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All the sea animals that you know of, what would be the most terrifying to you? Perhaps a deadly shark or an enormous blue whale? What if there was something that would put both of those options to shame?
Through Greek Mythology, Biblical references, and folklore, there have been amazing legends of sea creatures. Legends that not only caused fear in sailors but also the people who heard such tales. With each story that passed on, the fear only grew.
If you have an itch for history and mythology, then these three legends will be to your liking:
1. Charybdis: Greek Origin - Charybdis is known in Greek Mythology and was the daughter of Poseidon. Legend has it, her job was to flood dry land (like tides) as commanded by her father. However, Zeus was unhappy with her flooding more land than she needed. She was cursed by Zeus which caused her to become thirsty three times during the day and form whirlpools. Charybdis was known to cause havoc on sailors, warriors, and others whenever people would try to pass her area.
2. Cirein-croin: Scottish Folklore - Cirein-croin is known in Scottish folklore to be a terrifyingly, large sea creature. It was known to disguise itself as a smaller fish to fool and trick sailors. It did so to get aboard the ship or boats before changing back from a small, silverfish into its true form: a water dragon shape. Because of this, it was known to have shape-shifting powers to trick its next meal - the sailors. Legend has it that they believed this creature roamed the sea and would devour numerous whales at a time.
3. Leviathan: Judaism / Christianity Origin - A popular sea creature found in the Hebrew Bible was known as Leviathan. This sea creature legend is mentioned in four books: The Book of Job, Isaiah, Psalms, and Amos. It was created by Yahweh, and it was not originally a terrifying monster. It became corrupted from its soft state and turned into a monster that loved violence and annihilation. It was known to burn the flesh off people who saw it or came near, thus provoking to be the most terrifying creature in its lore.
These three legends of sea creatures were known to be in our very own waters. Tales of what is inside our oceans can be frightening. Yet, more than 90% of the water on Earth has not been fully searched. Who knows what we have all the way down those deep-black and dark masses.
