Project + Research

I was born in Jordan, which has the lowest point on earth. The shores of the Dead Sea are the lowest point on the surface of the earth. It is such a unique corner of the world unlike any other place on earth. Situated a quarter mile below sea level, so saline it can't support life, surrounded by a desolate landscape, it is not just a geologic feature but a source of mystery connected to religious faith. In elegant and vivid prose, Barbara Kreiger re-creates and analyzes the myths and legends surrounding the site and examines both its natural history and its gradual and difficult exploration. But The Dead Sea (first published as Living Waters in 1988) is more than a detailed and delightful travelogue. It is also an inquiry into the human and political drama that has swirled around this mysterious place for more than 12,000 years. In an afterword to the new edition, Kreiger shows how the sea in the post-Peace Accord era may come to take on a new symbolism: with perpetual need for water and a thriving mineral industry as common bonds, Israel and Jordan, two traditional antagonists whose border bisects the sea, may find themselves joining forces to preserve its fragile ecosystem against the threats of technology and tourism.

Dead sea

The Dead Sea, is the lowest point on earth. The shores of the Dead Sea are the lowest point on the surface of the earth. The saline waters of the lake means no fish can survive in the salty waters, hence the name. The other result of the salty water is their renowned health and healing properties of the mud. You can also float naturally in them.

For a very large part of human history, the Dead Sea has been considered a prime example of an environment completely devoid of life, a condition which during the Greco-Roman period was ascribed to natural causes—the bitterness of the water and the hydrogen sulphide stench associated with the area. In the Middle Ages, however, attitudes towards the Dead Sea changed and it came to be considered satanic, actively hostile to anything with the breath of life in it. During this time, two types of Dead Sea monsters are described in various sources: One type is truly halophilic monsters that lurk in the lake itself and are responsible for the drowning of believers who immerse themselves at the baptismal site in the Jordan River, not far from the Dead Sea; the other, based on several descriptions written between the 12th and 15th centuries, is of a serpent named Tyr or Tyrus which lives near the Dead Sea, and which has several mythical properties. It is extremely poisonous and when it stings a horse its rider dies too; it can glow like a red-hot iron and can pierce thick wooden boards.

so inspired from Dead Sea I wanted to mimic futuristic avatar/sea creature coming out of the Dead Sea

Dead sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, lowest land-based elevation on Earth . It is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world.

Recession and environmental concerns

Receding shoreline

The dwindling water level of the Dead Sea

Since 1930, when its surface was 1,050 km2 (410 sq mi) and its level was 390 m (1,280 ft) below sea level, the Dead Sea has been monitored continuously. The Dead Sea has been rapidly shrinking since the 1960s because of diversion of incoming water from the Jordan River to the north as part of the National Water Carrier scheme,[60] completed in 1964.[61] The southern end is fed by a canal maintained by the Dead Sea Works, a company that converts the sea's raw materials. From a water surface of 395 m (1,296 ft) below sea level in 1970[59] it fell 22 m (72 ft) to 418 m (1,371 ft) below sea level in 2006, reaching a drop rate of 1 m (3 ft) per year. As the water level decreases, the characteristics[vague] of the Sea and surrounding region may substantially change.

The Dead Sea level drop has been followed by a groundwater level drop, causing brines that used to occupy underground layers near the shoreline to be flushed out by freshwater. This is believed to be the cause of the recent appearance of large sinkholes along the western shore—incoming freshwater dissolves salt layers, rapidly creating subsurface cavities that subsequently collapse to form these sinkholes. As of 2021 Ein Gedi, on the western coast, has been subject to a large number of sinkholes appearing in the area, attributed to the decline in the water level of the Dead Sea.

As of 2021, the surface of the Sea has shrunk by about 33 per cent since the 1960s, which is partly attributed to the much-reduced flow of the Jordan River since the construction of the National Water Carrier project, and the amount of water from the rains reaching the Dead Sea has diminished even further since flash floods started pouring into the sinkholes. The EcoPeace Middle East, a joint Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian environmental group, has estimated that the annual flow into the Dead Sea from the Jordan is as of 2021 less than 100,000,000 cubic metres (3.5×109 cu ft) of water, compared with former flows of between 1,200,000,000 cubic metres (4.2×1010 cu ft) and 1,300,000,000 cubic metres (4.6×1010 cu ft).

Concept development

• so I had several inspirations leading to this starting from representing and mimicking a place here in Jordan … I had always wanted to present my home country through my own perspective so from different locations I decided to chose more the Deadsea as my main location of the concept but I want it to do my project in a unique way so...

• Dead sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east Also there's a city in Jordan called Aqaba for some sea creatures inspos.

• I was inspired from several real creatures like Jelly fish, Glaucus Atlanticus and more unique sea creatures that look unreal for a moment

• As well as I was inspired from science fiction and movies like avatar

• so I wanted to create this unreal creature in a Hi-Tech from to present an Futuristic avatar that comes out of dead sea (because this is unreal too as no sea creatures grow there due to the very salty water) so this mix between science fiction and future is what I am all about and what I like to do

Dead Sea

• The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth, with almost 10 times more salt than ordinary seawater. This is because water flows into the Dead Sea from one main tributary, the River Jordan. It then has no way to get out of the lake and so is forced to evaporate.

