Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Mythology Explained. In today’s video, we’ll be
discussing 5 of the biggest and most powerful sea monsters in all of mythology.
Tales of terrifying creatures preying on unfortunate souls out at sea are by no means an invention
of the silver screen. People have been spinning yarns about about the creatures of the deep
for thousands of years, and those of the mythical variety are almost always more fearsome than
their more prosaic counterparts - real animals, like sharks and snakes - that are so often
the antagonists of movie franchises like Jaws and Anaconda.
This video is going to focus on the who’s who of mythical sea monsters, meaning, of
course, the most colossal and most powerful. Because - let’s be honest with ourselves
- what’s the point of discussing these things if you’re not going to focus on the biggest
and the baddest.
Coming in at number 5 is the Kraken. A mythical sea monster from Scandinavian Folklore, the
kraken has a cephalopod-esque appearance, which is a fancy way of saying it looks like
a squid or an octopus. A hypothesis for the origin of the Kraken’s appearance is that
it was inspired by sightings of giant squid, which can grow to lengths of 13 - 15 meters
(40 - 50 feet). Of course, the kraken’s own size dwarfs that of the tentacled animal
on which it is based many, many times over. Descriptions of the Kraken’s size that I
found ranged from the length of several ships to a mile and a half long.
At number four we have the Aspidochelone, which was either a massive whale or a massive
turtle, depending on the version. You’re probably familiar with this monster as it
makes frequent pop-culture appearances. My personal favorite is it being the inspiration
for the Lion Turtle in Avatar: the Last Airbender. Here’s the Aspidochelone’s MO: it was
so large that sailors would mistake it for being an island. When sailors came near to
explore the isolated mass, the Aspidochelone submerged itself, drowning all those in close
proximity, even sucking ships under.
Coming in at number 3 is the Leviathan, a primeval sea serpent from Jewish mythology.
Leviathan had dominion over the seas and was one of a trio of titanic beings. The other
two were Behemoth, a bull-like creature who held supremacy over land, and Ziz, a griffin-like
bird that possessed mastery over the skies. In the beginning, there was both a male and
female leviathan, but this was short-lived. After a great struggle, Yahweh killed the
female Leviathan. His reason for doing so was the preservation of life on earth. Had
the leviathans produced any offspring, having so many of them would have thrown the world
out of balance. It was said that Leviathan’s length was, at a minimum, 300 miles, though
his exact size is unknown.
At number 2 we have an entry from Philippine mythology. The Bakunawa was a serpentine dragon,
while I couldn’t find any express description of its size, I believe its colossal size to
be implicitly conveyed in the many phenomena associated with it and through the many myths
in which it was featured, culminating into an unimpeachable case for the number 2 spot.
Ancient Philippine’s saw The Bakunawa as the causal force behind earthquakes, rains,
the winds, and even eclipses. It was said that seven moons were created to illuminate
the sky. Bakunawa, allured by their beauty, would extend forth from the sea and swallow
them.
Our top spot is, of course, Jormungandr, also known as The Midgard Serpent and The World
serpent. Along with Hel, the goddess who ruled over Niflheim, the frozen, misty world of
the dead, and Fenrir, the giant wolf who kills Odin, the world serpent, was one of three
offspring Loki sired by the giantess Angrboda. The gods, wanting to be rid of him, tossed
him in the ocean that surrounded Midgard. With nothing to impede his growth, the world
serpent rapidly grew, eventually filling out its environment so that it surrounded midgard
and grasped its own tail in its mouth, encircling the world. The world Serpent and Thor are
fated to fight each other come Ragnarok, each killing the other.
And that concludes the list. Which mythological sea creatures would you add? Let us know in
the comment section below
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Until next time
Remember
Better to do a little than a great deal badly