Creatures of the Deep: Sea Serpents - Part Two

Sea Serpent by Julia-Aurora

Yesterday we learned about some of the sea serpents in mythology - the Leviathan, Midgard Serpent, Hydra and Master Stoorworm.  Today we are going to look at historical accounts of sea serpents from ancient to modern times.

The earliest account of sea serpents can be traced hack to the 4th century BC, in Aristotles 'Historia Animalium' or History of Animals.  This account tells us of mariner's experieces with sea serpents near Libya.

'In Libya, according to all accounts, the length of the serpents is something appalling; sailors spin a yarn to the effect that some crews once put ashore and saw the bones of a number of oxen, and that they were sure that the oxen had been decoured by serpents, for, just as the were putting out to sea, serpents came chasing their galleys at full speed and overturned one galley and set upon the crew.'

Great Norwegian Sea-Serpent in the Sea of Darkness, by Olaus Magnus, from his History of the Northern Peoples.

According to Olaus Magnus, in his Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus or Description of the Northern Peoples, which was printed in Rome in 1555, sea serpents of around 75ft were sighted by sailors of the North in 1522.

'There is also another serpent of an astonishing size in an island called Moos, in the diocese of Hammer: which portends a change in the Kingdom of Norway, as a comet does in the whole world, as it was seen, anno 1522, raising itself high above the surface of the water and circling like a spire.  Seen from afar this serpent was estimated by conjecture to be fifty cubits long; this event was followed by the banishment of King Christiernus and by a great persecution of the Bishops; and it also showed the destruction of the country, as Isidorus tells us of the birds of Diomedes.'

Great Sea Serpent and the Maelstrom by Olaus Magnus.

Another account from the same literature tells us of sighting near Norway, where the serpent was some 200ft in length.  Note how, in both accounts, the sighting of the sea serpent is linked with the occurrence of death or banishment of royalty or the start of war. 

'They who, either to trade, or to fish, sail along the shores of Norway, relate with concurring evidence a truly admirable story, namely that a very large serpent of a length upwards of 200 feet, and 20 feet in diameter lives in rocks and holes near the shore of Bergen; it comes out of its caverns only on summernights and in fine weather to devour calves, lambs and hogs, or goes into the sea to eat cuttles, lobsters and all kinds of sea-crabs.  It has a row of hairs of two feet in length, langing from the neck, sharp scales of a dark colour, and brilliant flaming eyes.  It attacks boats, and snatches away the men, by raising itself high out of the water, and devours them: and commonly this does not happen without a terrible event in the Kingdom, without a change being at hand, either that the princes will die or will be banished, or that a war will soon break out.'

In John Josselyn's An Account of Two Voyages to New England, printed in 1674, with the voyage sighting occurring during the first voyage of 1638, we are told the following:

June the Six and twentieth day... where amongst variety of discourse they told me... of a Sea-Serpent of Snake, that lay quoiled up like a Cable upon a Rock at Cap-Ann: a Boat passing by with English aboard, and two Indians, they would have shot the Serpent, but the Indians disswaded them, saying, that if he were not kill'd out-right, they would be all in danger of their lives.'

Sea Serpents off Maine Coast

A similar reference was by Obadiah Turner, writing from Lyon, Massachusettes in September 1641, where we are told 'some being on ye great beache... did spy a most wonderful serpent a shorte way off from ye shore.  He was as big round in ye thickest part as a wine pipe; and they do affirme he was fifteen fathome of more in length...  Wee have likewise heard yt at Cape Ann ye people have seene a monster like unto this which did there come out of the sea and coil himself upon the land.'

This sea serpent later became known as Gloucester's Sea Serpent, named after a harbor just north of Boston, with sightings continuing through the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1722, Hans Egede, known for his work as a missionary in Greenland, wrote a report to the Bergen Comapany, which was published in 1729 as Det gamle Gronlands nye perlustration or A Description of Greenland.  Here he wrote of 'an enormous huge serpent and when it dived again underwater, it plunged backwards into the sea, and so raised its tail alopf, which seemed a whole ship's length distant from the bulkiest part of the body.' 

Sea serpent reported by Hans Egede

Another account of Hans Egede's encounter appears in A Full and Particular Relation of his voyage to Greenland, as a Missionary, on the year 1734, published at Kopenhagen in 1740.

