Sebastian Münster: Sea Monsters

Sebastian Münster was one of the most famous cosmographers of the Renaissance. Published as part of his popular book Cosmographia (1544)—the earliest printed description of the world in the German language—this whimsical map details the hypothetical sea monsters of “the midnight countries” or northern Europe. These creatures, adorned with tusks, horns, and spouts, terrorize the tragic sailors who cross their paths, including one such doomed soul clutched in the claw of an enormous lobster.