Whit Durham
@canebrake.bsky.social
Geographer, hockey fan, heavy metal enthusiast, girl dad. Mostly map monster postings.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Cornelius de Jode’s 1593 map of the western coast of North America was among the first to depict the area. It also features a couple of stellar sea beasts, a sea unicorn (hippocampuscorn?) and a snarly-looking sea dragon. This map is held by a private collector.
December 7, 2025 at 11:06 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Cornelius de Jode’s 1593 map of the western coast of North America was among the first to depict the area. It also features a couple of stellar sea beasts, a sea unicorn (hippocampuscorn?) and a snarly-looking sea dragon. This map is held by a private collector.
t’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jodocus Hondius’s c1610 map of India and Southeast Asia features this spiky-finned beast prowling the Bay of Bengal. This map is held by a private collector
November 30, 2025 at 11:57 PM
t’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jodocus Hondius’s c1610 map of India and Southeast Asia features this spiky-finned beast prowling the Bay of Bengal. This map is held by a private collector
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Giacomo Gastaldi’s 1570 map of Asia Minor features several Seuss-like creatures plying the waters of the Black and Mediterranean seas. This map is held by a private collector.
November 23, 2025 at 10:42 PM
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Giacomo Gastaldi’s 1570 map of Asia Minor features several Seuss-like creatures plying the waters of the Black and Mediterranean seas. This map is held by a private collector.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Giacomo Gastaldi’s 1564 map of north and west Africa features s pair of creatures, one I like to call the Null Island Leviathan and the other is obviously a sea pug. Also featured are the mythical Kong Mountains, running along the west African coast. Basil University Library.
November 17, 2025 at 12:54 AM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Giacomo Gastaldi’s 1564 map of north and west Africa features s pair of creatures, one I like to call the Null Island Leviathan and the other is obviously a sea pug. Also featured are the mythical Kong Mountains, running along the west African coast. Basil University Library.
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Tomasso Porcacchi’s 1572 map of Scotland features a huge fish with a frilly tail, a couple of dolphins, a sturgeon that looks like a sea turtle, and cherubim on the cartouche. And how about that compass! This map is held by a private collector.
November 9, 2025 at 11:10 PM
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Tomasso Porcacchi’s 1572 map of Scotland features a huge fish with a frilly tail, a couple of dolphins, a sturgeon that looks like a sea turtle, and cherubim on the cartouche. And how about that compass! This map is held by a private collector.
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Marco Boschini’s 1646 map of Dalmatia and Albania features several sea monsters, mermen, and cherubim. Quite a panorama! This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
November 3, 2025 at 12:34 AM
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Marco Boschini’s 1646 map of Dalmatia and Albania features several sea monsters, mermen, and cherubim. Quite a panorama! This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Willem Janszoon Blaeu’s 1646 map of Asia has quite a few creatures, land and sea. My favorite is the Abyssinian dragon conferring with the snakes and the monitor lizard. Mermaids bookend a cartouche. This map is held by a private collector.
October 26, 2025 at 10:23 PM
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Willem Janszoon Blaeu’s 1646 map of Asia has quite a few creatures, land and sea. My favorite is the Abyssinian dragon conferring with the snakes and the monitor lizard. Mermaids bookend a cartouche. This map is held by a private collector.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jodocus Hondius and Gerard Mercator’s c1630 map of Morocco features an owl-like fish, whose fins make it look like a fire breather. Great lion in the cartouche. This map is held by the National Library of Israel.
October 19, 2025 at 11:46 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jodocus Hondius and Gerard Mercator’s c1630 map of Morocco features an owl-like fish, whose fins make it look like a fire breather. Great lion in the cartouche. This map is held by the National Library of Israel.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s c1579 map of Portugal hosts a disheveled creature, who is definitely not ready to start the week. The map also features a cartouche with three lion heads, also in varying states of alarm. This map is held by a private collector.
October 12, 2025 at 11:00 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s c1579 map of Portugal hosts a disheveled creature, who is definitely not ready to start the week. The map also features a cartouche with three lion heads, also in varying states of alarm. This map is held by a private collector.
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Giacomo Franco’s 1569 map of Cyprus features this amazingly detailed sea dragon. Another legendary creature (not shown) lurks in the northwest. The Chimera was said to inhabit the area around Mount Chimaera, near Antalya, Türkiye.
October 5, 2025 at 10:54 PM
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Giacomo Franco’s 1569 map of Cyprus features this amazingly detailed sea dragon. Another legendary creature (not shown) lurks in the northwest. The Chimera was said to inhabit the area around Mount Chimaera, near Antalya, Türkiye.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Matthäus Meria’s 1638 map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and environs features a cetacean spouting toward some passing ships. This map is held by a private collector.
September 28, 2025 at 10:09 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Matthäus Meria’s 1638 map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and environs features a cetacean spouting toward some passing ships. This map is held by a private collector.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Baptista Boazio, Walter Bigges, and one Lt. Croftes’s 1589 map of St. Augustine, Florida, hosts this great fish known by many names: Dorado, dolphinfish, mahi-mahi. Mmm, tacos. It also features Francis Drake’s raid on the settlement. This is held by the Library of Congress.