'Anno 1734, July.  On the 6th, appeared a very terrible sea-animal, which raised itself so high above the water, that its head reached above out main-top.  It had a long sharp snout, and blew like a whale, had broad, large flappers, and the body was, as it were, covered with a hard skin, and it was very wrinkled and uneven on its skin; moreover on the lower part it was formed like a snake, and when it went under water again, it cast itself backwards and in so doing it raised its tail above the water, a whole ship-length from its body.'

Maned sea serpent from Bishop Erik Pontoppidan's 1755 work Natural History of Norway.

In a Natural History of Norway, Bishop Pontoppidan relates the following encounter with a huge maned sea serpent, which he had heard from Captain de Ferry:

'The latter end of August, in the year 1746... it happened when we arrived with my vessel within six English miles of the aforesaid Molde... I heard a kind of murmuring voice from amongst the men at the oars, who were eight in number, and observed that the man at the helm kept off from land.  Upon this I enquired what was the matter; and was informed that there was a Sea-Snake before us.  I then ordered the man at the helm to keep to the land again, and to come up with this creature, of which I had heard so many stories...  In the mean time this Sea-Snake passed by us...  As the Snake swam farther than we could row, I took my gun... and fire at it: on this he immediately plunged under the water...  The head of this Snake, which it held more than two feet above the surface of the water, resembled that of a horse.  It was of a greyish colour, and the mouth was quite black, and very large.  It had black eyes, and a long white mane, that hung down from the neck to the surface of the water.  Besides the head and neck, we saw seven or eight folds or coils of this Snake, which were very thick, and, as far as we could guess, there was about a fathom distance between each fold.'

Of the many sea serpent sightings and accounts from the 19th century, the most interesting comes from August 1848, when the Officer of Watch, aboard the Royal Navy Frigate HMS Daedalus spotted what he believed to be a sea serpent.  The following letter from Captain McQuhae recounts the experience.

The sea serpent spotted by the crew of HMS Daedalus in 1848.

H.M.S Daedalus
Hamoaze, Oct. 11.
Sir - In reply to your letter of this day's date, requiring information as to the truth of a statement published in the Times nespaper, of a sea-serpent of extraordinary dimensions having been seen from Her Majesty's ship Daedalus, under my command, on her passage from the East Indies, I have the honour to acquaint you, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that at 5 o'clock PM. on the 6th of August last, in latitude 24° 44´ S. and longitude 9° 22´ E, the weather dark and cloudy, wind fresh from the N.W., with a long ocean swell from the S.W., the ship on the port tack, heading N.E. by N., something very unusual was seen by Mr. Sartoris, midshipman, rapidly approaching the ship from before the beam.  The circumstance was immediately reported by him to the officer of the watch, Lieutenant Edgar Drummond, with who and Mr. William Barrett, the master, I was at the time walking the quarter-deck.  The ships' company were at supper.

Another of the original illustrations of the HMS Daedalus encounter

On our attention being called to the object, it was discovered to be an enormous serpent, with head and shoulders kept about four feet constantly above the surface of the sea; and as nearly as we could approximate by comparing it with the length of what our main topsail-yard would show in the water, there was at the very least sixty feet of the animal à fleur d’eau, no portion of which was, in our perception, used in propelling it through the water, either by verticle or horizontal undulation.  It passed rapidly, but so close under our lee quarter that had it been a man of my acquaintance I should have easily recognized his features with the naked eye, and it did not, either in approaching the ship or after it had passed our wake, deviate in the slightest degree from its course to the S.W., which it held on at the pace of from twelve to fifteen miles per hour, apparently on some determined purpose.  The diameter of the serpent was about fifteen or sixteen inches behind the head, which was, without any doubt, that of a snake; and it was never, during the twenty minutes that it continued in sight of our glasses, once below the surface of the ater; its colour, a dark brown with yellowish white about the throat.  It had no fins, but something like the mane of a horse, or rather a bunch of sea-weed, washed about its back.  It was seen by the quarter-master, the boatswain's mate, and the man at the wheel, in addition to myself and officers above mentioned.
I am having a drawing of the serpent made from a sketch taken immediately after it was seen, which I hope to have ready for transmission to my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty by to-morrow's post.
I have, &c.,
PETER M‘QUAHŒ, Capt.
To Admiral Sir W. H. Gage, G.C.B.
Devonport

'Caddy' the sea serpent was first sighted in 1892, with the following account having been printed in Port Townsend newpaper and in Key City Graphic originally:

