#sea monk

[thehmn]

I felt it was of the outmost importance that I draw the sea monk with modern mermaid colors.

It washed up on the Danish shores during the Middle Ages and people are still discussing what exactly people at the time saw. They drew it like this.

[evolutionsvoid]

When it comes to the denizens of the deep, the Church's opinion can be a bit murky. These beings are not labeled blasphemous or hunted down like other heretical beings, but yet those on high do not openly accept them. They will point to these odd fish and creatures as examples of faith being all around us in this world, but they do not listen closely to whatever "gospels" these entities might share. Some sects openly embrace these beings, seeing them as holy and divine, but the Church itself exudes an aura of wary tolerance. Look to these creatures as proof that even the natural world itself partakes in worship and religion like that of the Church, but go no farther than that. If these things pray or preach, it is of a primordial faith, one far more "blunt" and "savage" compared to the glorious Church of Divine Wealth (or so the faithful of the Church claim). Thus, it is warned to stay true to the Church's teachings, and keep things respectful between oneself and these strange beings. Obviously, as long as one stays away from the sea, there is little chance of encountering one of these creatures. However, in rare instances, it seems that a "pilgrim" may appear upon the shores and walk the lands on some unknown journey.

From their appearance and peculiar gestures, they have gained the label of "Monk," though one may question if this status can truly be handed out on visage alone. Encounters with these beings have occurred both at sea and on land, as these creatures seem far more amphibious than others of their kind. For the sea folk, they have caught these beings in nets, or watched lone individuals slowly pulsing through the shallow waters upon a dedicated path. When hooked and brought up, they offer no tokens or wise words, they simply gesture with their tendrils and nudge their bodies towards a single direction. It appears they are obsessed with a specific destination, desiring it above anything else. Those on both land and sea will do anything to follow some invisible path, with some believers labeling it a pilgrimage. When meeting dry land, they rise up onto their tentacles and slowly slither forth, never pausing in their journey. They will crawl their way across the earth, completing some journey known only to them. No one has been able to piece together their purpose. Some have spoken in an odd tongue to strangers, while others gather random objects and trinkets. Eventually, they will turn around and make their way back to the ocean, and vanish into the depths. Supposedly they found something up here, but no one can really say what.

Interpreting these Monks has been an endless effort, with no real way to confirm what is the truth. Some think it is simply the migrations of an animal, perhaps laying eggs or seeking particular nourishment needed for the next stage in life. Yet, they do not appear in large groups, which you would think would happen if this was some kind of life cycle. Some think they are sick and lost, like other creatures of the deep found dying in the shallows. Yet, no weakness is found, and their determination is unstoppable. Those who believe them to belong to some divinity of the depths claim it a pilgrimage, and this is some task given to them by their faith to contact those above. Surely they seek a holy goal, be it dispensing wisdom or gathering sacred materials. Even their actions emanate the ways of the faith, for when threatened they do not turn to violence. It would appear that these Monks are tied to Phlegm in a way, as they can breath out a damp mist of calming Phlegm to subdue foes. Those struck by the greenish cloud that billows from their "face" will find their bodies relaxed and their minds at peace, sedating them into a state of bliss, where they cannot bring themselves to raise their weapons. Any danger is met with these mists, and once the enemy is rendered harmless, they continue on. The other evidence lies in their diet, as the believers claim they show temperance in their feeding. Monks eat very little when on shore, and only eat tiny morsels of meat. They are very careful in tearing their food up into small pieces, as if large portions are blasphemous and gluttonous. Many compare this to the fasting and moderation shown in other worshipers, and that this is clear proof that faith runs within these beings. 

