Early Maps

 I wanted to look at early maps of the sea and landmasses around the sea to see how early map makers interpreted the sea, I have an idea in my head that there are illustrations of monsters (here be monsters) in areas of the sea representing places they haven't mapped or explored yet. Thinking about this it might be interesting to explore this idea, thinking about myths that grew around the sea to explain the disappearance of ships and the legends that appeared with pirates that we now see on film like with "Pirates of the Caribbean".


To get the maps I wanted I decided to visit the Map Library, there I asked the librarian for maps on coastal areas and the sea, thankfully he had loads of examples that I could look through along with a link to a website I could use to see even more maps. Looking at these was fascinating, the first one he showed me was dated 1610 and is full of interesting oddities that are used within the map.


Like this where the map maker includes sea creatures dotted around in the sea, could they be there to represent treacherous parts of water or just there as a visual flair? 

Searching around for answers on this I found an article on the Smithsonian Magazine that answered this question as to why many of the old maps I found were illustrated with these sea creatures.


I like the idea that these sea creatures being both a decorative aspect and educational aspect to make the viewer want to stay and look at the map, along with this its interesting to know that if it is adorned with sea creatures and illustrations it is a art piece that is meant to be displayed rather than something to navigate with. Along with this the education part, where they say that these creatures existed and live out there in the sea, it must have painted an idea within the viewers head of the high seas being this incredible, scary and enchanting place that need to be explored and tamed. Could this have been where legends came from, sailors trying to explain what happened to a lost ship and that story being past on down and down the line.


Another thing that the article talked about was how some of these creatures came to represent safe passage or water that boats could use, for example they show this creature called a Ichtyocentaur which is supposedly a peaceful and calm creature. I think I want to look more into these mythical creatures and what meaning they had behind them, looking especially at the legends that grow around the sea and lost/destroyed ships. Especially since when I was younger I had an interest in Greek mythology and creatures, so looking into these would be going back to that time and rekindling that interest.

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