Sea Monsters Map

Historical background

The Carta Marina is one of those old maps that people tend to stop and look at. At first glance it is a map of Scandinavia and the northern seas; after a few moments it becomes something much more curious — a crowded world of ships, sea monsters, whirlpools, animals, castles, coats of arms, fishing scenes and strange northern customs.

The map was created by Olaus Magnus, a Swedish scholar and churchman, and first published in Venice in 1539. Its full title, Carta Marina et Descriptio Septentrionalium Terrarum, describes it as a marine map and description of the northern lands. That is a good summary, although it hardly captures the character of the piece. Olaus Magnus was trying to give southern Europe a fuller picture of Scandinavia, Iceland, the Baltic and the northern waters, which were often poorly understood on earlier maps.

The sea monsters are, of course, the great attraction. Whales, serpents, giant fish and other creatures fill the waters around Iceland, Norway and the Atlantic islands. Some are clearly fantastic, while others seem to be exaggerated versions of real marine life reported by sailors. To a sixteenth-century viewer, these were not simply amusing decorations. The northern seas were dangerous places, associated with cold, storms, ice, difficult navigation and stories brought back by mariners.

Look closely and the land is just as busy as the water. The map includes scenes of hunting, skiing, sledges, animals, forests, mountains, settlements and royal arms. Iceland is shown with volcanic activity and unusual creatures around its coasts. The Baltic is full of ships, and the surrounding seas are marked with compass roses and navigation lines. It is a map that mixes geography with story-telling, and that is a large part of its enduring appeal.

Olaus Magnus later expanded many of these ideas in his great work Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus, published in Rome in 1555. The map and the book together helped shape European ideas about the north for generations. They presented Scandinavia not as an empty or distant region, but as a place of trade, danger, natural wonders and distinctive customs.

The original Carta Marina was a large and ambitious production, printed from multiple woodblocks. Surviving early examples are rare, which adds to its fascination among map historians and collectors. Its imagery, especially the sea monsters, continued to influence later printed maps and illustrations of the northern world.

As a wall print, this is not a quiet background map. It has movement, humour, drama and a strong sense of adventure. It works particularly well in a study, library, hallway, coastal home or office — anywhere the detail can be seen and enjoyed rather than lost at a distance.

Reproduced as a fine art print, the Sea Monsters Map remains one of the most characterful pieces in our collection. It is full of history, folklore and nautical imagination, with the sort of detail that rewards a second and third look.