This is a #broadsheet announcing the #stranding of a whale in Ireland in 1692. It is said that 20 men could fit in its mouth. What a lovely, scaly dragon #whale!
#histwhale #oceanspast
www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb0...
In 751, a #whale came ashore near #Bangor (Northern Ireland). Its specialty: three golden teeth, valued at 50 ounces each. How were they used? Two were sent to churches for admiration; the third was given to bridge builders as payment by the kingβs son.
#WorldWhaleDay
πΌοΈBL, Royal MS 13 B VIII, f. 16v
To me, that doesnβt really argue either for or against the nose/wound interpretation. Klaus BarthelmeΓ, a former whaler, identified the cut as a wound, and I have so far trusted his assessment.
(Zoologische Einblattdrucke vor 1800, vol. 4, no. 538.1) 2/2
Ah, I hadnβt looked at it that way before β thank you for raising this point! My assumption was simply that, lacking precise knowledge of what a pilot whale looks like, the artist may have transferred the appearance of the whale in the foreground to the one in the background. 1/2
I'm not sure about the nose. I would say it's more of a wound. It's one of those rare cases where a female animal has been stranded. Can you see the footprints in the sand? What a lovely detail! I hope to leave some footprints on Zandvoort beach soon as well.
π
Seeing this depiction of a pilot #whale in an 'indigenous' context is absolutely fascinating! Originally, it was an illustration of an animal that washed ashore near #Zandvoort (NL) in 1594.
www.britishmuseum.org/collection/o...
#histwhale #oceanspast #melvillemonday
The #whales are back at the #IMC in Leeds! π³
Many thanks to our wonderful speakers for accepting the invitation! Details of our two panels are available here:
imc-leeds.confex.com/imc/2026/pre...
#IMC2026 #medievalsky #oceanspast #histwhale
Doubting men raking patient #whale?
(Allegorical) depiction of whaling from the βCi nous ditβ
#histwhale #illumination #medievalsky
portail.biblissima.fr/ark:/43093/m..., f. 33r (France 14th c.)
Medieval crime, cetacean edition.
The image shows, alongside the source text and a modern transcription, a fish labelled βbalenaβ, with large scales, teeth, and a sly expression.
In 1458, a #whale beached itself at the mouth of the River #Llobregat and was declared a harbinger of King Alfonso V of Aragonβs imminent death. And honestly, just look at that face β this whale was clearly up to something fishy...
#histwhale
dogc.gencat.cat/.content/con..., S. 515.
A photo from inside a small side chapel of a tall narrow simple modern stained glass window which has the impressionistic shape of a whale as viewed from above running vertically the whole length of the window with the tail at the top and the head at the bottom . The whale is dark blue with a periphery of turquoise set in an opaque colourless glass surround. Photo Copyright Coralie Mills 2024
A photo of the whale mural which is vast and coloured grey against a whitewashed wall of the east aisle towards the west end of the church. We can glimpse the main body of the east end of the aisle towards get a sense of scale. The mural was painted in 1545 but looks very modern because it is so simply portrayed. Photo copyright Coralie Mills 2024
Another view of the whale mural, this time more front on though cannot get entirely front on because the aisle is quite narrow. Photo copyright Coralie Mills 2024
Visitor information sheet with Point 4 being about the Whale. Photo: Copyright Coralie Mills 2024
On a recent trip to see a friend in historic #Greifswald NE #Germany, we discovered the unexpected in an ancient RC Church, a lifesize 16thC mural of a whale washed up nearby in 1545 and celebrated in a beautiful modern blue glass window in a side chapel. More info in last photo
#StainedGlassSunday
Medieval manuscript image of an oddly drawn whale with two men warming themselves at a fire on its back, one of whom has taken off his shoes and wiggles his toes near the flames; their boat is anchored to the whaleβs back.
un-land, n.n: false land. (UN-LOND / ΛΚn-Λland)
Image: De bestiis et aliis rebus; France, c. 1230; @labnf.bsky.social lat. 2495B, f. 46v.
#OldEnglish #WOTD
The illumination for the whale (cetus vel balena) is very similar.
This may suggest that both were perceived similarly: as big fish.
However, the text highlights a significant difference: the 'whales' were hunted by the 'orcas'.
patrimoine-numerique.ville-valenciennes.fr/ark:/29755/B...
βOrcaβ in the βLiber de natura rerumβ of Thomas of CantimprΓ©.
The text describes this seemingly friendly fellow as a huge mass of flesh with terrible teeth. The artist did not take these characteristics into account
#medievalsky #orca
patrimoine-numerique.ville-valenciennes.fr/ark:/29755/B...
The best drawing of an orca I have ever seen!
In 1817 Bernard O'Reilly travelled to Greenland and through the North West Passage. His travelogue (whose authenticity has been questioned) contains this great picture
wiki.app.uib.no/marinelexicon/β¦)
Thank you for showing me this example! In Europe, there have been isolated depictions of killer whales since the mid-16th century that bear some resemblance to them.
Yes, I know these well β and I love them! I've spent hours browsing through the collection.
Thanks!
Me too π
Thank you!
I absolutely agree.
I've just read your well-written text. I like what you're pointing out. Thank you very much for sharing!
You're right β some very nice results, and a rabbit hole! π Did you see this wonderful depiction of the 'Whale' constellation?
www.europeana.eu/en/item/9200...
The North-West Pacific is not the focus of the article I am currently writing. However, I am now curious to know how orcas are represented there. And are they classified as a species, or are they generally considered to be 'sea monsters'?
That's great! Thank you so much for finding that for me! This broadside describes a mass orca stranding near Ipswich in 1568 and features a remarkable illustration.
Here's the link to the only surviving copy: hdl.huntington.org/digital/coll...
See also: Zoologische Einblattdrucke, vol. 4, nr. 530
Yes, it does. And it is not the only one... π
Lippische Landesbibliothek, Ms. 70, f. 84r
This hint is great β thank you very much! This might be one of the (in my case) missing links I was looking for.
It's older, but it's wonderful! Thank you very much for showing me this! π
Oh yes, I'd completely forgotten about the whale book! (How was that possible?) You're right, I love browsing through it. Thank you!
Dear #MedievalSky & #SkyStorians, could you help, please? I am looking for depictions of orcas from before 1700
I already know:
Olaus Magnus, Sebastian MΓΌnster, Pierre Belon, Guillaume Rondelet, Conrad Gessner, as well as the ones on bestiary.ca (s. pic) & the mural in Greifswald
Thanks in advance!
Thank you very much π
