Marie Jaros

The best drawing of an orca I have ever seen!
In 1817 Bernard O'Reilly travelled to Greenland and through the North West Passage. His travelogue (whose authenticity has been questioned) contains this great picture
wiki.app.uib.no/marinelexicon/…)

Thank you for showing me this example! In Europe, there have been isolated depictions of killer whales since the mid-16th century that bear some resemblance to them.

Yes, I know these well — and I love them! I've spent hours browsing through the collection.
Thanks!

Me too 😅
Thank you!

I absolutely agree.

I've just read your well-written text. I like what you're pointing out. Thank you very much for sharing!

You're right — some very nice results, and a rabbit hole! 🙂 Did you see this wonderful depiction of the 'Whale' constellation?
www.europeana.eu/en/item/9200...

The North-West Pacific is not the focus of the article I am currently writing. However, I am now curious to know how orcas are represented there. And are they classified as a species, or are they generally considered to be 'sea monsters'?

That's great! Thank you so much for finding that for me! This broadside describes a mass orca stranding near Ipswich in 1568 and features a remarkable illustration.
Here's the link to the only surviving copy: hdl.huntington.org/digital/coll...
See also: Zoologische Einblattdrucke, vol. 4, nr. 530

Yes, it does. And it is not the only one... 🙃

Lippische Landesbibliothek, Ms. 70, f. 84r

This hint is great — thank you very much! This might be one of the (in my case) missing links I was looking for.

It's older, but it's wonderful! Thank you very much for showing me this! 😍

Oh yes, I'd completely forgotten about the whale book! (How was that possible?) You're right, I love browsing through it. Thank you!

Dear #MedievalSky & #SkyStorians, could you help, please? I am looking for depictions of orcas from before 1700
I already know:
Olaus Magnus, Sebastian Münster, Pierre Belon, Guillaume Rondelet, Conrad Gessner, as well as the ones on bestiary.ca (s. pic) & the mural in Greifswald
Thanks in advance!

Thank you very much 😊

Who could fail to recognise the #whale ( #cetus ) with its characteristic shape and scales?
#melvillemonday #historicalwhale

Jacob van Maerlant, Der naturen bloeme (1300); Berlin, Staatsbibliothek, Ms. germ. f. 52 digital.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/werkansicht?...

You are absolutely right. The brothers Olaus and Johan left Sweden in 1524 because of the Reformation. After Johannes died, Pope Paul III appointed Olaus as archbishop of Uppsala in 1544, while he was still in exile. Thank you for pointing out this inaccuracy!

A huge amount of ambergris. This substance, which comes from the bowels of sperm whales, was very valuable and was used in medicine and perfumery. Olaus seemed to confuse it with the sperm of these whales. 10/10

A shy sea unicorn, or #narwhal. 9/10

The 'Physeter' (sperm whale) was said to spray large quantities of water at ships, which could cause them to sink. 8/10

The whale island is not to be missed! Sailors who mistake a big whale for an island anchor their boats and set foot on the animal to make a fire and cook a meal. Awakened by the heat, the whale dives down, pulling the sailors with it. 7/10

On the Faroe Islands, a caught whale is processed. It is fixed to the land with an anchor while men cut the blubber and fill barrels with it. 6/10

The sailors from Denmark were less fortunate. 5/10

Other whales frighten sailors from Lübeck and must be driven away with loud wind instruments or by throwing barrels into the sea. 4/10

Here, you can see a 'balena' — with its two blowholes (or tubes), apparently a member of the baleen whale family — being attacked by an #orca. This behaviour has indeed been observed in some species of killer whale. You can also see the whale's offspring drinking its mother's milk. 3/10

The Carta Marina is on display at the University Library of #Uppsala (Carolina Rediviva). It is the first map of the Nordic countries to include details and place names - and it features some magnificent #whales! 2/10

I finally made it to Olaus Magnus's Carta Marina. The map was printed in Rome in 1539 while Olaus Magnus, the Archbishop of Uppsala, was in his exile there. 1/10

🚨🐳We’re putting together a panel on #whales in medieval #literature for #IMC2026! Two papers are already confirmed: Icelandic sagas and English poetry. We’re looking for one more speaker to join us. If your research touches literary traditions too, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please DM.

Currently travelling on the night train via Stockholm to the #ESEH2025 conference in Uppsala. I am very grateful for the opportunity to discuss initial ideas on how stranded #whales were used by pamphlet authors of different denominations in their arguments.
#envhist
www.conftool.pro/eseh2025/ind...

Drawings of right and sperm whales, accompanied by the coordinates at which they were sighted.
#Log of the ship Indian Chief by Thomas R. Bloomfield (1842–1844).
#whale #historicalwhale #oceanspast
🌐https://archive.org/details/ms220log119/page/n3/mode/2up