33 
SECTION IV. 
THE SEA SERPENT. 
Mythological and Legendary Tales—Modern Evidence becomes more De¬ 
finite—Hans Egede’s Account—Pontoppidan’s—The American Accounts— 
Professor Silliman’s—Norwegian Accounts of the Present Day—Result 
of Inquiries by British Travellers—The Instance off the Hebrides in 
1809— The Stronsa Animal—Evidence Examined—Speculation on the Class 
of this Animal. 
“ And yon immense 
Serpent, which rears his dripping mane and vasty 
Head ten times higher than the haughtiest cedar 
Forth from the abyss.” Cain. 
We now come to the sea serpent. Passing by the monstrous tales of 
huge ophidians, which are more or less mixed up with the mythology of 
all ancient nations, and the legendary dragon, whose reality retained firm 
hold of European belief until comparatively a late period, we trace the 
first reports of a huge creature of serpentiform shape, and inhabiting the 
sea to the shores of Norway (like the kraken), where from the earliest 
periods mention is made of its appearance. 
This much may be premised in favour of the old belief being based on 
truth; that whereas in the case of the kraken, as described by Pontop- 
pidan, the dragon, and other fabulous creatures, the instances of their 
alleged appearances have become more and more rare as we draw near our 
own times, the reverse has been the case with respect of the sea serpent. 
Here we have, first, vague and exaggerated accounts, mixed up with the 
legendary superstitions common to the old times ; as, for instance, that this 
animal inhabited the deep Scandinavian lakes—that it infested the sea 
coasts, lurking in the hollows of the rocks; and, coming out at night, 
ravaged the country of its cattle, &c., thus assimilating its character to 
that of the old dragon which in other countries was a land monster, hut 
here a marine one. Then, since the days of Pontoppidan we have occa¬ 
sional reports of the sea serpent, evidently much exaggerated, hut at least 
c 
