The sea bishop or bishop-fish was a type of

sea monster 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 ofte ...

reported in the 16th century. According to legend, it was taken to the

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...

, who wished to keep it. It was also shown to a group of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

s, to whom the bishop-fish gestured, appealing to be released. They granted its wish, at which point it made the

sign of the cross Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...

and disappeared into the sea. Another was supposedly captured in the ocean near

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1531. It refused to eat and died after three days. It was described and pictured in the fourth volume of

Conrad Gesner Conrad Gessner (; la, Conradus Gesnerus 26 March 1516 – 13 December 1565) was a Swiss physician, naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist. Born into a poor family in Zürich, Switzerland, his father and teachers quickly realised his tale ...

's famous '' Historiae animalium, published in 1551 – 58 and 1587. Cryptozoologist

Bernard Heuvelmans Bernard Heuvelmans (10 October 1916 – 22 August 2001) was a Belgian-French scientist, explorer, researcher, and writer probably best known, along with Scottish-American biologist Ivan T. Sanderson, as a founding figure in the pseudoscienc ...

believed the report was based on the discovery of a large mutilated Grimaldi scaled squid.Heuvelmans Bernard (2003). ''The Kraken and the Colossal Octopus: In the Wake of Sea-Monsters''. London: Kegan Paul International. 2003. pp. 230-231.

References

* Anon? ''The Reader's Digest Book of Strange Stories, Amazing Facts 1976,'' various contributors * Gesner, C. ''Historiae Animalium'' Sea monsters Christian legendary creatures Medieval European legendary creatures Legendary fish {{legendary-creature-stub

See also

References