The soaring hot and dry conditions of this region mean that large quantities of water are evaporated. This leads to the salt and other minerals becoming more and more concentrated. In fact, it’s estimated that in the whole of the Dead Sea there is about 37 billion tonnes of salt.

• The high salt and mineral content of the Dead Sea mean that this body of water has powerful healing properties. It’s a popular destination for treating skin problems such as acne, psoriasis and cellulite, as well as muscle ache and arthritis.

The Dead Sea is therefore the biggest free spa on Earth, drawing both tourists and locals alike. However, if you want to indulge further, you’ll find plenty of treatments at the hotels and spas along its shores.

• Its healing waters have been sought after even since Biblical times. Herod the Great, who reigned between 37 to 4 BC, built one of the world’s first health spas along its shores. According to legend, Cleopatra also loved the Dead Sea and used its products as part of her beauty regime.

• The Dead Sea’s high salt levels mean that people can easily float on its surface due to its natural buoyancy. Bobbing around like a cork is not only a fun-filled experience but a great way to relax after seeing Jordan and Israel’s other top sights.

• Alongside being incredibly salty, the Dead Sea is famous for being the lowest point on Earth. Its surface measures around 423 metres below sea level.

• Sunbathing at the Dead Sea has less of a sunburn risk than other destinations. This is due to its location below sea level as harmful UV rays are filtered through three natural layers. These include an extra atmospheric layer, an evaporation layer above the Dead Sea and a thick ozone layer. (Though we still recommend wearing sunscreen!)

The cave in Qumran, where the dead sea scrolls were found

• The Dead Sea was home to one of the most important discoveries in modern archaeology. In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 11 caves near the ruins of Qumran on its northwestern shore. These ancient manuscripts date from around 250 BC to 68 AD.

They contain Biblical prayers and texts that have been key to our understanding of the beginnings of Christianity. Although the scrolls are now at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, you can visit where they were found. - An unusual feature of the Dead Sea is that it spits up small pebbles and blocks of asphalt from deep seeps to its surface. Ancient Egyptians used to import this to use in their mummification processes.

• Whilst the Dead Sea is one of Jordan’s most popular tourist destinations, it’s disappearing at an alarming rate. Its surface level is dropping by more than one metre every year and it’s only half the length it was just a century ago.

Anatomy -> science

Human body nervous system

Human nervous system – the part of the human body that coordinates a person's voluntary and involuntary actions and transmits signals between different parts of the body. The human nervous system consists of two main parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS contains the brain and spinal cord. The PNS consists mainly of nerves, which are long fibers that connect the CNS to every other part of the body. The PNS includes motor neurons, mediating voluntary movement; the autonomic nervous system, comprising the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system and regulating involuntary functions; and the enteric nervous system, a semi-independent part of the nervous system whose function is to control the gastrointestinal system.

Jelly Fish

Fascinating, elegant, and mysterious to watch in the water, take a jellyfish out of the water, and it becomes a much less fascinating blob. This is because jellyfish are about 95 percent water.

Lacking brains, blood, or even hearts, jellyfish are pretty simple critters. They are composed of three layers: an outer layer, called the epidermis; a middle layer made of a thick, elastic, jelly-like substance called mesoglea; and an inner layer, called the gastrodermis. An elementary nervous system, or nerve net, allows jellyfish to smell, detect light, and respond to other stimuli. The simple digestive cavity of a jellyfish acts as both its stomach and intestine, with one opening for both the mouth and the anus.

These simple invertebrates are members of the phylum Cnidaria, which includes creatures such as sea anemones, sea whips, and corals. Like all members of the phylum, the body parts of a jellyfish radiate from a central axis. This “radial symmetry” allows jellyfish to detect and respond to food or danger from any direction.

Jellyfish have the ability to sting with their tentacles. While the severity of stings varies, in humans, most jellyfish stings result only in minor discomfort.

Basic Anatomy All jellyfish, box jellies included, are invertebrates, meaning they have no spine. In fact, they are entirely soft, and have no bones of any kind. The name box jelly comes from their square bells, which differentiates them from round-belled species.

Box jelly tentacles hang down from the four corners of the bell. Some species have multiple tentacles at each corner, while others just have one. All of them have a long tube, much like an elephant's trunk, that hangs down from the center of the bell. This is called the manubrium, and the mouth of the jellyfish is at the tip.

Inside the bell is the gastrointestinal cavity, which holds the stomach and guts of the jellyfish. The guts are separated into the stomach, and four distinct sections, known as gastric pockets.

The gonads, or reproductive organs, of the jellyfish are also inside the bell. There are eight of them, with four on either half of the divided gastrointestinal cavity. These gonads are what release the sperm or eggs when the jellyfish is reproducing.

The Nervous System

Box jellies also have a number of anatomical adaptations that set them apart from other jellyfish. One is the development of their nervous system, which is far more advanced than other types of jellyfish.

