Bishop-fish

{{Short description|Mythical sea monster}} {{Multiple issues| {{Expand French|topic=cult|Évêque marin}} {{Expand German|Seebischof|date=May 2026}} {{more footnotes|date=February 2016}} }} [[Image:Merman.jpg|thumb|upright|The bishop-fish in Johann Zahn's 1696 work ''Specula physico-mathematico-historica notabilium ac mirabilium sciendorum'']]

The '''sea bishop''' or '''bishop-fish''' is a legendary creature first recorded in the 16th century. According to legend, it was taken to the King of Poland, who wished to keep it. It was also shown to a group of Catholic bishops, to whom the bishop-fish gestured, appealing to be released. They granted its wish, at which point it made the sign of the cross and disappeared into the sea.

Another was supposedly captured in the ocean near Germany in 1531. It refused to eat and died after three days.{{sfn|Praetorius|1666|pp=80–81}}<ref>{{cite book |first=Heinrich |last=Heine |author-link=Heinrich Heine |date=1837 |chapter=Elementargeister |language=de |trans-chapter=Elemental Spirits |title=Der Salon |trans-title=The Salon |volume=3 |publisher=Hoffmann & Campe Hamburg}}</ref> It was described and pictured in the fourth volume of Conrad Gesner's famous ''Historiae animalium'', published in 1551–1558 and 1587.

Cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans believed the report was based on the discovery of a large mutilated Grimaldi scaled squid.<ref>{{cite book |last=Heuvelmans |first=Bernard |author-link=Bernard Heuvelmans |date=2003 |title=The Kraken and the Colossal Octopus: In the Wake of Sea-Monsters |location=London |publisher=Kegan Paul International |pages=230–231}}</ref>

==See also== * Oannes (mythology) * Jenny Haniver * Sea monk * Amabie

==References== {{reflist}}

=== Works cited === * {{cite book |last=Praetorius |first=Johannes |author-link=Johannes Praetorius (historian) |date=1666 |title=Anthropodemus Plutonicus. Das ist Eine Neue Welt-beschreibung Von allerley Wunderbahren Menschen |language=de |trans-title=Anthropodemus Plutonicus. This is A New World Description of All Sorts of Wonderful People |location=Magdeburg}}

== Further reading == * Anon? ''The Reader's Digest Book of Strange Stories, Amazing Facts 1976,'' various contributors * Gesner, C. ''Historiae Animalium''

==External links== {{Commonscatinline}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop-Fish}} Category:Sea monsters Category:Christian legendary creatures Category:Medieval European legendary creatures Category:Legendary fish