September 21, 2025 at 10:02 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Baptista Boazio, Walter Bigges, and one Lt. Croftes’s 1589 map of St. Augustine, Florida, hosts this great fish known by many names: Dorado, dolphinfish, mahi-mahi. Mmm, tacos. It also features Francis Drake’s raid on the settlement. This is held by the Library of Congress.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Marco Boschini’s 1651 map of St. Theodoro, off of Crete, features this… sea owl showing its threat display to a passing ship. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
September 14, 2025 at 9:36 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Marco Boschini’s 1651 map of St. Theodoro, off of Crete, features this… sea owl showing its threat display to a passing ship. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! André Thevet’s 1586 map of Rio de Janeiro features a trio of beaky-looking beasts prowling the waters of Guanabara Bay. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
September 7, 2025 at 10:05 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! André Thevet’s 1586 map of Rio de Janeiro features a trio of beaky-looking beasts prowling the waters of Guanabara Bay. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Willem Janszoon Blaeu’s 1635 map of Africa features a wide range of beasts: a hippocampus, a spouting whale, a shark, and several more challenging to identify. I like the two creatures seemingly having a laugh. This map is held by Northwestern University Library.
August 31, 2025 at 10:41 PM
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Willem Janszoon Blaeu’s 1635 map of Africa features a wide range of beasts: a hippocampus, a spouting whale, a shark, and several more challenging to identify. I like the two creatures seemingly having a laugh. This map is held by Northwestern University Library.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Willem Janszoon Blaeu and Johannes Willemszoon Blaeu’s 1614-17 map of the Americas holds a couple of fearsome creatures in the Pacific and a pair of seemingly uncertain beasts in the Atlantic. Interpret how you may. This map is held by the U. of Texas at Arlington Libraries.
August 24, 2025 at 9:51 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Willem Janszoon Blaeu and Johannes Willemszoon Blaeu’s 1614-17 map of the Americas holds a couple of fearsome creatures in the Pacific and a pair of seemingly uncertain beasts in the Atlantic. Interpret how you may. This map is held by the U. of Texas at Arlington Libraries.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Lucas Janz Waghenaer’s 1588 map of the northernmost tip of Jutland (note the compass orientations) features a great fish and a curious seal. This map is held by the Royal Museums Greenwich.
August 17, 2025 at 9:55 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Lucas Janz Waghenaer’s 1588 map of the northernmost tip of Jutland (note the compass orientations) features a great fish and a curious seal. This map is held by the Royal Museums Greenwich.
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jan Huygen van Linschoten’s 1638 map of East and Southeast Asia features a fascinating array of creatures: A pair of sea beasts in apparent conversation, a spouting creature watching a sea battle, a curious shark tailing a ship, and a whale simply minding its business.
August 10, 2025 at 9:02 PM
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jan Huygen van Linschoten’s 1638 map of East and Southeast Asia features a fascinating array of creatures: A pair of sea beasts in apparent conversation, a spouting creature watching a sea battle, a curious shark tailing a ship, and a whale simply minding its business.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Theodore de Bry’s 1599 map of the North Atlantic features this creature seemingly annoyed by the placement of the meridian. This is pre-Greenwich, so Null Island is still secret. Shhh! This map is held by the New York Public Library.
August 3, 2025 at 11:29 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Theodore de Bry’s 1599 map of the North Atlantic features this creature seemingly annoyed by the placement of the meridian. This is pre-Greenwich, so Null Island is still secret. Shhh! This map is held by the New York Public Library.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s 1596 map of Brittany and Normandy features this creature, who’s not quite ready to face the week. This map is held by the Library of Congress.
July 27, 2025 at 9:12 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s 1596 map of Brittany and Normandy features this creature, who’s not quite ready to face the week. This map is held by the Library of Congress.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Ever heard of the Null Island Beast? Of course not. I just made it up! Jodocus Hondius’s 1625 map of Guinea. The creature is very near to the 0, 0 coordinate that we jokingly call Null Island. Bonus inset of São Tomé. This map is held by a private collector.
July 20, 2025 at 11:31 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Ever heard of the Null Island Beast? Of course not. I just made it up! Jodocus Hondius’s 1625 map of Guinea. The creature is very near to the 0, 0 coordinate that we jokingly call Null Island. Bonus inset of São Tomé. This map is held by a private collector.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Marco Boschini’s 1651 map of Castel Protessa (on Crete) features this great fish surveying the coast. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
July 13, 2025 at 9:19 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Marco Boschini’s 1651 map of Castel Protessa (on Crete) features this great fish surveying the coast. This map is held by Bibliothèque nationale de France.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1655 map of Malta features this incredulous sea monster with some impressive fins. “I don’t remember these islands being here!” This map is held by the Malta Study Center at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library in Minnesota.
July 6, 2025 at 9:37 PM
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Abraham Ortelius’s 1655 map of Malta features this incredulous sea monster with some impressive fins. “I don’t remember these islands being here!” This map is held by the Malta Study Center at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library in Minnesota.
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Giacomo Gastaldi and Giovambattista Ramusio’s c1560 map of Southeast Asia holds several finned and scaled creatures. The turtle seems to be enjoying it all. This map is held by the National Library of Israel.
June 29, 2025 at 10:08 PM
1/2 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Giacomo Gastaldi and Giovambattista Ramusio’s c1560 map of Southeast Asia holds several finned and scaled creatures. The turtle seems to be enjoying it all. This map is held by the National Library of Israel.