Case file · Cryptid
Hans Egede's sea serpent
On 6 July 1734, the missionary Hans Egede, sailing off Greenland's west coast, saw a 'very terrible sea-animal' rise so high that its head reached the masthead.
1734 CE · 64.00, -52.50 · status: account
The account
He described a long body, a sharp snout, broad flippers and a tail that came up a ship's length away. His published account became one of the founding sea-serpent sightings.
The sceptical view
Zoologists have suggested a giant squid seen at the surface, or a whale; the 'head at the masthead' detail may be exaggerated.
Connections in the atlas
- Sea serpents and the Mekong naga
- The Kraken