Box jellies have a ring of nerves around the base of their bell. This helps them contract and expand the bell, moving them purposefully rather than drifting with the current.

In addition, box jellies have eyes, which other jellyfish do not have. These are set in groups all the way up the outside of the bell. They may not be as advanced as our eyes, but they can see light and dark, as well as some images. This helps them find prey and escape predators.

The presence of eyes in a box jelly is particularly interesting because they have no brains! There seems to be nothing there to process the images. However, by observing how they react to prey and predators, we can see that their eyes are clearly functional.

NOT JELLY, NOT FISH Nope—even though they’re called “jellyfish,” that name doesn’t really describe these animals. For one thing, they certainly aren’t made of jelly—at least not the kind you’d eat in a sandwich. Jellyfish are made mostly of water with a small amount of thick gel. Also, jellyfish aren’t fish at all. They’re invertebrates (animals without backbones) and are cousins to corals and sea anemones. So a better name for them is just “jellies.”

NOT LOOK-ALIKES Different kinds of jellyfish can have very different looks. They can be as small as a rice grain or wider than you are tall. And they come in a rainbow of colors, even ones that glow in the dark!

NOT YOUR AVERAGE ANIMAL Check out this beautiful purple-striped jellyfish (above) as it swims along upside down. You can see that jellies are unusual-looking creatures. Unlike most other animals, a jelly has no head, face, legs, or feet. Instead, a jelly’s body is made up of an umbrella-like bell and dangling tentacles. Depending on the species, a jelly can have just a few tentacles or hundreds of them (though some kinds have no tentacles at all.) The jelly’s mouth is at the bottom of its bell. It may be surrounded by frilly oral arms, which move food to the mouth when the jelly eats.

Light sensor

The Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism.

Bioluminescent creatures are found throughout marine habitats, from the ocean surface to the deep seafloor.

The light emitted by a bioluminescent organism is produced by energy released from chemical reactions occurring inside (or ejected by) the organism.

If you’ve ever seen a firefly, you have encountered a bioluminescent organism. In the ocean, bioluminescence is not as rare as you might think. In fact, most types of animals, from bacteria to sharks, include some bioluminescent members.

While the functions of bioluminescence are not known for all animals, typically bioluminescence is used to warn or evade predators), to lure or detect prey, and for communication between members of the same species.

Johns Hopkins Medical Illustration program - Johns Hopkins University The Bioluminescence of Green Fluorescent Protein in Aequorea victoria

Bioluminescent organisms produce and radiate light. There are thousands of bioluminescent animals, including species of fishes, squid, shrimps and jellyfish.

The light these creatures emit is created inside their bodies, meaning they are able to glow and glitter in complete darkness.

Some of the planet's bioluminescent animals live in the deep ocean (although not all of them). Many exist in the twilight zone, the part of the ocean from 500 to 1,000 metres deep, which is always dark in its lower margin.

In this environment, the light some animals can create for themselves is fundamental to survival. It is thought that up to 90% of life in the twilight zone creates light in some form.

How does bioluminescence work? Bioluminescence has evolved independently many times during the history of life on Earth, which means many different species developed the ability to produce light separately.

The light that living creatures can produce is created by a chemical reaction. For this reaction to happen a plant or animal must carry a molecule called luciferin, plus one of two enzymes called luciferase and photoprotein.

When luciferin chemically reacts with oxygen, it releases energy in the form of light. Different animals and plants contain different types of luciferin.

The most common light produced in the ocean is green and blue, as these wavelengths travel further through water. Some fish can also create red light, though is much rarer, and on land fireflies glow yellow.

Glaucus Atlanticus

Glaucus atlanticus (common names include the blue sea dragon, sea swallow, blue angel, blue glaucus, dragon slug, blue dragon, blue sea slug and blue ocean slug) is a species of small, blue sea slug, a pelagic (open-ocean) aeolid nudibranch, a shell-less gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae.

Camouflage

These sea slugs are pelagic; they float upside down by using the surface tension of the water to stay up, where they are carried along by the winds and ocean currents. Glaucus atlanticus makes use of countershading: the blue side of their body faces upwards, blending in with the blue of the water. The silver/grey side of the sea slugs faces downwards, blending in with the sunlight reflecting on the ocean's surface when viewed facing upwards underwater.*

Glaucus atlanticus feed on other pelagic creatures, including the Portuguese man o' war and other venomous siphonophores. This sea slug stores stinging nematocysts from the siphonophores within its own tissues as defence against predators. Humans handling the slug may receive a very painful and potentially dangerous sting.

Fun Facts About Blue Glaucus

A group of blue glaucus floating together is referred to as a “blue fleet.” It’s not uncommon for these groups to wash up on shore and sting unsuspecting swimmers. Blue Glaucus are appearing in regions where they have never been seen before. Scientists theorize that these new movements may occur for several reasons, such as cyclical changes in the Portuguse man o’ war populations, warming oceans, and increased storm activity.
The venom of the Blue Glaucus remains active even after it dies, which is something to keep in mind if you run across one on the beach.