Of course, there are others who are more paranoid about such creatures, which stems from living in a world in chaos. They see these "pilgrimages" as something less holy and innocent. To them, the Monks look more like scouts, and their journey one of collection and study, rather than meditation. Who is to say that these creatures are not scanning the lands and gathering valuable intel to send back to the depths? Why should we believe them holy and not insidious in their design? They wear a familiar visage and hide behind a peaceful demeanor, yet they say nothing of their goals and are unflinching in their purpose. Wouldn't a peaceful fellow of faith take time to sit with others and show kindness? Wouldn't they seek to break bread with like minded folk? Yet they do not waste time in their quests, and are always intent on returning home. Surely there is a chance they are carrying precious details that serve to bolster their own forces and knowledge. After all, everyone else in this world looks to be quite eager in carving up these lands in disarray, who is to say these strange fish are not another hungry beast at the dinner table?

-------------------------------------------------

"Monk of the Sea"

[tyrantisterror]

Sea Bishops & Sea Monks

Ok, so, two of my favorite obscure medieval sea monsters are the Sea Bishop and the Sea Monk - basically what you'd get if mermaids were Catholic. The above examples are particularly monstrous, but sometimes they look a bit more civil.

And you know me, I love obscure monster from myth and folklore, especially when they're really weird and kinda goofy. So obviously I've been trying to figure out how to adapt these two into my fantasy setting. The obvious route would be to make them specific variants of mermaids, but that feels a little underwhelming, so I thought on it and waited for a bit.

Well, inspiration hit recently.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but I've been playing a new video game called Baldur's Gate 3, and one of the side effects of that is that I've been reminded that squid people are pretty fucking cool as a concept, and, as it goes, that made me want to figure out how I could put my own twist on the trope. And as I was thinking of how I could make a squid person that stands out from other pop culture squid people, it occured to me that having a squid head... kinda makes you have the same silhouette as a person wearing a bishop/pope hat. Like some sort of... sea bishop. And sure, design-wise this would be a bit more of a departure from the source material than I usually take when making a Midgaheim version of a mythic creature, but a lot of the key features - the big head, the bishop hat, the flowing cape, the spindly legs - are still there, just in a remixed way.

and fuck you, I want squid people dammit

So these are Midgaheim's take on Sea Bishops - roughly human-sized relatives of krakens, who use magic to help them breathe and walk on land and are prone to disguising their inhuman anatomy with flowing robes. They're very smart and can be dangerous enemies when provoked.

While digging up pictures of Sea Bishops to see if my take was justifiable enough by the loose standards I adhere to with Midgaheim beasties, I found that fucking terrifying picture of the Sea Monk you saw at the top of this post, and immediately my brain went, "Oh, that's a shark. That's a shark that's trying to look like a human so it can get close to you. That's fucking terrifying." And, well, it's pretty hard to lose that mental image once you have it, and it basically made Sea Monks feel more concrete in my mind. They're human-imitating magic shark people. I made mine a bit less horrifying (by basing them on one of the cutest animals on earth, the great white shark), but there'd be at least a few other species of Sea Monk beside my example here, and at least one would have that ghastly "deep sea creature dragged to the surface" look of that medieval drawing up top.

[cubic-watermelon]

Day 28 (because I forgot to post yesterday) of my cryptid October drawing challenge!

Today’s creature: Sea Monk/Bishop

Previous:

[alihsi]

Monstober Day 20: The sea monk is a Danish creature with possible origins from the descriptions after capturing a monkfish, squid, or guitarfish. The typical depiction is of a monk head on top of a scaly body, with squid tentacles. I pulled some elements from depictions of the version called the sea bishop as well as embellishing with some of my own elements. Pentel brushpen, Windsor & Newton fine-line marker, and Prismacolor fine-line marker on Canson mixed media.

[i-am-worm]

Inktober 52 2024 - Week 18 - 'Spirit'

This week's word is 'Spirit' and it's also Mer-may! So my first thought was maybe to a tie in to an existing fish spirit, and I was surprised to find there isn't much info on real concrete fish spirits. There are plenty of water spirits (...that are often people or horse shaped for some reason) but not many that out right resemble fish.

Some places suggested the salmon as a 'Native American' or 'Celtic' spirits, but sources looked super dubious (the 'healing crystals' and 'Celtic zodiac' kind of dubious. And if real, I didn't feel right doing a 'salmon mermaid spirit' lest I attracted the wrong ideas).

