| Sea Serpent | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Notable Members |
Jormungandr, Leviathan, Tiamat, Yam, Tannin, Rahab, Cetus, Echidna, Hydra, Scylla |
|
First Appearance |
World Mythology |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
A sea serpent is a type of sea monster described in various mythologies, most notably in Mesopotamian cosmology (Tiamat), Ugaritic cosmology (Yam, Tannin) biblical cosmology (Leviathan, Rahab), Greek cosmology (Cetus, Echidna, Hydra, Scylla), and Norse cosmology (Jörmungandr).
The Drachenkampf mytheme, the chief god in the role of the hero slaying a sea serpent, is widespread both in the ancient Near East and in Indo-European mythology, e.g. Lotan and Hadad, Leviathan and Yahweh, Tiamat and Marduk (see also Labbu, Bašmu, Mušḫuššu), Illuyanka and Tarhunt, Yammu and Baal in the Baal Cycle etc. The Hebrew Bible also has mythological descriptions of large sea creatures as part of creation under Yahweh's command, such as the Tanninim mentioned in Book of Genesis 1:21 and the "great serpent" of Amos 9:3. In the Aeneid, a pair of sea serpents killed Laocoön and his sons when Laocoön argued against bringing the Trojan Horse into Troy. Claudius Aelianus in his work On the Nature of Animals mentions a giant sea centipede, which has a tail that is similar to a crayfish and which moves using numerous feet on each side of its body. Guillaume Rondelet mentions a similar imaginary creature called centipede cetacean in his work L'histoire entière des poissons.
In Nordic mythology, Jörmungandr (or Midgarðsormr) was a sea serpent or worm so long that it encircled the entire world, Midgard. Sea serpents also appear frequently in later Scandinavian folklore, particularly in that of Norway, such as an account that in 1028 AD, Saint Olaf killed a sea serpent in Valldal in Norway, throwing its body onto the mountain Syltefjellet. Marks on the mountain are associated with the legend.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of the Sea Serpents before January 1, 1929 are public domain.
Some Notable Appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- History of the Northern Peoples (1555)
- The Great Sea Serpent (1883)
- The Great Sea-serpent: An Historical and Critical Treatise (1892)
- Sjø-ormens historie: Beretninger om dette hav-uhyres tilsynekomst (1902)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Punch and Judy v3 #8
- Don Winslow of the Navy #37
- Four Color #414
- Fantastic Comics #16
- Web of Evil #4, 20
- Seven Seas #2
- Tell It to the Marines #2
- George Pal's Puppetoons #15
- Unusual Tales #23
- Gorgo #6, 13
- Weird Comics #1
- More Fun Comics #7
- Airboy Comics v8 #11 (94)
- Beany & Cecil #4
- Fauntleroy Comics #1
- Beanbags #2