Portuguese Man-o-War

The Portuguese Man-o-War, scientifically known as Physalia physalis, is a fascinating marine invertebrate that’s both attractive and poisonous. Often mistaken for a jellyfish because of its similar appearance, the Man-o-War is actually a siphonophore.

This means it’s made up of a colony of individual organisms that work together to help it hunt, feed, and procreate.

Man-of-War colonies travel the warm currents of most of the world’s oceans in groups of up to 1000. With their sail-shaped floats, colonies are also propelled by the wind. Many end up washed ashore coastline beaches, where the Portuguese Man-o-War packs a powerful sting, even on land.

Having colonies so close to humans is a particular problem in Florida and along the US eastern coastline. Some beaches are forced to close when there is an influx of Man-o-Wars in the area.

Like the jellyfish, the Portuguese Man-o-War consists of a large gelatinous float with trailing tentacles; however, the bladder (float) of the Man-o-War is actually filled with gasses such as carbon monoxide.

Predators of the Portuguese Man-o-War include sea slugs, sea turtles, crabs, fish, and the violet sea-snail.

The blue dragon (a type of inch-long sea slug) is an interesting predator. When consuming a Portuguese Man-o-War, the blue dragon utilizes the Man-o-War’s stinging cells for its own protection by storing them in pockets on its body.

Sea turtles are another predator of the Man-o-War. In fact, one of the reasons turtles are attracted to plastic bags in the water (which are often deadly when consumed) is because they can resemble a Man-o-War.

The violet sea-snail, Janthina janthina, uses a bubble raft to float near the surface of the water in the hope of encountering a man-of-war meal. These snails have dark purple undersides and are paler purple on top for camouflage. Because they float upside down, the darker purple faces up, helping them blend into the darker water below When seen from beneath, their paler coloration blends in with the light coming from above.

Sea slugs in the genus Glaucus also eat men-of-war and employ a similar coloration and floating-upside-down strategy, but they take things a step further. Glaucus repurpose the stinging cells of their meal for their own defense. Touching a Glaucus can pack the same wallop as touching a man-of-war!

Although it’s translucent, the float is usually tinted with blue, pink, and/or purple hues. Beaches along the American Gulf Coast raise purple flags in order to let visitors know when groups of Man O’ War (or other potentially deadly sea creatures) are at large.

Squids

Sure, squids are squishy and squiggly. But that’s no reason to be squeamish about them! They’re also brainy animals that can move by jet power, make themselves disappear, and even “talk” to each other! Keep reading for more scoop on squids!

• The cockeyed squid has a big eye that faces up and a smaller eye that faces down!
• The bobtail squid comes out to hunt at night. During the day, it stays partly buried in the sand.
• Two bigfin reef squids ripple their fins as they swim along.
• The piglet squid has a rounded body like that of a small pig! This squid is mostly see-through and often swims upside down.

Great Escapes

A squid has a pretty cool way of getting around: It squirts water out of a tube called a siphon (SYE-fun). As the water squirts out, the squid jets off in the opposite direction. When swimming at slower speeds, squids use their fins, as well.

A squid also uses its siphon to protect itself. If an enemy comes close, the squid shoots “ink” out of the siphon. That can confuse the enemy long enough for the squid to jet away to safety.

• This cute little stubby squid is more closely related to octopuses than other squids are.
• Like other squids, this beautiful reef squid can change the colors of its skin.
• When threatened, this Humboldt squid shoots “ink” out of its siphon. The Humboldt squid grows as big as an adult person.
• Some kinds of squids have “teeth” around the rims of their suckers—the better to grip with!
• In the center of a squid’s arms is a sharp beak.

More camouflage sea creatures

Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier, and the leaf-mimic katydid's wings. A third approach, motion dazzle, confuses the observer with a conspicuous pattern, making the object visible but momentarily harder to locate, as well as making general aiming easier. The majority of camouflage methods aim for crypsis, often through a general resemblance to the background, high contrast disruptive coloration, eliminating shadow, and countershading. In the open ocean, where there is no background, the principal methods of camouflage are transparency, silvering, and countershading, while the ability to produce light is among other things used for counter-illumination on the undersides of cephalopods such as squid. Some animals, such as chameleons and octopuses, are capable of actively changing their skin pattern and colours, whether for camouflage or for signalling.

National Geographic

Camouflage according to National Geographic Camouflage, also called cryptic coloration, is a defense mechanism or tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend in with their surroundings. Organisms use camouflage to mask their location, identity, and movement.

Camouflage, also called cryptic coloration, is a defense or tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend in with their surroundings. Organisms use camouflage to mask their location, identity, and movement. This allows prey to avoid predators, and for predators to sneak up on prey.

A species’ camouflage depends on several factors. The physical characteristics of the organism are important. Animals with fur rely on different camouflage tactics than those with feathers or scales, for instance. Feathers and scales can be shed and changed fairly regularly and quickly. Fur, on the other hand, can take weeks or even months to grow in. Animals with fur are more often camouflaged by season. The arctic fox, for example, has a white coat in the winter, while its summer coat is brown.

