Nothing like a stormy sea in fiction
Nothing is so chilling to the mind as being marooned at sea, or shipwrecked, or worse yet to be drowned in the depths of the sea. The sea has always fascinated me and in my writing I have sometimes alluded to this fascination… and this fear. There are many mysteries still to be solved in its depths, and fascinating histories and myths to which we can set our minds. Whether reading about it or writing about it, the sea offers a humbling reminder of how powerless we truly are in the face of God’s creation.
In my second novel I found opportunity to write a short, albeit fun glimpse of the mysteries of the sea. In Offspring Ilfedo is dragged into the Sea of Serpents, battling the creatures for which the sea is named. But beneath the surface lies a strange sort of city, filled with sentient creatures. They are only seen briefly before Ilfedo is returned to the surface to finish his battle with the serpents, yet it was a nod in my writing to my passion for stories of the sea.
When I was a boy I loved reading about pirates and privateers. I remember one particular true story (and I wish I could remember from which book). This American was engaged to this beautiful young woman and had a close friendship with her Puritan-type father, who was a respected merchantman. This American was in the fledgling U.S. Navy at the time and he had been tasked with hunting a notorious pirate. During his hunt he happened upon his soon-to-be father-in-law and boarded the merchant ship for a pleasant conversation and dinner. Suddenly everything transformed into chaos around him. Barrels that appeared to be filled with legally-traded goods were discovered hide stores of weapons and pirate loot. The merchant’s crew attacked the navy crew and the merchant himself attempted to kill his would-be son-in-law. That American returned home having slain his beloved’s father and–as the story goes–he never revealed the truth of it to either his wife or his mother-in-law. So far as she was concerned her father died tragically at sea at the hands of the dread pirate. If she had only known that her saintly father had been living a dark double-life.
That story and so many others stuck with me.
The creatures of the sea can be terrifying and the lore of large octopus, giant squid, and sharks gives this deep dread of the ocean depths. The loss of such ships as the Titanic and the subsequent discoveries and explorations of it and so many ships that are vastly older make the sea seem to be a time-capsule. Things that are lost there may remain lost for centuries and upon rediscovery their contents can be profoundly fascinating.
If there is any creature on this planet that is as old as the planet, it would have to be contained in the sea. For the land and the mountains were flooded so that for a time the entire world was covered in water until the waters “subsided” that Noah could repopulate the earth. What a thought!
There are depths of the sea that have not yet been explored. It is in constant change, the life beneath it growing even as the ships it wrecks are overgrown with coral. I have an old book simply titled Buried Treasure that documents with text and photos the sea escapades of a treasure hunter. It is fascinating. One account was of a sunken portion of a medieval town. It was reported by the people living along that coast that the bell from the old church could still be heard to toll. Of course everyone else thought they were just making the story up, cast in superstition. The treasure hunter made a dive into the old town and found that entire buildings were still standing, in particular the old church. What everyone had thought to be a myth ended up as being proven right, for it turned out that when the ocean current changed the old bell would bong once again.
Another book I read related the facts and the fiction of old stories of giant sea serpents. There were sightings of those creatures and even one that was caught… and that was the inspiration behind the sea serpents in my fantasy novels.
In exploring the facts of the sea, one is able to expand upon the myths of the sea. In understanding what it is one fears about the sea, one is able to write more honestly about the power of the sea. In understanding how small we are in comparison to nature, one is humbled into acknowledging the power of the Creator. We are the created ones and when we acknowledge that insignificance our writing creativity is empowered.
Q: What aspect of nature both compels your imagination and terrifies you?
One of the most interesting/compelling facets of nature in storytelling I would say is the unknown. Jules Verne touched on this in many of his novels, but in my opinion, the seas and outer space are both much more compelling and terrifying. You wouldn’t even need the influence of Jaws to help you imagine what horrifying creatures lurk deep within the great waters of our planet, and depending on your beliefs concerning alien life, outer space could be a potentially very frightening aspect. The exploration of both realms – water and space – is something that has been and will continue to be valuable assets in creating compelling stories.
Jules Verne definitely captured the essence of human fascination with ventures into the unknown. Besides “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” I loved “From the Earth to the Moon.”
I am working on several books that explore my fascination with space. LOL but I have so many projects.
I’ve always found lighting fascinating yet terrifying. lighting is a beautiful thing to look at and yet it can literally make a tree explode! I think its a amazing part of God’s creation. but i was wondering since lighting is so dangerous was it made after the fall of Adam and Eve? or was it just always there? what are your thoughts?
Because lightning is a physical manifestation of a storm I imagine it was part of creation from the beginning. But one could argue that because there was no rain prior to Noah’s Flood then it is a distinct possibility lightning did not occur either. I see it as a manifestation of God’s intricacy and power, thus I imagine Adam and Eve would have looked at it without fear but instead appreciation.
Wow, I too like the sea. That book sounds cool. If you can ever find the name please contact me.
I wish I knew… but I’ve never been able to re-find that book. It had a slew of great true, lesser-known stories in it.
Oh and I’ve been curious about the creatures in the sea of serpents since I read offspring.