Iceland review - 2012, Qupperneq 30

28 ICELAND REVIEW
fOLkLORE
Sea Cattle
some supernatural beings are harmless and
even desirable, such as sea cattle (sæneyti),
a sleek, grayish cattle variant with a bladder
in front of its nostrils. the organ is thought to
serve as an oxygen tank, enabling the animal
to breathe underwater. according to a written
source from 1787, sea cattle are related to
whales, and are generally believed to be the
livestock of mermen. if a heifer or bull of the
species wanders onto land it is likely to be
simply lost. if caught, their bladder must be
burst, otherwise they will return to the ocean. a
sea heifer can prove quite an asset to farmers,
as it produces more milk than regular cows. 
From Meeting With Monsters – an Illustrated Guide to the Beasts of Iceland with texts by sigurður Ægisson
and illustrations by Jón Baldur hlíðberg. originally published by JpV in 2008 and reprinted in 2011,
the book is available in icelandic bookstores and on forlagid.is.
Mouse-Whale
a prospect for an exciting twist on whale watching, one of the more peculiar
marine monsters off iceland is the mouse-whale (múshveli). its long body
narrows towards the rear into a tail and its large ear flaps resemble the
square sail of a boat when held in an upright position. the mouse-whale has
big jaws—an entire boat can fit between them—sharp teeth and, instead
of flippers, short, stubby legs that can be used to capsize boats or move
across skerries and shallows. the mouse-whale can swim so fast that the
sea foams at its chest.
Many stories bear witness to the monster’s aggression. once, men who
were fishing in an open boat off East iceland suddenly heard a loud noise.
shortly afterwards a fearsome creature surfaced and sped towards them.
the crew of the French smack nearby moved between the whale and the
boat. unfazed, the beast rammed the side of the ship repeatedly. Eventually,
it gave up and disappeared back into the depths of the ocean.