Camouflage Tactics

Environmental and behavioral factors cause species to employ a wide variety of camouflage tactics. Some of these tactics, such as background matching and disruptive coloration, are forms of mimicry. Mimicry is when one organism looks or acts like an object or another organism.

Background matching is perhaps the most common camouflage tactic. In background matching, a species conceals itself by resembling its surroundings in coloration, form, or movement. In its simplest form, animals such as deer and squirrels resemble the “earth tones” of their surroundings. Fish such as flounder almost exactly match their speckled seafloor habitats.

More complex forms of background matching include the camouflage of the walking stick and walking leaf. These two insects, both native to southeast Asia, look and act like their namesakes. Patterns on the edge of the walking leaf’s body resemble bite marks left by caterpillars in leaves. The insect even sways from side to side as it walks, to better mimic the swaying of a leaf in the breeze.

Another camouflage tactic is disruptive coloration. In disruptive coloration, the identity and location of a species may be disguised through a coloration pattern. This form of visual disruption causes predators to misidentify what they are looking at. Many butterflies have large, circular patterns on the upper part of their wings. These patterns, called eyespots, resemble the eyes of animals much larger than the butterfly, such as owls. Eyespots may confuse predators such as birds and misdirect them from the soft, vulnerable part of the butterfly’s body.

Other species use coloration tactics that highlight rather than hide their identity. This type of camouflage is called warning coloration or aposematism. Warning coloration makes predators aware of the organism’s toxic or dangerous characteristics. Species that demonstrate warning coloration include the larva and adult stages of the monarch butterfly. The monarch caterpillar is brightly striped with yellow, black, and white. The monarch butterfly is patterned with orange, black, and white. Monarchs eat milkweed, which is a poison to many birds. Monarchs retain the poison in their bodies. The milkweed toxin is not deadly, but the bird will vomit. The bright coloring warns predator birds that an upset stomach is probably not worth a monarch meal.

Another animal that uses aposematism is the deadly coral snake, whose brightly colored rings alert other species to its toxic venom. The coral snake’s warning coloration is so well known in the animal kingdom that other, non-threatening species mimic it in order to camouflage their true identities. The harmless scarlet king snake has the same black, yellow, and red striped pattern as the coral snake. The scarlet king snake is camouflaged as a coral snake.

Countershading is a form of camouflage in which the top of an animal’s body is darker in color, while its underside is lighter. Sharks use countershading. When seen from above, they blend in with the darker ocean water below. This makes it difficult for fishermen—and swimmers—to see them. When seen from below, they blend in with lighter surface water. This helps them hunt because prey species below may not see a shark until it’s too late.

Countershading also helps because it changes the way shadows are created. Sunlight illuminates the top of an animal’s body, casting its belly in shadow. When an animal is all one color, it will create a uniform shadow that makes the animal’s shape easier to see. In countershading, however, the animal is darker where the sun would normally illuminate it, and lighter where it would normally be in shadow. This distorts the shadow and makes it harder for predators to see the animal’s true shape.

Creating Camouflage

Animal species are able to camouflage themselves through two primary mechanisms: pigments and physical structures.

Some species have natural, microscopic pigments, known as biochromes, which absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others. Species with biochromes actually appear to change colors. Many species of octopus have a variety of biochromes that allow them to change the color, pattern, and opacity of their skin.

Other species have microscopic physical structures that act like prisms, reflecting and scattering light to produce a color that is different from their skin. The polar bear, for instance, has black skin. Its translucent fur reflects the sunlight and snow of its habitat, making the bear appear white.

Camouflage can change with the environment. Many animals, such as the arctic fox, change their camouflage with the seasons. Octopuses camouflage themselves in response to a threat. Other species, such as nudibranchs—brightly colored, soft-bodied ocean “slugs”—can change their skin coloration by changing their diet.

Chameleons change colors in order to communicate. When a chameleon is threatened, it does not change color to blend in to its surroundings. It changes color to warn other chameleons that there is danger nearby.

Some forms of camouflage are not based on coloration. Some species attach or attract natural materials to their bodies in order to hide from prey and predators. Many varieties of desert spiders, for instance, live in burrows in the sandy ground. They attach sand to the upper part of their bodies in order to blend in with their habitat.

Other animals demonstrate olfactory camouflage, hiding from prey by “covering up” their smell or masking themselves in another species’ smell. The California ground squirrel, for instance, chews up and spits out rattlesnake skin, then applies the paste to its tail. The ground squirrel smells somewhat like its main predator. The rattlesnake, which senses by smell and body heat, is confused and hesitant about attacking another venomous snake.

Sea of Creepy Monsters - The Secrets of Nature

History

Novels and paintings

Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

19th century French novelist Jules Verne has often been referred to as the “Father of Science Fiction” as well as a ‘prophet of scientific progress’ for his uncannily predictive depictions of scientific innovations and inventions long before their time.

Born the son of a prominent lawyer in the seaport of Nantes, Verne was raised with expectations of becoming a lawyer himself. While studying law in Paris in 1849, however, Verne became involved in the local theatre and soon accepted the position of Secretary of the Theatre Lyrique, turning down an offer from his father to take over the family law practice.

