The mythic creature expert and author of Phoenix takes readers through a bestiary of sea monsters featured on the famous 16th century map Carta Marina. In the sixteenth century, sea serpents, giant man-eating lobsters, and other monsters were thought to swim the waters of Norther Europe, threatening seafarers who ventured too far from shore. Thankfully, Scandinavian mariners had Olaus Magnus, who in 1539 charted these fantastic marine animals in his influential map of the Nordic countries, the Carta Marina. In Sea Monsters, mythologist Joseph Nigg brings readers face-to-face with these creatures and other magnificent components of Magnus’s map. Nearly two meters wide in total, the map’s nine wood-block panels comprise the largest and first realistic portrayal of the region. But in addition to its important geographic significance, Magnus’s map goes beyond cartography to scenes both domestic and mystic. Close to shore, Magnus shows humans interacting with common sea life—boats struggling to stay afloat, merchants trading, children swimming, and fisherman pulling lines. But from the offshore deeps rise some of the most terrifying sea creatures imaginable—like sea swine, whales as large as islands, and the Kraken. In this book, Nigg draws on Magnus’s own text to further describe and illuminate these inventive scenes and to flesh out the stories of the monsters. Sea Monsters is a stunning tour of a world that still holds many secrets for us land dwellers, who will forever be fascinated by reports of giant squid and the real-life creatures of the deep that have proven to be as bizarre and otherworldly as we have imagined for centuries. It is a gorgeous guide for enthusiasts of maps, monsters, and the mythic. “[A] beautiful new exploration of the Carta Marina.”—Wired

Dive under the sea with these realistic marine origami models! In Fantastic Origami Sea Creatures, Japanese origami expert Hisao Fukui shows you how to create incredibly detailed aquatic wildlife, including a giant squid, prehistoric creatures and even a massive blue whale calf! The step-by-step folding instructions and photos in this book present 20 challenging and amazingly lifelike models -- from intermediate to complex in terms of their level of difficulty. The 20 projects in this book include: The Penguin -- A color-change model capturing the awkward and slightly comical appearance of these flightless aquatic birds The Polar Bear -- A menacing hunter who will hungrily stalk the edge of your desk or bookshelf The Goldfish -- This model features elegant lines and clever folding solutions -- and it's difficult to overfeed, to boot! The Crocodile -- A lurking hunter which is ideal for showcasing special papers The Crab -- With all of the legs to define, this model is a challenging one, but with fewer pinch folds than you might expect The Manta Ray -- A graceful and gentle filter feeder whose sweeping wings give you the opportunity to create a truly expressive paper sculpture And many more!

Includes bibliographical references (p. 47) and index.

An introduction to some of the weirdest creatures that live in the ocean including anglerfish, lionfish, and hagfish.

Discover the truth about some of the dangerous creatures that live in the ocean

Ages 9 to 12 years. A must-have for any home or school library, this fascinating book highlights 30 of the most fascinating creatures in the sea. The beautiful full-colour photographs and interesting descriptions highlighting the design features of each creature make this book a must read.

The sea monsters on medieval and Renaissance maps, whether swimming vigorously, gamboling amid the waves, attacking ships, or simply displaying themselves for our appreciation, are one of the most visually engaging elements on these maps, and yet they have never been carefully studied. The subject is important not only in the history of cartography, art, and zoological illustration, but also in the history of the geography of the "marvelous" and of western conceptions of the ocean. Moreover, the sea monsters depicted on maps can supply important insights into the sources, influences, and methods of the cartographers who drew or painted them. In this highly-illustrated book the author analyzes the most important examples of sea monsters on medieval and Renaissance maps produced in Europe, beginning with the earliest mappaemundi on which they appear in the 10th century and continuing to the end of the 16th century.