Top 10 Most Legendary Sea Monsters

This sea serpent from Philippine mythology is so large it can swallow the moon! Depicted as long and sinuous, with a looped tail and horned nose, this gigantic monster causes storms, earthquakes, and eclipses. It roams not only the oceans, but also the sky and underworld. Fortunately, it’s afraid of loud noises. Banging on pots and pans will prompt it to spit the moon back out. You might ask, why eat a moon anyway? It depends who you ask, but in one tale, it was for revenge after humans killed its sister, a sea turtle. In another, it was because a tribal leader stood between Bakunawa and its one true love, a human girl. Even monsters feel love!

#9: The Aspidochelone

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Medieval books called bestiaries were used to research and catalog different beasts and monsters, and this massive sea monster was frequently featured in such books. The Aspidochelone has been described in many forms: as a giant turtle, a large sea creature with spines and ridges on its back, or as a massive whale, (xref) very similar to the Devil Whale myth that inspired Moby Dick. No matter what form this monster takes, it’s large enough to easily be mistaken for an island by unsuspecting sailors. Once the sailors dock, The Aspidochelone swiftly pulls the whole ship and everyone on board underwater, drowning them all. So if you’re ever out sailing and find an island, check if it has eyes and scales first.

In Ancient Greek mythology, sirens were originally described as half woman, half bird. As the legends changed, they became women with fish tails instead of legs. (xref) Though these creatures eventually evolved into what we now call mermaids, sirens are nowhere near as kind as Ariel. Mythological sirens use their alluring singing voices to manipulate sailors passing by into jumping into the water or wrecking their ships entirely by sailing directly into the rocky coast of the sirens’ island. Odysseus encountered sirens, and had his crew tie him to the mast of the ship and plug their ears with beeswax in order to resist the creatures’ fatally tempting song.

In Greek mythology, a Cetus is a somewhat ambiguous monster that refers to any large sea creature or monster, though typically depicted in art as a giant serpentine fish. In one myth, Poseidon sent Cetus to kill the beautiful Princess Andromeda, but the hero Perseus slew the monster before Andromeda was harmed. In another myth, Heracles, or Hercules, fought a creature called Cetus that was again sent by Poseidon, this time to attack the city of Troy. Though Cetus is mythical, you can actually see the creature - just not underwater. A constellation named after the monster sits near other water-related constellations like Aquarius and Pisces and is sometimes referred to in English as “the whale.”

#6: The Umibozu

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The name of this sea-spirit from Japanese folklore translates to “sea priest” in English, and there have been stories of sightings of this creature throughout the seas of Japan. When The Umibozu appears, once calm seas quickly become rough and choppy. If the ship isn’t wrecked immediately after the spirit’s appearance, The Umibozu will demand a barrel and subsequently drown all the sailors. To escape, you can give the spirit a bottomless barrel and sneak away while it tries to figure out how to use it. Some also say that tobacco smoke, the Umibozu’s weakness, can deter the spirit. Most stories of the Umibozu have been dismissed as strange shadows in stormy seas, but sightings of the spirit have been reported as recently as 1971, and the legend still lives on today.

These two aquatic beasts count as one entry, because of their linkage together in Greek mythology. As described in Homer’s Odyssey, Scylla has six heads and twelve feet, and devours anything that comes too close to her. Dangerously close by lurks Charybdis under her rock, swallowing and spitting out huge amounts of water to create dangerous whirlpools that could suck down an entire ship. Inhabiting two opposite sides of a very narrow strait, it’s almost impossible for sailors to safely pass one without getting too close to the other. The idiom “between Scylla and Charybdis” refers to choosing between the lesser of two evils, as those who encountered the beasts would have to do.

In Ancient Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is the goddess of the salt sea and a symbol of primordial chaos. She is often depicted as a sea serpent or dragon, and is credited with creating and releasing all the monsters in Mesopotamian mythology to avenge the murder of her husband, the fresh water god Apsu. She was then killed by the younger storm god and mythological hero Marduk, who divided her body to create the Earth and sky in the Babylonian creation myth. The legend of Tiamat is one of the earliest examples of a mythical battle between a hero and a supernatural aquatic monster, and according to some interpretations, Tiamat’s death reflects a shift from a matriarchal society to a patriarchal one in ancient Babylon.

#3: Jörmungandr

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This Norse sea serpent, also known as the Midgard Serpent, is the child of Loki and the arch-enemy of Thor. Taken from its parents by Odin and thrown into the ocean, Jörmungandr grew so massive it encircled the Earth and grasped its own tail in its mouth. The creature is featured prominently in Norse art, especially in its fierce battles with Thor. Norse legend also foretells that when Jörmungandr releases its tail, Ragnarok will begin, resulting in the deaths of many gods and the submersion of the world underwater. The serpent occasionally appears in modern pop culture, including the 2017 DuckTales reboot and the 2018 video game God of War.

#2: The Leviathan

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This monstrous sea serpent is straight up Biblical, literally. Originating in Jewish mythology, though likely inspired by similar mythical sea creatures like Tiamat, the Leviathan is often described as a large aquatic dragon or serpent-like creature that wields the waters of Chaos with overwhelming power. Mentioned in the Christian Bible and the Jewish Tanakh in the Book of Job, Psalms, and others, the Leviathan often serves as a metaphor for a devastatingly powerful enemy, likely Babylon in the era it was written. More recently, some scholars have rationalized the monster as a sensationalized description of a large aquatic animal, like a crocodile. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Cecaelia Creatures Related to Merfolk That Are Half Human and Half Octopus or Squid. Cirein-cròin or Ceirean A Scottish Sea Monster So Large It Can Eat Seven Whales at a Time.

#1: The Kraken

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This infamous massive cephalopod monster originates from Norse mythology where it was rumored to lurk in the waters of Norway and Greenland. The Kraken is said to be a gigantic octopus with spikes on its suckers that is easily capable of capsizing a ship. The legend of the Kraken quickly spread among sailors worldwide, likely aided by frightening sightings of real giant squids that lent some truth to the tall tale. These days, the legend lives on through depictions of the Kraken in movies like Clash of the Titans and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and many other pop culture iterations of this gigantic aquatic beast. Even today, many sailors look out for the fascinating Kraken as they travel.