remained in the morning except
a jelly like substance.
The Each Uisge makes an appearance in the Bitterbynde trilogy
by Australian author Cecilia Dart-Thornton.
Selkies - Seal People
Selkies, also called silkies or selchies, are also
Scottish in origin (also Faroese, Icelandic and Irish folklore). A selkie is a
magical seal which can take the form of a human. When in human form, the selkie
sheds its seal skin. Without the skin, it cannot return to seal form.
Unlike many other mythological creatures, the selkies
lend themselves to romantic tragedies. A human might take a selkie for a lover,
not knowing their lover is not human, and wakes one day to find them gone. In
other’s, knowing their lover is a selkie, the mortal takes and hides the selkie’s
seal skin, denying them the ability to return to the sea. This is the only way
a human can keep a selkie lover, for if the human does not hide the selkie’s
skin, the selkie must wait seven years before they may make contact with their
human lover again.
Male selkies are very beautiful and seductive to human
women, but prefer dissatisfied women, such as those at home waiting for their
fishermen husbands. If a woman wishes to call a selkie, she must go to a beach
and shed seven tears into the sea. Then the selkie will come to her.
If a man steals a selkie’s skin, she is in his power and
forced to become his wife. Female selkies supposedly made prized wives, but
they often gaze at the sea, missing their home. If she can find her skin, she
will return to the sea, even if she has mortal children. Often it is one of her
children who unwittingly finds her skin and allows her the opportunity to
escape. How sad! Such escaped selkie women usually avoid their mortal husband but
may return to visit their children from time to time.
In the Faroe Islands there is the story of the Seal Wife.
A young farmer goes to watch the selkies dance on the beach. Hiding the skin of
a selkie maid, he forces her to marry him, and hides her skin in a locked chest
to which only he has the key. On the day he forgets the key, she takes back her
skin and escapes back to the sea, leaving behind her husband and children.
Although selkie lore tends to romantic tragedies, not all
tales are about faithless lovers. The fisherman, Cagan, married a selkie and
sailed against his wife’s wishes into dangerous weather. His selkie wife
shifted to seal form and saved him, although this meant she could not return to
him or her happy home for seven years.
I find the selkie folklore very sad. Nothing ever seems
to go right for selkies who love mortals or mortals who love selkies. Doomed from
the start!
Selkies also appear in the Bitterbynde trilogy by
Australian author Cecilia Dart-Thornton.
That’s it for our mythical creatures of the sea. I’ve
been asked to cover undines and rusalkas (other types of water creatures,
although more typically associated with fresh water) so if you have any special
requests, do let me know!
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