Hafgufa

Hafgufa
Grouping	Legendary creature
Sub grouping	Sea monster
Other name(s)	Hafgufu (Old Norwegian)
Country	Greenland

Hafgufa (Old Norse: haf "sea" + Old Norse: gufa "steam";^[2]^[3] "sea-reek";^[a]^[5] "sea-steamer"^[6]) is a sea creature, purported to inhabit Iceland's waters (Greenland Sea) and southward toward Helluland. Although it was thought to be a sea monster, research suggests that the stories originated from a specialized feeding technique among whales known as trap-feeding.^[7]^[8]

The hafgufa is mentioned in the mid-13th century Norwegian tract called the Konungs skuggsjá ("King's Mirror"). Later recensions of Örvar-Odds saga feature hafgufa and lyngbakr as similar but distinct creatures.

According to Norwegian didactic work, this creature uses its own vomit-like chumming-bait to gather prey-fish. In the Fornaldarsaga, the hafgufa is reputed to consume even whales or ships and men, though Oddr's ship merely sailed through its jaws above water, which appeared to be nothing more than rocks.

^ Cite error: The named reference bartholin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Glossed as:"Hafgufa, vapor marinus".^[1]
^ Cite error: The named reference cleasby-vigfusson-gufa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference skeat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference edwards&palsson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference snorra-edda-faulkes-tr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "A 'recently discovered' whale feeding strategy has turned up in 2,000-year-old texts about fearsome sea monsters". Conversation. February 28, 2023.
^ McCarthy, John; Sebo, Erin; Firth, Matthew (2023). "Parallels for cetacean trap feeding and tread-water feeding in the historical record across two millennia". Marine Mammal Science. 39 (3): 830–841. Bibcode:2023MMamS..39..830M. doi:10.1111/mms.13009.

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[bartholin-1] Cite error: The named reference bartholin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Glossed as:"Hafgufa, vapor marinus".^[1]

[cleasby-vigfusson-gufa-3] Cite error: The named reference cleasby-vigfusson-gufa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[skeat-4] Cite error: The named reference skeat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[edwards&palsson-6] Cite error: The named reference edwards&palsson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[snorra-edda-faulkes-tr-7] Cite error: The named reference snorra-edda-faulkes-tr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[8] "A 'recently discovered' whale feeding strategy has turned up in 2,000-year-old texts about fearsome sea monsters". Conversation. February 28, 2023.

[marine_mammal_science-9] McCarthy, John; Sebo, Erin; Firth, Matthew (2023). "Parallels for cetacean trap feeding and tread-water feeding in the historical record across two millennia". Marine Mammal Science. 39 (3): 830–841. Bibcode:2023MMamS..39..830M. doi:10.1111/mms.13009.

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