Cadborosaurus AKA Caddy by Timothy Donald Morris

    Yesterday morning, while the steamer Monticello was coming from Angeles to this city, and when almost directly opposite Dungeness, Captain Oliver says he saw the water in the Straits lashed into foam.  Drawing near, to the surprise of the captain and all on board, a huge sea serpent, wrestling about in the waters as if fighting with an unseen enemy, was seen. It soon quieted down and lay at full length on the surface of the water. Captain Oliver estimates it to be about fifty feet in length and not less than four feet in circumference of the body. Its head was projecting from the water about four feet. He says it was a terrible looking object. It had viciously sparkling eyes and a large head. Fins were seen, seemingly sufficiently large to assist the snake through the water. The body was dark brown in color and was uniform all along. From what he says it would be capable of crushing a yawl boat and its occupants.
    As the steamer passed on its course, the snake was seen disporting itself in the water. At the time the Straits were calm, and there could have been no mistake in recognizing the object.
            Found here

In 1933 'Caddy' was given the scientific name Cadborosaurus willsi after British Columbia's Cadboro Bay, where repeated sightings had been made.  In Amphipacifica Journal of Systematic Biology, Dr. Paul H. LeBlond and Dr. Edward L. Bousfield stated that the many historical sightings and accounts of this this serpent provided sufficient evidence to conclude 'the animal is real and merits formal taxonomic description,' and gave Caddy its name.

The Sea Serpent by by Aaron-Radney

Please check out some of the awesome artists for the art on these blog posts (just follow the link below the artwork) and, if your interested in sea serpents and want more information, the following blog post is definitely worth a look.
New Page Books: Creature of the Month The Sinuous Sea-Serpent by Oberon Zell Ravenheart


 







Useful Links
The History of Animals (Historia Animalium) by Aristotle
The Natural History of Norway by Erich Pontoppidan
An Account of Two Voyages to New-England: made during the years 1638 & 1663 by John Josselyn
A Description of Greenland by Hans Egede, who was a missionary in that coutry for twenty-five years
Creatures in the Mist: Little People, Wild Men and Spirit Beings Around the World by Gary R. Varner
The New England Mariner Tradition by Robert A. Geake
The Great Sea Serpent by Antoon Cornelis Oudermans
10 Sensational Sea Serpent Sightings by Lance David Leclaire

Looking For King Arthur's Camelot - Cadbury Castle

Camelot is a place surrounded by myths and legends which have created the enduring impression of a wonderful, mythical castle and land; where knights in shining armour lived to a noble Code of Chivalry.  These legends are so deeply ingrained into our minds that many have gone in search of evidence that this place did in fact exist.  Although we have an image of this fantastical castle in our minds, some have said that we should not be looking for a castle at all, and that we should be looking for a wooden lodge.  Over the next few posts we will look at three different locations which have been proposed as the possible location of Camelot and King Arthur's Court.

 Camelot by theartofdarrenvannoy

Cadbury Castle

In order to find Camelot, we need to look at the legends of Camelot in more detail.  The oldest literature concerning Camelot can be found in Chretien de Troyes romance Lancelot, written between 1170 and 1185.

Upon a certain Ascension Day King Arthur had come from Caerleon, and had held a very magnificent court at Camelot as was fitting on such a day.

 A reconstruction of South Cadbury Castle, a British hill fort that was re-fortified around A.D. 500. This project became the Trimaris royal encampment at Pennsic XIX, and was designed and constructed by Baron Master Geoffrey of Trimaris and the author.

One of the most popular locations for a possible Camelot is Cadbury Castle, located by the River Cam.  This site shows signs of refortifications at around the right time for King Arthur.  There are also many postholes which could possible indicate a large feasting hall.  The hill at South Cadbury had long been associated with Arthurian folklore. There is a belief that Arthur and his knights are eternally sleeping in a cave beneath the hill and, on Christmas Eve, they are believed to ride along the top of the hill.  One 14th century author, John Leland, claimed that the name Camelot came from local tradition.  While visiting Somerset, Leland maintained that Camelot was the name of a hill by the village of South Cadbury.  He first recorded the link between King Arthur, Camelot, and Cadbury in 1542:

Right at the South end of South Cadbury Church stands Camelot.  This was once a noted town or castle, set on a real peak of a hill, and with marvellously strong natural defenses...  Roman coins of gold, silver, and copper have been turned up in large quantities during ploughing there, and also in fields at the foot of the hill, especially on the East side.  Many other antiquities have also been found, including at Camelot, within memory, a silver horseshoe.  The only information local people can offer is that they have heard that Arthur frequently came to Camelot.

Excavations at Cadbury Castle

When archaeological research first began in the area, an old man from the village anxiously asked if they had come to remove the King.

