fandomhigh | Myths and Legends of the Deep {Thursday, Period 2}

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myths of the deep

Myths and Legends of the Deep {Thursday, Period 2}

Summer had set up today's class in the Danger Shop and let her students know with a ~~handwavily~~ e-mail.

The Danger Shop was set up to replicate the open ocean. As soon as the students entered the room, they'd find themselves aboard a ship that might have been found from the 1800s or earlier.

"Today, we're talking about sea serpents. They are mythological sea monster that is either partially or wholly serpentine. Sightings of these creatures have been reported for hundreds of years and continue to this day. Even though numerous sightings have been reported over the years, there has been no physical evidence recorded," Summer explained.

"It's entirely possible that people have mistaken sightings of whales and oarfish for strange sea serpents. Some cryptozoologists have suggested that these sea serpents could have been are relict plesiosaurs, mosasaurs or other Mesozoic marine reptiles, an idea often associated with lake monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster."

Summer wasn't so sure about that but it did make some sense.

"Many cultures have varying myths about sea serpents. In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr, or 'Midgarðsormr' was a sea serpent so long that it encircled the entire world, Midgard. Some stories report of sailors mistaking its back for a chain of islands. Sea serpents also appear frequently in later Scandinavian folklore, particularly in that of Norway," she continued. As she spoke, the waters around the ship stirred and if the students looked over the side, they could see dark shapes swimming below the surface.

"Sea serpents were known to sea-faring cultures in the Mediterranean and Near East, appearing in both mythology (the Babylonian Labbu) and in apparent eye-witness accounts (Aristotle's Historia Animalium). Better known today are the Biblical references to Leviathan and Rahab, from the Hebrew Tanakh. In Greek and Roman mythology, a pair of sea serpents killed Laocoön and his sons when Laocoön argued against bringing the Trojan Horse into Troy," Summer said.

There were a good chunk of myths about sea serpents and Summer could have gone on for the entire class. Instead, she looked at her students and posed a question to them. "What are some sea serpent myths that you know of? After answering that question, feel free to explore the ship."

[OCD up!]

{Syllabus & Class Roster}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Leda will be as far from the side of the ship as she can get thank you very much.

Though exploring ships never got boring for her, especially ones that weren't underwater, Ariel couldn't help noticing Leda not exploring much at all and called out to her before bouncing over. "Leda!"

As freaked as she was, it wasn't hard to summon a smile for Ariel. "Hey you."

"What are you doing all the way over here, silly?" Ariel asked with a giggle. "All the fun parts of the ship are over there!"

Leda debated with herself, and decided that she didn't need to put up any tough fronts with Ariel.

"I'm uh, afraid of the ocean. Well, more of things in the ocean. Like, say, sea monsters."

Ariel's eyes were wide like saucers.

"Afraid of the....Leda, there's nothing in the ocean that can hurt you! I know lots about the ocean, trust me! It's great!"

Nothing in the ocean that can hurt her?! Jellyfish, sharks, baracuda, anenomes, angler fish, killer whales, sea urchins, sting rays, moray eels, crabs, giant lobsters, horny dolphins, Cthulhu...

"Well, it's pretty. From the beach." she said diplomatically."

All very easily avoidable if you swam fast enough!! Well, mostly....

Ariel snorted. "And from the top deck of the ship!" she added. "Come on! Plus, we're in the Danger Shop; it's not like anything in here can really hurt you even if they could in the first place."

Yeah Leda wasn't the strongest swimmer. But Ariel had a good point about the Danger Shop. She felt a little silly now.

"Oh, right." She took a deep breath and stepped away from the mast. "I'm from a pretty land locked city." she explained.

"And I'm from one with water around it for miles and miles and miles," Ariel offered with a grin before quirking her head back toward the deck and started to meander with the hopes that Leda will follow. "So you've got a good guide."

Leda could see how that could make her fear of the ocean seem silly. She did indeed follow Ariel. She didn't want to disappoint a cute redhead.

"So this is old hat to you then."

"Yeaaah," Ariel had to admit with a bit of a smirk, "but it never gets old. Especially exploring ships! I love them; I didn't get as much of a chance to explore ones that were still floating, though, mostly shipwrecks."

Because talking about shipwrecks while on a boat with a girl who was nervous about the water was a great direction to take the conversation.

We're in the danger shop, we're in the danger shop, the ship is not going to sink. Leda reminded herself.

"You uh, you do a lot of diving?"

"Oh, yeah," said Ariel, getting used to using that cover-up often. "Definitely. And, er, you know. Stuff washing up on shore, too..."

"Oh I've heard of that." she nodded. "Beach...something."

Ariel just nodded, because she didn't know what it was called either. "But those wrecks are the best time to find stuff, you know. All sorts of neat treasures get left behind."

Actually, here was something Leda could sort of identify with. "I've noticed the same thing in old buildings." she said. "When most of the mortals fled when Faerie returned, they left a lot of cool stuff behind."

~~Ariel should meet Billy, who will soon be in a position to agree with her.~~

"Ooooh," Ariel grinned at that perspective. "Oh, I'll bet! I'd bet that'd be all sorts of fun, exploring those!"

"It really is. Some of the buildings aren't in the best shape, so you have to be careful where you step though." And listen for telltale sounds of imenent collapse.

"You get the same with ships, too," Ariel said with a grin. "What's the neatest thing you ever found?"

Leda decided not to mention the collection of porn she'd found.

"Well, I once found some first edition books, but I think the neatest thing was an entire hazmat suit."

"Hazmat suit?"

It's this outfit that covers your entire body, with it's own enclosed air system, so people can walk into areas where the air is poisonous. Hazmat stands for Hazardous Materials or something."

"Oooooooh," Ariel said, "I think I've seen stuff like that one television before. Maybe."

"I think I've seen them too. Or something similar." She wondered what ever became of that suit.

"How about you? What's the coolest thing you've ever found?"

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