A few fish came up as part of legends (that inevitably get eaten) but yeah, not a lot of out right 'fish spirit'.

But my research reminded me of some so called 'spiritual' (see what I did there) fish people, and that's the legends of the 'Sea Monk' and the 'Bishop Fish':

And I felt more safe having fun drawing them. I imagine them tending the much overlooked fish spirits of the vast waters that cover our earth. Maybe people can suggest some ones they know of if they know of any.

[rainymegane]

Well, Lightning’s origins always seemed rather shady…

[briefbestiary]

Somewhat strange creatures, the sea monks, coming from the seas of Denmark. These "fish" have quite the interesting appearance.

[surrogate-gaia-art]

Sea Monks are strange creatures that migrate from coast to coast and have been spotted all around the former Sunrealm. Their appearance and behaviour often mimics religious and monastic priests, but what makes them stand apart is their ability to perform in great choirs that can be heard miles away.

Their strangely "robe-like" appendages act as a way for them to collect food. Fish and other sea creatures can get stuck between the meshes of their body, allowing the Sea Monk an easy meal.

-------------------------

Posted 17th of April 2019

Part of my Fantasy setting - Warmonster

[the-mediaeval-monk]

Brother Ishmael, a sea monk, contemplates his vows after saving (and failing to seduce) a human monk.

*****

“What would you like to confess?” Brother Jonah asks gently.  I stare at my tail. The fins are dangerously close to touching Brother Jonah’s. I pull myself away as much as I can. Shame floods me. I cannot speak.  “Brother Ishmael?”  “I didn’t just save the human.” My words come out with a stream of bubbles in an attempt to disguise what I just said.  “...Did you…sin with the human?”

[drowningwitchdreams]

The latest episode of the Lore podcast has multiple mentions of hybrid sea monsters of yore.

Content warning for mentions of animal violence, coercive marriage (and, by extension, implied coercive sex), and family death

[daviddingobleecher]

“Mostober 2023 Day 20: Sea Monk” People made Florida-like (crazy) claims in the 1500’s #DigitalArt #SeaMonk #Monstober #Monstober2023

[a-book-of-creatures]

Here’s some more vintage squids! (sticking to squids, octopuses are a different kettle of cephalopods)

The squid from Thomas de Cantimpré’s Liber de Natura Rerum. It flies like an arrow, so it has avian features!

The squid from the Ortus Sanitatis is… Literally A Fish.

The nameless “horrible monster” described by Olaus Magnus, with its profusion of horns, is believed to an early description of the kraken, and thus a giant squid!

As for the sea monk? Steenstrup popularized the “giant squid” interpretation, but on the balance of the evidence it is more likely that it was an angel shark (aka… monkfish). The weird appearance came about by a game of telephone and artists who took descriptions rather literally.

Different representations of the sea monk and possible suspects from Paxton and Holland (2005) Was Steenstrup Right? A New Interpretation of the 16th Century Sea Monk of the Øresund, which summarizes the facts.

I know that medieval art has some fun depictions of various animals. Are there any fun depictions of squid (or similar creatures) in old-timey art that you know of and would like to share (either from medieval art or another time period)?

YES, I have a couple

One is the depiction of a Sea Monk , there's a squid in there (but it looks pretty damn good honestly!)

and then my other favorite is from a drawing of a "giant squid" that washed up on an Irish beach

 Illustration of “monster” washed ashore in Dingle Bay, 1672

[paradoxbeta]

a drawing i did of monk for my spotify playlist

[wormheamer]

into the unknown

[alex-fictus]

Holocene Extinctions

These animals all deserved better, but the best we can do is remember them and tell their stories.

Stickers Here <3

Great Auk - Dodo

Stellar's Sea Cow - Japanese Sea Lion / Caribbean Monk Seal - Baiji

Imperial Woodpecker - Passenger Pigeon

Thylacine - Warrah - Turnspit Dog

Shop || Phone Wallpapers