In 1851, prompted by entry requirements into a competition in the periodical Musee des families, Verne published his first short historical adventure story, A Voyage in a Balloon. Inspired by the style of James Fenimore Cooper, the narrative structure of this fast-paced adventure tale would inform Verne’s future works in addition to the content of the travel accounts of notable French explorers Verne was known to spend hours studying in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.

In 1862, Verne met publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel (publisher of works by Honore de Balzac and Victor Hugo) who offered him a long-term contract to write for his recently launched Magisin d’Education et de Recreation. The majority of Verne’s works would, from that point on, be published by Hetzel in his Magasin before being published in book form.

Hetzel boasted that Verne’s works would become a novel sequence encompassing the entirety of current geographical, geological, and astronomical knowledge. Voyages Extraordinaires soon came to include some of Verne’s most well-known works including: Journey to the Center of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Originally published in 1869 in Hetzel’s Magasin, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea received such overwhelmingly positive reception that is was soon published in a deluxe illustrated edition including 11 illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville and Edouard Riou and made Verne one of the most-translated authors in the world.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea told the tale of the plight of Captain Nemo as he roamed the depths of the ocean in his futuristic, electric-powered submarine, the Nautilus, with three accidental companions. Nemo’s name was an allusion to Homer’s Odysseus (who once referred to himself as ‘Nobody’), the entire tale an allegory of the classic epic journey; of a man alienated from his home yet longing to return to it.

Nemo and his companions circle the globe and encounter both fantastic and historical enchantments like the corals of the Red Sea, the Transatlantic telegraph cable, and the city of Atlantis, all of which are vividly described and illustrated. Their journey is not without hazards and misfortunes, however, including an attack on the Nautilus by a school of giant cuttlefish and a tragic counterattack on another ship which results in death and disenchantment.

Not only was Verne’s Nautilus far more technologically advanced than any submarines of the time, its mechanisms were practically a prediction of the way submarines would come to be constructed and operate in the future. Other innovations like the underwater breathing apparatuses worn by Nemo’s divers proved to be similarly predictive.

Although Verne later dismissed these predictions as mere coincidence, they earned him a reputation of near prophet in many circles, so much so that both the first all-electric and nuclear-powered submarines were named Nautilus in his honor.

Sirenes Paintings

sirens

Sirens were creatures from Greek mythology which enticed sailors to their destruction with their irresistibly beautiful singing. Their most famous appearance in literature is in Homer's Odyssey where the hero Odysseus, on his long voyage home following the Trojan War, successfully escapes their enchanting call.

Origins & Attributes The Sirens were hybrid creatures with the body of a bird and the head of a woman, sometimes also with human arms. One tradition states their origin as companions of Persephone and, failing to prevent her rape, they were transformed into Sirens as punishment. Historically, the creature is of Eastern origin and came to Greece during the orientalizing period of Greek art. The Sirens had beautiful singing voices and were gifted lyre players. So wonderful was their musical talent that it was said they could even calm the winds. Perhaps a little over-confident in their gifts the Sirens once even challenged the Muses to a musical competition but, alas, without success.

No seaman ever sailed his black ship past this spot without listening to the honey-sweet tones that flow from our lips and no one who has listened has not been delighted and gone on his way a wiser man.

According to Homer the Sirens lived on an island near Scylla and Charybdis (traditionally located in the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily). Here they awaited passing ships and with their lovely music enticed sailors to their doom. Indeed, the meadows of the Sirens' home island were said to have been perpetually layered with the rotting corpses of their hapless victims. Homer mentions only two Sirens while later writers often describe three. Their parentage is variously described and they descend from Gaia, Phorcys, Achelous and Sterope, or one of the Muses.

Tomb Siren by Geoffrey Marchal on Sketchfab

Odysseus & the Sirens

The Sirens bewitch everybody who approaches them. There is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares...For with their high clear song the Sirens bewitch him, as they sit there in a meadow piled high with the mouldering skeletons of men, whose withered skin still hangs upon their bones. (The advice of Circe, Odyssey, 12:39-47)

One of their most famous stories is the Sirens' attempt to lure Odysseus and his crew as they passed on their home voyage to Ithaca following the Trojan War. The great Greek hero was already renowned for his quick wits and planning and he proved to be a much more difficult catch than the Sirens' usual victims. Advised by Circe, the hero had himself tied to his ship's mast so that he could hear the Sirens' beautiful song and not be tempted to land while the rest of his crew were made immune by blocking their ears with wax and so they all safely sailed on out of harms way.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND THE SIRENS WERE FATED TO DIE IF A MORTAL EVER RESISTED THEIR BECKONING.

Another hero the Sirens tried to capture was Jason as he and his Argonauts passed on their way to find the Golden Fleece. Jason, confident in the musical abilities of his talented crew member Orpheus, did not bother with wax but drowned out the Sirens' call with Orpheus' superlative lyre playing. According to legend the Sirens were fated to die if a mortal ever resisted their beckoning and so it is not clear whether it was Odysseus or Orpheus who was responsible for their ultimate demise, perhaps by suicide.

