Access
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
Article
Nature 289, 362-366 (29 January 1981) | doi:10.1038/289362a0; Accepted 14 November 1980
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
Abstract
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.
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
