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The physeter (φυσητήρ; Greek: "blower") was a sea monster in Greco-Roman belief.[1] Described briefly in Pliny the Elder's Natural History, imaginary depictions sometimes appeared on European maps during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. According to Pliny, whose sources are unknown but must have been Greek,[1] the physeter existed in the "Gallic Ocean," believed to be the Bay of Biscay.[2][3]
| “ | The largest animals are, in the Indian Ocean the Sawfish and the Whale, in the Gallic Ocean the Physeter, which stands up like a huge column and higher than the ships' sails, and spouts a torrent of water.
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Beginning with Georges Cuvier (1769 – 1832), the physeter is usually identified with the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), which therefore bears the generic name Physeter.[3] Bernard Heuvelmans believed that the term physeter originally referred to a type of sea serpent, which are often described as "spy-hopping" out of the water and spouting vapour.[1]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Heuvelmans, Bernard (1968) In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents, Hart-Davis, ISBN 9780246643124
- ↑ Lemprière, John (1832) Bibliotheca Classica; or, a Dictionary of All the Principal Names and Terms Relating to the Geography, Topography, History, Literature and Mythology of the Ancients
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Romero, Aldemaro & Keith, Edward O. (2012) New Approaches to the Study of Marine Mammals