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A comment on In 1562 Map-Makers Thought America Was Full of Mermaids, Giants, and Dragons.

Re:In 1562 Map-Makers Thought America Was Full of Mermaids, ... by sandworm101 on Thursday December 15, 2016 @06:40PM (#13189787)
It was full of such things. If you were about to set sail on a 1562 craft, tell me the fundimental difference between a huricane and a sea dragon. Both smashed your ship leaving none to tell the tale. As for giants, take a look at the average european bear. Then look at a grizzly. This map expresses real problems and gives rather practical advice for the time.

Remember too the language issues. This map was for a variety of audiances. A drawing of a monster is more universal than "ship reported lost here".

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Re:In 1562 Map-Makers Thought America Was Full of Mermaids, ... by krastanov on Thursday December 15, 2016 @07:51PM (#13190173)
I was left with the impression that the main point of those drawings were aesthetics - fill the empty white space for which we do not have data. (As opposed to claiming that people in the 1500s believed in any of those creatures)
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Re:In 1562 Map-Makers Thought America Was Full of Mermaids, ... by sandworm101 on Thursday December 15, 2016 @09:00PM (#13190466)
Look at where the monsters are and where things like huricanes are common. A big empty ocean can also be monsterous as you can get lost.
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