Sirens in Greek Art Their cult was especially prevalent at Neapolis (Naples), Sicily, and southern Italy in general. In Greek art they are most often represented with the body of a bird and a woman's head, typically clutching a lyre and most often seen in a musical context, scenes with Dionysos, or atop funerary monuments. They were also a common decorative feature of bronze cauldrons and became a staple part of pottery scenes depicting Odysseus' voyage home.

Odysseus and the Sirens Trustees of the British Museum (Copyright) One of the most famous examples is the c 450 BCE red-figure stamnos from Vulci (now in the British Museum) which, interestingly, also has a siren diving into the sea in apparent suicide. In Archaic art they are often fearsome and can have talons but they evolved into beautiful and serene creatures by the Classical period, very different from their still later association with lust and unbridled revelry.

As mentioned previously Sirens are creatures from Greek mythology. They are usually presented as aquatic near-humans, often associated with mermaids. Some sirens are presented as having wings, others with having the lower of a fish. Some may even have characteristics of both. They possessed a hypnotic singing voice that would lure sailors to their location, whereupon they would become shipwrecked upon the rocky peaks surrounding the island homes. One story features the Greek hero Odysseus, who bound himself to the mast of his ship in order to resist their song. Leonard da Vinci ventured forth the notion that sirens would sing mariners into a deep slumber with their singing, and then climb aboard their ship to kill them. In all fables and stories, sirens are represented as being female.

Siren’s Song A Short Story

By Manelle Oliphant

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Joseph stood on the ship’s deck where he’d served for the last three years and stared at the miniature painting his wife had sent. The picture showed his smiling two-year-old son in a sailor’s outfit. “I show him your portrait and tell him about you every day. We are very excited you will be home soon,” her most recent letter had read. Joseph smiled. The shortcut through the pass would allow them to be home in a few short weeks. He would see his wife and meet his son. Best of all he could now retire from the navy. The crew had made a fortune on this voyage. His percent plus the money he’d saved from his pay was enough to buy a small house. The ship’s bell tolled and someone yelled, “Amar Pass ahead! Make yourself ready!” Joseph stuffed the letter and miniature in his pocket as he ran toward the helm. Sailing through the pass required strict protocol. Every sailor must have their ears plugged and be tied to the ship. One man steered the ship with his hands tied to the helm. The pass’s smooth water held few hidden rocks, despite the high hills on either side. The pass itself was safe. Any danger came from the creatures who lived there. Commander Weldmen would steer the ship, and Joseph’s assignment was to help him prepare. When Joseph arrived Weldmen handed him some rope. “Get on with things Midshipman. We don’t have long.” “Yes sir.” Joseph took the rope and waited while Commander Weldmen plugged his ears with wads of cloth. Then he tied the Commander”s hands to the wheel. Weldmen nodded and Joseph ran to the main deck. The pass was in view. The sight filled him with dread no matter how many times he’d seen it before. He took some rope from Billy, another Midshipmen, and tied himself to the railing. He double checked its tightness around his waist, and stuffed his ears with cotton cloth. The only sound Joseph could hear as they entered the pass was the breathing inside his head. Huge boulders jutted up out of the water on either side of them. He looked toward the shoreline where the sirens sat. They were ugly. They looked like women but green and blue scales covered their skin. Instead of legs they had long tails, which flopped in the water like a dying fish. When the ship steered close enough they bit at the sailors with their sharp teeth. All the while they sang a song Joseph couldn’t hear. The song enchanted men to drown themselves. Stories told of only one man who heard the song and survived. His shipmates kept him from jumping overboard and he lived out the rest of his days in an asylum. Joseph shuttered when he thought about it. The movement loosed the cotton in his left ear and it fell into the water. Horrified he watched it fall into the water, and the beauty of the song wrapped around his heart. Joseph reached up and pulled the other plug from his ear. Waves of song flowed through him. The water, clouds, and rocks dazzled before his eyes. He looked at the singing women and sighed. Such beautiful women! His heart leaped in his chest when one smiled at him. Her teeth shined like pearls and her scales glistened in the sun. She waved him over. He waved back. He thought about feeling her cold skin and wet tail. He imagined putting his arm around her tiny waist and pulling her close. Would she let him give her a kiss? He tried to jump over the railing but a rope tied around his waist stopped him. He remembered tying the rope but couldn’t understand the reason. There was no danger here. He grabbed at the knot with his fingers. It wouldn’t budge. Curse his knot tying skill. He pulled a knife from his pocket and sawed at his prison. Silly fools, they would regret not taking this chance. Someone grabbed his arm. Joseph looked up. Billy shook his head and reached for the knife. Joseph scowled and jerked it away. Wasn’t Billy his friend? Now, when he thought back, he remembered all the times Billy had betrayed him. Why hadn’t he seen it before? Billy reached for the knife again. Joseph hit him with its handle. Billy’s nose started to bleed. Joseph smiled. Serves him right. He finished sawing and jumped into the water. Cold engulfed his whole body and a current pulled at his legs. The sensations invigorated his body. He’d never felt so alive. He kicked to the surface and looked around. The ship had passed him. He waved at the men who watched him from the poop deck. Silly fools, they would regret not taking this chance. He turned to the shore and spotted the flirt who smiled at him before. He grinned and swam toward her. He ignored the current pulling at his legs, and imagined running his fingers through her long clammy hair. His muscles grew colder but rainbows danced off her scales as the sunlight hit them. He smiled again. His eyes had never beheld such a feast. He had never heard such a song. He ignored his body’s protests and swam closer. His whole purpose in life was to make this beautiful creature happy. She was so close now. She smiled at him again with her beautiful arrow-like teeth. Inviting teeth. Oh, to kiss her mouth! The current pulled at his legs again, he fought it, but his cold muscles protested. His head went under water. He kicked hard and resurfaced. He reached for her. She sang her song. He relaxed and sunk again. He looked up through the clear water. She grinned at him. Water filled his mouth. He didn’t fight. Water filled his nose. He breathed it in. He could still see her smile. He had made her happy. Now he knew every event in his life, good and bad, had happened to lead him to this blessed moment. November 6, 1895 My Dear Mrs. Hansen, I understand you have heard the news of your husband’s death. I write to offer you my deepest condolences. I served with your husband on the Greenfly for the last three years. He talked of you often, and was very proud of his son. He showed me the miniature you sent. He looks like a strong healthy boy who takes after his father. I was with him as he went overboard and I know he thought of you ’til the last. Your husband was a good man, and a good friend. It was an honour to serve with him. With deepest sympathies, Midshipman William Smith The End

