The Perilous Deep - by Karl Bell (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The story of the stories we tell about the abyss, uncanny folklore linking seafarers across time and the globe.

The vast expanse, unknown depths, dangers, and mysteries of the sea have led mariners to create fantastical stories of ghosts and monsters for centuries; it is a world strange and other to the experience of land dwellers. This body of lore has served to bond nautical communities together around the world and throughout history, with international stories fusing with local tales. The Perilous Deep explores why these stories were told, how they were repeated and mutated, and what fears, anxieties, and desires they helped to express. This is a fascinating exploration of the supernatural history of the Atlantic Ocean and some of its neighboring seas, showing how seafaring peoples have developed knowledge and a sense of control over nature through myths and legends.

Review Quotes

"This is a history of margins and fringes--not only of the Atlantic Ocean itself, but also of the imaginations of those who worked on its surface and lived at its edges. In his new book, Bell draws on everything from street ballads to scientific treatises, mariners' memoirs, newspaper advertisements, paintings and literature. . . . An uncanny cornucopia of folklore, hovering on the borderlands between fact and fiction. . . . This is a tale that grows stronger in the telling, and it is perhaps in the later chapters that Bell's writing is at its most sparkling ."

-- "BBC History Magazine"

"Not only does Bell's new book provide a colourful compendium of the 'merfolk, ghosts, phantom ships and sea monsters' that have populated the seafaring folklore of the Atlantic nations for centuries, he also looks at how and why these tales came into being, and how they evolved and mutated as they were transmitted from place to place over time."-- "The Scotsman"

"In this absorbing and entertaining survey, Bell explores how the fear of and fascination with the vastness and unknowable depths of the North Atlantic Ocean were expressed through beliefs and stories of the supernatural. The meaning of spectral ships, omens, talismans, taboos, mermaids, sea monsters, and Atlantis are explored using a rich range of sources from journalism, folklore, and fiction."--Owen Davies, professor of social history, University of Hertfordshire

"More than a compendium of maritime folklore, The Perilous Deep explores how mariners and landlubbers alike have used storytelling to make sense of their relationship to the sea. Engaging with the godlings, leviathans, ghost ships, serpents, selkies, and mermaids that haunt the Atlantic, Bell shows that while the ocean can be a place of terror, it is also a place of possibility."--David Hopkin, professor of European social history, Hertford College, University of Oxford, and president of the Folklore Society

"What a wonderful book this is, chock-full of mystery and magic. Promising to take the reader 'on a seafaring voyage, ' it delivers on all fronts. Beautifully written, engaging throughout, and wonderfully illustrated, we encounter the 'merfolk, ghosts, phantom ships and sea monsters' that have populated folklore tales, myths, legends, and dreams for centuries. Take a dive into The Perilous Deep with Bell, who brings exemplary scholarship as well as storytelling flair to the lightless depths of the 'supernatural and monstrous Atlantic.'"--Ruth Heholt, professor of literature and culture, Falmouth University

About the Author

Karl Bell is associate professor in cultural and social history and codirector of the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures at the University of Portsmouth. His books include The Legend of Spring-Heeled Jack.