15th Century ‘Sea Monster’ Figurehead Discovered In The Baltic

A wooden figurehead of a sea monster with ears like a lion and a crocodile’s jaw was carefully lifted from the sea in southern Sweden on Tuesday by divers bringing up treasures from the wreck of a 15th-century Danish warship.

Researchers from the Blekinge Museum are assuming that the figurehead was a fragment of the Gribshunden, a 15th century warship that was sailed by the Danish King Hans. The ship from which this monster was salvaged sank in the Baltic Sea near Ronneby, Sweden.

“I think it’s some kind of fantasy animal – a dragon with lion ears and crocodile-like mouth”.

The 660-pound object stood at the prow of the ship and was carved from the top of a beam measuring 11 feet in length. Apparently, the ship’s design is identical to the contemporary of Santa Maria, which is Christopher Columbus’ flagship, also considered to be one of the best well preserved sample of a 15th century ship.

The bulk of the ship has been well-preserved over the five hundred years since it sunk mainly because sea-worms can’t survive in the salty Baltic Sea.

The newly emerged figurehead is also unique.

Johan Ronnby, marine archaeology professor: “Last time it looked at the world, Leonardo Da Vinci and Christopher Columbus were still living.”

“I’m amazed, we knew that it should be a fantastic figure, but it was over our expectations when we saw it. It’s a fantastic figure, unique in the world”. “No similar item from the 15th century has ever been found anywhere in the world”, he said. He is eating up somebody or maybe spitting out somebody from his mouth. “And there seems to be something in his mouth”. “It may depict the very “Grip Dog” that the name of the ship reflects”, he said.

Sandekjer, Rönnby and the rest of their team said that they hope to recover more of the wreck of the Gribshunden to the surface of the near future.

Armors and weapons found upon the wreckage were given to display in Danish museums, now part of an extensive history of a fascinating culture that has been the catalyst to many traditions, stories, books and movies still popular today.