Lorentz de Ferry 1746

Pontoppidan wrote the two-volume book "The first Attempts of the Natural History of Norway", 1752 - 54. He renders a very thorough description of the sea serpent in the 8th chapter "About certain MONSTRIS MARINIS or strange and peculiar Sea-Creatures", besides describing mermen, mermaids, and kraken the giant squid. The book was soon published in German, then in English. This made the Norwegian Sea Serpent known abroad. Pontoppidan named it the Big Sea Serpent, Serpens marinus, according to the demands of the time.

Illustration by Hans Strøm to Pontoppidan´s book. One of "Two kinds of Sea Serpents".

"Last winter I met with the distinguished sea captain , now admiral, Mr. Lorentz de Ferry. Since long he had been doubting the existence of the sea serpent, until he got convinced about the opposite in 1746. He had been summoned to the Bergen Court in 1751 together with two of his men who also had been with him and seen the sea serpent. "

Pontoppidan found this case highly interesting and included the story and the court documents in his book.                                                                                       

The testimony of Lorentz de Ferry:
"I was returning from a journey to Trondheim in 1746 and was only a couple of miles away from Molde outside a point called "Juleneset". The time was late August with calm and hot weather, and I sat reading a book. Suddenly I noticed mumbling voices among my 8 oarsmen, and I noticed that the course had been shifted to off the shore. I asked for an explanation and was answered that the sea serpent had been straight ahead. Even if the men looked a bit frightened, I at once ordered the course to be turned back towards land to head for the mysterious creature. The sea serpent passed in front of us, and again I ordered the boat to turn to get closer to the creature. But the sea serpent swam faster than we were able to row, so I raised my flintlock gun loaded with pellets and shot at the animal who immediately dived a short distance away. We moved over to the spot where the serpent had last been seen.  It was easy to find due to the calm weather. The water was thick with blood, may be a pellet ot two had hit it.  In vain we rested a while on the oars  to see if it surfaced again.

The sea serpent looked like this: The head was held two feet above the water and had the same shape as a horse´s head. Its colour was sort of greyish, and the snout was was quite black. The eyes were very big, and a long, white mane hung from the neck into the water. The body was very thick. 7 - 8 humps were visible, and we estimated a 6 feet distance between each hump.

I told this story in a party, and a certain gentleman wanted me to go public with the story. Therefore I am present before this court giving this statement together with two of my oarsmen, Niels Pedersen Kopper and Niels Nielsen Anglevichen.

February 21st 1751
L. D. Ferry"

[The distance between each hump = ca 6 feet. Head + neck + 6 distances between the humps + 7-8 humps + tail, = adds quickly to a length of at least 60 feet!]

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