The Black Lamp Myth in Melior | World Anvil

The Black Lamp

A legendary beast that lurks beneath the waves

Whilst normal Asterean Lamprey are dull grey in colour, The Black Lamp (as it's name implies) is as dark as night. This legendary beast has dominated the seas for thousands of years and sits at the top of the food chain. No one is quite sure just how big The Black Lamp really is, some say as big as a whale, others say ten times that big.   Most sightings of The Black Lamp have been of it's slick body breaking the surface of the waves, or a shadow of ocean that just looks deeper than normal somehow.   Legends tell of The Black Lamp latching itself onto the hulls of ships to slow them down before pulling them down into a watery embrace. Others have claimed that The Black Lamp soars out of the water and lands teeth first onto the deck, smashing through ships and devouring every crew member aboard.   A pirate's wet dream is to be the legend themselves who slays the great beast and mounts it's gaping maw on their ship's bow. Many sailors and adventurers have tried to track down The Black Lamp and find it's lair, but none have been successful. Swindlers sell maps marked with it's supposed location to unwary travellers for some quick coin, which often lead them into ambush locations where they're later robbed of whatever coin they have left, and chucked in the sea for old Black Lamp to finish off himself. The missing explorers are then added to the horror of The Black Lamp preying upon innocent men.  

Spread

Horror stories told by seafaring folk that have sighted The Black Lamp. Almost any shipwreck gets attributed to The Black Lamp, even if the reasons were obvious such as hitting rocks or stormy seas.
asterean-lamprey.jpg
Asterean Lamprey by TJ Trewin
Related Species
Asterean Lamprey
Species | Nov 20, 2022

Asterean Lampreys are a species of eel-like fish that have no jaws, but a flat head with a gaping maw containing hundreds of teeth in concentric rows.



Cover image: by TJ Trewin

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