It's #MapMonsterMonday! Petrus Bertius’s 1640 map of Africa features three sea monsters, Neptune and Salacia, and quite a few more-recognizable African wildlife, as well. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
November 2, 2026 at 12:42 AM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Petrus Bertius’s 1640 map of Africa features three sea monsters, Neptune and Salacia, and quite a few more-recognizable African wildlife, as well. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s 1596 map Brittany and Normandy features a solitary beast wondering where all of the other sea monsters are. This map is held by the US Library of Congress.
October 25, 2026 at 7:51 PM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s 1596 map Brittany and Normandy features a solitary beast wondering where all of the other sea monsters are. This map is held by the US Library of Congress.
It's #MapMonsterMonday! John Speed’s 1610 map of Scotland features four fearsome sea beasts patrolling the waters. Love the compass. This map is held by a private collector.
October 18, 2026 at 9:38 PM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! John Speed’s 1610 map of Scotland features four fearsome sea beasts patrolling the waters. Love the compass. This map is held by a private collector.
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator, Jodocus Hondius, and Petrus Kaerius’s 1607 map of Wales features a pair of beasts prowling the Irish Sea. Also, check out the quarter compass in the corner. This map is part of the David Rumsey collection.
October 11, 2026 at 8:52 PM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator, Jodocus Hondius, and Petrus Kaerius’s 1607 map of Wales features a pair of beasts prowling the Irish Sea. Also, check out the quarter compass in the corner. This map is part of the David Rumsey collection.
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Alain Manesson Mallet’s c1683 map of the British Isles and surrounding lands and waters features this beast (fish? dolphin?) clearly not in the mood for Monday. This copper-engraved, hand-colored beauty from @hello.bungalow holds a place on the living room wall.
October 4, 2026 at 11:12 PM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Alain Manesson Mallet’s c1683 map of the British Isles and surrounding lands and waters features this beast (fish? dolphin?) clearly not in the mood for Monday. This copper-engraved, hand-colored beauty from @hello.bungalow holds a place on the living room wall.
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1595-6 map of Utopia has a great leviathan lurking offshore and several creatures in one of the cartouches. This map is held by the King Baudouin Foundation in Brussels.
September 27, 2026 at 9:46 PM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1595-6 map of Utopia has a great leviathan lurking offshore and several creatures in one of the cartouches. This map is held by the King Baudouin Foundation in Brussels.
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Johannes Janssonius’s c1658 map of Japan and surroundings features a grumpy sea monster (or is it Godzilla?) and some scale bar mer-cherubim. The map is fascinating, as it includes Korea as an island and the phantom island, Company’s Land. This map is held by the Rijksmuseum.
September 20, 2026 at 8:14 PM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Johannes Janssonius’s c1658 map of Japan and surroundings features a grumpy sea monster (or is it Godzilla?) and some scale bar mer-cherubim. The map is fascinating, as it includes Korea as an island and the phantom island, Company’s Land. This map is held by the Rijksmuseum.
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer’s 1584 map of part of the Norwegian coast features a sea dragon, one fish, clearly impressed by the compass, and a second trying to ignore the cartouche. This map is held by the National Library of Norway.
September 13, 2026 at 9:24 PM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer’s 1584 map of part of the Norwegian coast features a sea dragon, one fish, clearly impressed by the compass, and a second trying to ignore the cartouche. This map is held by the National Library of Norway.
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Cornelis de Jode’s 1593 map of Africa contains numerous sea monsters and reported geography of the interior, as well as depictions of some of the continent’s peoples. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
September 6, 2026 at 9:22 PM
It's #MapMonsterMonday! Cornelis de Jode’s 1593 map of Africa contains numerous sea monsters and reported geography of the interior, as well as depictions of some of the continent’s peoples. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
1/2 It's #MapMonsterMonday! This 1689 map of "New France" in eastern Canada and adjacent lands and colonies is the work of Coronelli, du Tralage, Nolin, and Baudrand. It features a couple of sea beasts, a clam shell housing scale bars, and a lake called Ontario.
August 30, 2026 at 10:19 PM
1/2 It's #MapMonsterMonday! This 1689 map of "New France" in eastern Canada and adjacent lands and colonies is the work of Coronelli, du Tralage, Nolin, and Baudrand. It features a couple of sea beasts, a clam shell housing scale bars, and a lake called Ontario.
2/2 It's #MapMonsterMonday The map was meant to display the wealth of fisheries and hunting grounds to entice Europeans to move there. This map is held by the New York Public Library.
August 30, 2026 at 10:20 PM
2/2 It's #MapMonsterMonday The map was meant to display the wealth of fisheries and hunting grounds to entice Europeans to move there. This map is held by the New York Public Library.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1608 map of Genoa features two sea monsters, a pair of griffins, and a horn-blowing lion with a crown. Impressive compass, too! This map is held in the David Rumsey Collection.