Legends and Fairytales

Sea monsters

Plate ca. 1544 depicting various sea monsters; compiled from the Carta marina. ... (Latin for Marine map and description of the Northern lands; commonly abbreviated Carta marina)

Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are often pictured threatening ships or spouting jets of water. The definition of a "monster" is subjective; further, some sea monsters may have been based on scientifically accepted creatures, such as whales and types of giant and colossal squid.

Picture taken from a Hetzel copy of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Sea monster accounts are found in virtually all cultures that have contact with the sea. For example, Avienius relates of Carthaginian explorer Himilco's voyage "...there monsters of the deep, and beasts swim amid the slow and sluggishly crawling ships." (lines 117-29 of Ora Maritima). Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed to have encountered a lion-like monster with "glaring eyes" on his return voyage after formally claiming St. John's, Newfoundland (1583) for England.[1] Another account of an encounter with a sea monster comes from July 1734. Hans Egede, a Dano-Norwegian missionary, reported that on a voyage to Godthåb on the western coast of Greenland he observed:

a most terrible creature, resembling nothing they saw before. The monster lifted its head so high that it seemed to be higher than the crow's nest on the mainmast. The head was small and the body short and wrinkled. The unknown creature was using giant fins which propelled it through the water. Later the sailors saw its tail as well. The monster was longer than our whole ship.

Ellis (1999) suggested the Egede monster might have been a giant squid.

There is a Tlingit legend about a sea monster named Gunakadeit (Goo-na'-ka-date) who brought prosperity and good luck to a village in crisis, people starving in the home they made for themselves on the southeastern coast of Alaska.

Other reports are known from the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans (e.g. see Heuvelmans 1968). Cryptozoologists suggest that modern-day monsters are surviving specimens of giant marine reptiles, such as an ichthyosaur or plesiosaur, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, or extinct whales like Basilosaurus. Ship damage from Tropical cyclones such as hurricanes or typhoons may also be another possible origin of sea monsters.

In 1892, Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans, then director of the Royal Zoological Gardens at The Hague, saw the publication of his The Great Sea Serpent, which suggested that many sea serpent reports were best accounted for as a previously unknown giant, long-necked pinniped.

Picture: Sea serpent reported by Hans Egede, Bishop of Greenland, in 1734

It is likely that many other reports of sea monsters are misinterpreted sightings of shark and whale carcasses (see below), floating kelp, logs or other flotsam such as abandoned rafts, canoes and fishing nets.

The St. Augustine Monster was a carcass that washed ashore near St. Augustine, Florida in 1896. It was initially postulated to be a gigantic octopus.

Goddess

Neptune / Poseidon

From Rijksmuseum

In Greek mythology Poseidon (Neptune to the Romans) was a son of the Titans (Giants) Cronus and Rhea, and the brother of the supreme god Zeus. Poseidon’s attribute is a trident. With it he could stir the waters and split rocks. Poseidon was married to the Nereid, or sea nymph, Amphitrite. Triton was their son. Poseidon also had many other children out of wedlock.

Poseidon is the god of the sea and waters, as well as of horses and earthquakes. This is why so many temples are dedicated to him both along the coasts and inland. On fountains Poseidon is often depicted as a formidable man with a wild beard, sometimes with his companions, the Tritons, which are fish with human torsos.

Resources

Jellyfish Jellyfish Jellyfish Bioluminescence Bioluminescence Bioluminescence Glaucus Atlanticus Glaucus Atlanticus Portuguese Man-o-War Portuguese Man-o-War Camouflage National Geographic sirens sirens story sirens books Neptune

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Last update: 2022-05-09