Here Be Monsters… A History

Scully mentions to Mulder in “The X-Files” that in history, mariners used to mark unmapped areas as “Here Be Monsters” on their maps. This was in Season 3, Episode 22.

I found a podcast on the unknown called “Here Be Monsters”. My curiosity is peaked, but I’ll save that for another day. Here’s the link: https://www.hbmpodcast.com/.

I started with a Wikipedia article, but you always have to enter at your own risk with Wikipedia. Anybody can edit those articles, so you’re sort of at the mercy of the Internet when it comes to truth or falsehood. If nothing else though, it’s a place where I always start my research adventures because it gives me a jumping off point (there’s tons of tidbits to get good search words and ideas from). Plus, it’s usually always entertaining. Here’s the first one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Be_Monsters!

Okay, so it turned out to be about a book (which seems interesting, and I’ll check out later–Wishlisting on Amazon for now. Apparently that book inspired Laika Studio’s stop-motion animated film, “The Boxtrolls”). But then there’s this second Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragons, and now I have something to go on.

When I clicked back to my Google search, I stumbled upon this article (https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/12/no-old-maps-actually-say-here-be-dragons/282267/). Apparently the correct phrase was “Here Be Dragons”. So I adjusted my search terms.

Also, on a side note (I have a lot of those–I have ADHD, so my mind jumps around a lot–just warning you now–it’s fun for research purposes though, anyways…), if you’re interested in cartography, one of my all-time favorite books (and trust me when I say I read A LOT), is “Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Open Floor” by Hali Felt. The link is here: https://smile.amazon.com/Soundings-Story-Remarkable-Woman-Mapped/dp/1250031451/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509819071&sr=8-1&keywords=soundings.

It’s about the brilliant woman, Marie Tharp, and how she took on the project of a lifetime by trying to map the whole ocean. She was on teams of mainly only men, and defied a lot of their orders to get her work done. Her business partner (not in the legal sense in the word, but her partner in her business), Bruce Heezen, was a big reason she was able to do this… he stuck up for her and helped her in her pursuit for knowledge. Anyways, it’s written so well and it’s a quick read, but you’ll find yourself trying to slow it down so you can revel in it as long as possible.

Now back to “Here Be Dragons”. The terms used slightly vary by language (a few are “Here Be Lions”, “Land Unknown”, etc.), but all were generally used to described unknown territories and/or dangerous areas. Like “Here Be Monsters”, none of them actually said “Here Be Dragons” (other than the rare Lenox Globe ca. 1503-1507), from what I understand, but they were illustrated with monsters, dragons, and the like.

Here’s a picture of the Lenox Globe:

Source: https://mannaismayaadventure.com/2015/01/18/photos-lenox-globe-is-oldest-to-show-the-americas/

Here are some interesting articles on this topic too:

• https://www.gislounge.com/here-be-dragons/
  • This was an interesting book recommendation from the above site. Will have to check it out later: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158948262X?ie=UTF8&tag=gislounge-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=158948262X
• It’s also a tv trope, which quotes the episode of “The X-Files” that I watched.
  • TV Tropes Site (brilliant, by the way): http://tvtropes.org
  • The actual trope: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HereThereBeDragons
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/here-be-dragons
• https://www.livescience.com/39465-sea-monsters-on-medieval-maps.html
• http://www.maphist.nl/extra/herebedragons.html

That’s it for now! Enjoy!

Spielberg Documentary…Thoughts

Watching HBO’s documentary on Spielberg. Apparently, as a young 20-something, he snuck onto Universal’s lot off a tour and requisitioned an office for himself (he stuck a sign on the door and everything). He apparently went undisturbed for 6 months.

I started applying to animation studios in 4th grade. If I’d have seen this back then, studios would’ve had their hands full with me. It wouldn’t be as cute now (although, I have the training now, and am able to go the traditional routes 😛). Lol.

In all seriousness though, I’ve seen so many documentaries on animation and film greats, and they were usually able to take the non-traditional routes like that. It wasn’t as cut-throat as it is now. Now, there’s an element of fear and rigidity. I wish we could have some of that same nostalgia now. I wish that those who dream big could make it through pure determination, passion, and creativity. You still can now, but it’s a hell of a lot harder. That journey can crush people super quickly too.

Anyways, the documentary is good so far. Here are the links to…:

• The IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7133092/?ref_=nv_sr_2
• The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSdSYmXCPXU