Marine Sow, Sea Monster, 16th Century

Woodcut of a marine sow from Des Monstres et prodiges by Ambroise Pare, 1573. Des Monstres is filled with unsubstantiated accounts of sea devils, marine sows, and monstrous animals with human faces. With its extensive discussion of reproduction and illustrations of birth defects, the book invited accusations of pornography. The marine monster, as Olaus Magnus says, was seen in the sea, near the Isle of Thylen in 1538. Seventy-two feet long, fourteen feet high, having a distance of seven feet between its two eyes. Its head was similar to a Sow, having a crescent located on its back, three eyes in the middle of each side of the body, and the rest completely covered with scales

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom

1573 Ambroise Fabled Marvels Monsters Monstres Pare Prodiges Prodigies Serpent

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