Editing Sea serpent (section)

=== Norway, 16th century ===
Swedish [[ecclesiastic]] and writer [[Olaus Magnus]] included illustrations of sea serpents and other various  marine monsters on his illustrated map, the ''[[Carta marina]]''. In his 1555 work ''History of the Northern Peoples'', Olaus gives the following description of a Norwegian sea serpent:

{{cquote|Those who sail up along the coast of Norway to trade or to fish, all tell the remarkable story of how a serpent of fearsome size, from {{convert|200|ft|m|-1|disp=sqbr}} to {{convert|400|ft|m|-1|disp=sqbr}} long, and {{convert|20|ft|m|0|disp=sqbr}} wide, resides in rifts and caves outside [[Bergen, Norway|Bergen]]. On bright summer nights this serpent leaves the caves to eat calves, lambs and pigs, or it fares out to the sea and feeds on sea nettles, crabs and similar marine animals. It has [[ell]]-long hair hanging from its neck, sharp black scales and flaming red eyes. It attacks vessels, grabs and swallows people, as it lifts itself up like a column from the water.<ref>{{cite web|title=Norse Mythology – Jormungandr|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/01219/Nrsmyth.html?tql-iframe|publisher=[[Oracle Thinkquest]]|access-date=August 21, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130821201141/http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/01219/Nrsmyth.html?tql-iframe|archive-date=August 21, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Stewart|first=Gail Barbara|title=Water Monsters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AV1ICOJbq4EC&pg=PA13|year=2011|publisher=ReferencePoint Press|location=San Diego, California|isbn=978-1-60152-345-7|page=13}}</ref>}}

Norwegian Bishop [[Erik Pontoppidan]] (1698–1764) did not disbelieve the existence of sea serpents themselves, but doubted they would prey on ships and feed on humans,{{sfnp|Oudemans1892|p=134}} being more cautious-minded in that respect than Archbishop Olaus (of Upsala). Nevertheless, a number of reports were made by sailors at the time that sea serpents would destroy ships by wrapping the ship in coils of their body and pulling it underwater. Sailors threatened by a sea serpent were said to have thrown large objects such as paddles or shovels overboard in the path of the serpent, hoping that the serpent would take the object and leave without destroying the ship.<ref name=rathvegh>Ráth-Végh István: ''A tengeri kígyó'', Móra Ferenc Ifjúsági Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 1980, ISBN 963-11-2161-5</ref>