In the 1950s, Dr Raleigh Radford, a recognized expert on Dark Age Britain, examined samples of pottery and coins found on the hill and concluded that they belonged to Arthur's period.  Apparently, this evidence was enough for the formation of the Camelot Research Committee, including members such as the British historians and archaeologists C.A. Raleigh Radford, Geoffrey Ashe and Phillip Rahtz, under the direction of Leslie Alcock.  The very name of the Committee suggested that the excavations at Cadbury were specifically searching for proof of King Arthur and his Court.  Any finds from Arthur's period were then taken as proof of exactly that, and the media were quick to jump on the King Arthur bandwagon, not to mention the local tourist industry which will now not hear of any other site being suggested as Camelot.

 Illustration of What Cadbury May Have Looked Like In Its Heyday

From July 15th to August 6th, 1966, there was a trial excavation at the site to see if there was enough physical evidence to justify a full scale excavation.  Three sites were identified and excavated along the 18 acre hilltop.

Sit Mortimer Wheeler, an archaeologist, commented, 'King Henry VIII's appointed antiquary, John Leland, found that this place was known to local folk as Camelot.  Sober-minded historians have hesitated to scorn the ancient belief that, about 500AD, there was a veritable Arthur, whether king or soldier of fortune.  Now archaeology has given fresh substance to this Arthurian Camelot.

Engraving of Cadbury Castle, drawn in 1723 by William Stukeley and captioned "Prospect of Camalet Castle" 

Discoveries covering a large timespan from the Neolithic (300BC) period, to an occupation in the 1st millenium included mass amounts of bronzes and Bronze Age pottery.  The pre-Roman Iron Age provided loom weights, weaving combs and La Tane III brooches.  Further evidence was discovered from the Roman period, marked by 3rd and 4th century pottery./  The next level provided mass amounts of Tintagel Class B pottery, which indicates a major occupation during the Dark Ages.

Alcock commented: 'We have achieved the main objectives of our first years work.  We are now able to show that this fortification belongs to the 6th century, that is to say the period of Arthur himself.  We've made enough finds - particularly of pottery and metal objects - to tie down this date quite quickly.'

Cadbury Castle Today

This trial excavation provided enough evidence to warrant a full scale excavation of the site, which occurred throughout the summer of 1970.  The new evidence discovered during this time further supported the theory of a Dark Age military stronghold.  At this point, the Committee made use of geophysical prospecting, giving them a way to select the most beneficial areas to excavate.  An area of 1000sq metres was selected.  One trench revealed more than five structural phases, at least two of which were post-Roman.  They also discovered that, during the fort's re-occupation in the decond half of the 5th century, earlier defences were reconstructed and fortified.  This refortification consisted of a 16ft thick unmortared stone wall, with blocks of Roman masonry on top of it.  This is in addition to the surrounding earthbank, an internal drystone wall and a gate tower with two entrances.  Additional postholes indicated more buildings and a small 'amount of Tintagel-like sherds of Class A, B, and D pottery were also discovered.'  These finds of imported pottery suggested a peasant's hovel, where the widely scattered pottery indicated a 'civilized settlement.'  Due to the quantity of imported luxury goods, it was also suggested that the occupants of the fortified settlement were people of standing.

Only an important chieftain would have been able to afford to import the luxury goods found and to build on the scale discovered at Cadbury.  The size of Cadbury Castle itself has led to the suggestion that a High-King such as Arthur would be the most likely to have resided here.  However, Cadbury lay in the Kingdom of Dumnonia and there seems little reason to doubt that it was the capital of Dumnonian Kings due to its incomparable size and the discoveries of luxury goods on the site.  Strengthening this theory is the possible interpretation of the name.  It is usually translated as Battle-Fort, but Cadbury may really mean Cado's Fort.  Cado was the name of an early 6th century King of Dumnonia.  It has been suggested that the Arthurian connection with Cadbury stems from confusion with the now forgotten pre-Roman king Arvirogus.

 Survey plan of Cadbury Castle

That's it for today.  Tomorrow we will look at the claim that Caerleon is King Arthur's Camelot.  Until next time.

Useful Resources

The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend by Alan Lupack
King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend by Rodney Castleden
Revealing King Arthur: Swords, Stones and Digging for Camelot by Christopher Gidlow

Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes
Britannia - Cadbury Castle: King Arthur's Camelot
The South Cadbury Excavations
The UnMuseum - Camelot
‘Have You Come to Take the King Away?’: A Survey of Archaeology and Folklore in Context