Both of my bestiary’s L creatures have been featured in this blog before, so you can start with lots of background reading:
more information about the making of my leviathan block print here
on the lylit (aka leaf baby) here (from last year’s A-Z Challenge)
And now here’s an excerpt from my bestiary, On the Virtues of Beasts:
“There are known to be many creatures in the depths of the ocean, of wondrous strangeness, and never seen by human eyes. And yet our learned men are wont to assert as if with certainty that this creature or that one cannot truly exist. It is well to remember the limits of earthly wisdom and the reality of those realms beyond our current knowledge: the distant skies beyond the stars, the depths of the oceans beneath the waves, and the possibilities of wonder within the imagination. Perhaps even the leviathan, largest of creatures in the deepest of oceans, is no greater than our ignorance.
The leviathan, therefore, reminds us of how much we have yet to learn. No one can call themselves wise who cannot first recognize and admit the limits of their knowledge.”
The leviathan is the biggest creature of all. What’s the biggest creature you’ve ever seen?
The alphabet of mythical creatures is bigger, too. You have to follow yet another link to read
[Picture: Altum Incognitum, rubber block print by AEGN, 2014.]
I love your posts. What a creative A to Z challenge.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stacy!
ReplyDeleteI do sometimes write fantasy and I love to include a mythological creature or two
ReplyDeleteDebbie
The biggest creature I've seen was an elephant, and that in a zoo. I like the thought that we don't know, and don't know that we don't.
ReplyDeleteI have read that Leviathan is an enormous fish, which the faithful will enjoy eating in Paradise one day...
ReplyDeleteYour 'biggest creature' question reminds me of one of my kiddos was telling me this week,"remember, the dinosaur is 40 feet"-- and he's only 4. The fascination never gets old.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Finnell
@randallbychance from
Katy Trail Creations
Interesting Blog and a good subject for an A to Z . . . . And I can tell you have the whole challenge under control . . . Unlike some of the mythical beasts, but then mythical beasts have always been difficult to things to control as our postman has discovered to his cost in the past.
ReplyDeleteRob Z Tobor
Kristin, elephants are about my biggest, too. I have seen whales, but not such that I could really get a feel for how big they are. Still, it's easy to imagine someone seeing elephants or whales and extrapolating a creature even more enormous.
ReplyDeleteSue, that the leviathan will be a feast in Paradise is definitely part of its mythology, but the word "fish" in older writings was a very general one covering pretty much any sea creature, so you can't assume that it's what we would now scientifically classify as a fish. So who knows what the faithful will be eating!
Katy, you are so right about dinosaurs being so "magical" despite being real! Clearly people have been fascinated with huge creatures forever.
Rob, I would love to hear what mythical beasts your postman has had to contend with. I'm already imagining all sorts of wild encounters. That's a scene I just may have to use in a story or an illustration some day!
Fantastic post! Sounds like a good book, too. A bear is the largest land animal I've seen. A humpback whale is the largest water one I've encountered.
ReplyDeleteJ Lenni Dorner~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author
I am utterly gobsmacked Anne by how much detail and nuance you're able to create in your blocks - gorgeous! Even if I hope never to meet a leviathan, it's good to have a peek at what I might be missing.
ReplyDeleteElephants and whales are my biggest sighted creatures, although like you the whales weren't really up close and personal. But the magic and power of them was absolutely heart-stoppingly wonderful and something I will never ever forget.
I had to check your Leviathan since we did the same name. Your block print is gorgeous! I hope your book launch is amazing. - Dragons & Spaceships
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deborah. I think I found elephants more magical than whales, but they're both pretty darn amazing, and make me happy just to know I share the earth with them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, T.S. We speculative fiction types have to stick together! =)
"Fascinating exploration of the Leviathan in art and mythology! The intricate black-and-white prints capture the power and mystery of this ancient sea creature beautifully. A great read for anyone interested in mythical beasts and their representations throughout history."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post
ReplyDelete