Nature 289, 362 - 366 (29 January 1981); doi:10.1038/289362a0

The Norse merman as an optical phenomenon

W. H. Lehn^* & I. Schroeder^†

^*Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada R3T 2N2
^†60 Thatcher Drive, Winnipeg, Canada R3T 2L3

Mediaeval Norse writings that describe the merman are considered accurate observations of a natural phenomenon. Images of common sea mammals, severely distorted by strong, non-uniform atmospheric refraction, fit the mediaeval descriptions remarkably well. Three examples are presented: computer-generated images of a killer whale and a walrus, and a photograph of a suitably distended boulder. The mediaeval correlation of a merman sighting with the advent of storms is also verified.

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