| Bishop-Fish | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Sea Bishop or Bishop-Fish |
|
First Appearance |
16th Century European Folklore |
Origin[]
Bishop-Fish as Illustrated in the Book of Days.
The sea bishop or bishop-fish was a type of sea monster reported in the 16th century. According to legend, it was taken to the King of Poland, who wished to keep it. It was also shown to a group of Catholic bishops, to whom the bishop-fish gestured, appealing to be released. They granted its wish, at which point it made the sign of the cross and disappeared into the sea.
Another was supposedly captured in the ocean near Germany in 1531. It refused to eat and died after three days. It was described and pictured in the fourth volume of Conrad Gesner's famous Historiae animalium, published in 1551 – 58 and 1587.
Since the bishop-fish was caught in the same year as the Sea Monk, it is suggested the two are somehow related.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Historia animalium ("History of the Animals") (1551–1558)
- Specula physico-mathematico-historica notabilium ac mirabilium sciendorum (1696)
- Book of Days (1862)
Notes[]
- Cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans believed the report was based on the discovery of a large mutilated Grimaldi scaled squid.