August 23, 2026 at 9:47 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1608 map of Genoa features two sea monsters, a pair of griffins, and a horn-blowing lion with a crown. Impressive compass, too! This map is held in the David Rumsey Collection.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jodocus Hondius’s 1590-1602 map of the world hosts a pair of ferocious beasts and a flying fish. Note the European uncertainty about the poles and Australia at the time. This map is held by a private collector.
August 16, 2026 at 8:55 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jodocus Hondius’s 1590-1602 map of the world hosts a pair of ferocious beasts and a flying fish. Note the European uncertainty about the poles and Australia at the time. This map is held by a private collector.
November 17, 2024 at 4:27 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s c1608 map of the Iberian Peninsula features a billfish, a dolphin, and a would-be Hercules holding up the cartouche. This map is held by the Folger Shakespeare Library in DC.
August 9, 2026 at 8:51 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s c1608 map of the Iberian Peninsula features a billfish, a dolphin, and a would-be Hercules holding up the cartouche. This map is held by the Folger Shakespeare Library in DC.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s 1600-1699 map of South America features a very spiny fish, a flying fish, a Patagonian giant, and some folks potentially exploring Antarctic waters. This map is held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
August 2, 2026 at 10:33 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s 1600-1699 map of South America features a very spiny fish, a flying fish, a Patagonian giant, and some folks potentially exploring Antarctic waters. This map is held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! John Speed’s 1676 map of Canaan hosts a trio of toothy sea beasts and attempts to locate and depict many Biblical scenes across the region and in an inset of Jerusalem. This map is held by the National Library of Israel.
July 26, 2026 at 10:59 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! John Speed’s 1676 map of Canaan hosts a trio of toothy sea beasts and attempts to locate and depict many Biblical scenes across the region and in an inset of Jerusalem. This map is held by the National Library of Israel.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1824 map of ancient Sicily features a sea lion (with a mane), a whale, and a very angry dolphin. Beware. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
July 19, 2026 at 11:36 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1824 map of ancient Sicily features a sea lion (with a mane), a whale, and a very angry dolphin. Beware. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Tommaso Porcacchi’s 1572 map of Madagascar features a sea camel(?) and sea dragon (or serpent) frothing the waters. Cherubim adorn the cartouche. This map is held by the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries.
July 12, 2026 at 10:42 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Tommaso Porcacchi’s 1572 map of Madagascar features a sea camel(?) and sea dragon (or serpent) frothing the waters. Cherubim adorn the cartouche. This map is held by the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s c1698 map of Persia and Central Asia features this Caspian Sea monster (likely a sturgeon, not the Soviet Ekranoplan). There’s also a face at the bottom of the cartouche. This map is held by a private collector.
July 5, 2026 at 9:03 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s c1698 map of Persia and Central Asia features this Caspian Sea monster (likely a sturgeon, not the Soviet Ekranoplan). There’s also a face at the bottom of the cartouche. This map is held by a private collector.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jan Baptista Vrients’s 1608 map of Genoa features a pair of sea beasts (one startled by the compass), and a siren with head plumage and braided tails. And how about those griffons? This map is held by a private collector.
June 28, 2026 at 9:34 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jan Baptista Vrients’s 1608 map of Genoa features a pair of sea beasts (one startled by the compass), and a siren with head plumage and braided tails. And how about those griffons? This map is held by a private collector.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Tomaso Porcacchi’s 1620 map of Malta features a haggard merman just trying to keep it together, a merdog(?), and a couple of winged sea beasts. Harpies and a lion’s head adorn the cartouche. This map is held by the Gennadius Library in Athens.
June 22, 2026 at 2:52 AM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Tomaso Porcacchi’s 1620 map of Malta features a haggard merman just trying to keep it together, a merdog(?), and a couple of winged sea beasts. Harpies and a lion’s head adorn the cartouche. This map is held by the Gennadius Library in Athens.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! John Speed’s 1611 map of the Isles features an array of creatures, some representing Scotland, Ireland, and England. I’d like to think that sea dragon represents Wales. Also in attendance are some fish and several cherubim. This map is held by a private collector.
June 14, 2026 at 10:58 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! John Speed’s 1611 map of the Isles features an array of creatures, some representing Scotland, Ireland, and England. I’d like to think that sea dragon represents Wales. Also in attendance are some fish and several cherubim. This map is held by a private collector.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator and Andre Thevet’s 1569 map of western South America features a furry fish with a wolf-like head, what looks like a wolfman on all fours, and some Patagonian giants. This map is held by the Library of Congress.
June 7, 2026 at 9:42 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator and Andre Thevet’s 1569 map of western South America features a furry fish with a wolf-like head, what looks like a wolfman on all fours, and some Patagonian giants. This map is held by the Library of Congress.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1606 map of Morocco, with a Congo inset, features a great cetacean bursting from the water. The cartouche features sphinxes, seraphim, cherubim, and lions. Full house! This image is from the Digital Bodleian at Oxford University.
May 31, 2026 at 11:52 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1606 map of Morocco, with a Congo inset, features a great cetacean bursting from the water. The cartouche features sphinxes, seraphim, cherubim, and lions. Full house! This image is from the Digital Bodleian at Oxford University.