Hafgufa
Sea monster in Nordic legend / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Hafgufa?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Hafgufa (Old Norse: haf "sea" + Old Norse: gufa "steam";[2][3] "sea-reek";[lower-alpha 1][5] "sea-steamer"[6]) is a sea creature, purported to inhabit Iceland's waters (Greenland Sea) and southward toward Helluland. Although it was thought to be a sea monster, research suggests that the stories originated from a specialized feeding technique among whales known as trap-feeding.[7][8]
Grouping | Legendary creature |
---|---|
Sub grouping | Sea monster |
Other name(s) | Hafgufu (Old Norwegian) |
Country | Greenland |
The hafgufa is mentioned in the mid-13th century Norwegian tract called the Konungs skuggsjá ("King's Mirror"). Later recensions of Örvar-Odds saga feature hafgufa and lyngbakr as similar but distinct creatures.
According to Norwegian didactic work, this creature uses its own vomit-like chumming-bait to gather prey-fish. In the Fornaldarsaga, the hafgufa is reputed to consume even whales or ships and men, though Oddr's ship merely sailed through its jaws above water, which appeared to be nothing more than rocks.