Ayia Napa sea monster
Encyclopedia
The Ayia Napa Sea Monster is a cryptid
, claimed to inhabit the coast off of Ayia Napa
in Cyprus
, a popular tourist resort
on the Mediterranean
. Most sightings occur around Cape Greco
(Cavo Greko). It is known by the local fishermen as "To Filiko Teras", which translates as "The Friendly Monster". There have been no reports of it causing any harm, although it has been reported at times to rip and drag away fishing nets. There have been countless sightings of the "Creature from the Depths", with some local newspapers calling the mystery the "Cyprus Loch Ness". It has been speculated to be something like a crocodile
or serpent
.
There is no evidence that the monster actually exists, except in folklore and through various sightings by tourists and locals alike. There exists little photographic evidence, except unverified short-films and pictures. A search for the monster was recently featured in a Destination Truth episode on the Sy Fy (formerly Sci Fi) channel series in Series 04 (episode 13).
Many believers of the myth of the Ayia Napa Sea Monster like to link it with the common mythical sea monster of Greek mythology called Scylla
, which is depicted in the mosaics that remain in the House of Dionysus, a Roman villa from the 3rd century AD in Paphos
, Cyprus
. Many ancient authorities describe it as a monstrous form of a giant maiden in torso, with a serpent for its lower body, having six snarling dog-heads issuing from its midriff, including their twelve forelimbs. This is the form described by Hyginus
, Apollodorus
and the Suda
, among so many others, and it is this form most often depicted on vase paintings. According to a description from Gaius Julius Hyginus, a Latin author, actually it possessed “more heads than the vase-painters could paint”, and whoever encountered it was killed almost instantaneously.
Government officials have started a search for the monster and its existence. The hope of spotting the Ayia Napa Sea Monster remains a highlight for many tourists on boating day-trips. Many hotels boast to being in close proximity of sightings.
There is no possible link to any such sea monster and any monster said to be living in Kouris Dam, which according to reports are more likley to be crocodile type creatures that had been kept as pets but unlawfully released.
Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
, claimed to inhabit the coast off of Ayia Napa
Ayia Napa
Ayia Napa is a resort at the far eastern end of the southern coast of Cyprus, famous for its sandy beaches. In recent years, apart from being a family holiday destination, it has become a 'party capital' together with Ibiza, Rimini and Mykonos...
in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, a popular tourist resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
on the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. Most sightings occur around Cape Greco
Cape Greco
Cape Greco, also known as Cavo Greco , is a headland in the southeastern part of the island of Cyprus. It is at the southern end of Famagusta Bay....
(Cavo Greko). It is known by the local fishermen as "To Filiko Teras", which translates as "The Friendly Monster". There have been no reports of it causing any harm, although it has been reported at times to rip and drag away fishing nets. There have been countless sightings of the "Creature from the Depths", with some local newspapers calling the mystery the "Cyprus Loch Ness". It has been speculated to be something like a crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
or serpent
Sea serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine.Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be claimed today. Cryptozoologist Bruce Champagne identified more than 1,200 purported sea serpent sightings...
.
There is no evidence that the monster actually exists, except in folklore and through various sightings by tourists and locals alike. There exists little photographic evidence, except unverified short-films and pictures. A search for the monster was recently featured in a Destination Truth episode on the Sy Fy (formerly Sci Fi) channel series in Series 04 (episode 13).
Many believers of the myth of the Ayia Napa Sea Monster like to link it with the common mythical sea monster of Greek mythology called Scylla
Scylla
In Greek mythology, Scylla was a monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite its counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait were within an arrow's range of each other—so close that sailors attempting to avoid Charybdis would pass too close to Scylla and vice...
, which is depicted in the mosaics that remain in the House of Dionysus, a Roman villa from the 3rd century AD in Paphos
Paphos
Paphos , sometimes referred to as Pafos, is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city is New Paphos. It lies on the Mediterranean coast, about west of the...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. Many ancient authorities describe it as a monstrous form of a giant maiden in torso, with a serpent for its lower body, having six snarling dog-heads issuing from its midriff, including their twelve forelimbs. This is the form described by Hyginus
Gaius Julius Hyginus
Gaius Julius Hyginus was a Latin author, a pupil of the famous Cornelius Alexander Polyhistor, and a freedman of Caesar Augustus. He was by Augustus elected superintendent of the Palatine library according to Suetonius' De Grammaticis, 20...
, Apollodorus
Apollodorus
Apollodorus of Athens son of Asclepiades, was a Greek scholar and grammarian. He was a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon, Panaetius the Stoic, and the grammarian Aristarchus of Samothrace...
and the Suda
Suda
The Suda or Souda is a massive 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Suidas. It is an encyclopedic lexicon, written in Greek, with 30,000 entries, many drawing from ancient sources that have since been lost, and often...
, among so many others, and it is this form most often depicted on vase paintings. According to a description from Gaius Julius Hyginus, a Latin author, actually it possessed “more heads than the vase-painters could paint”, and whoever encountered it was killed almost instantaneously.
Government officials have started a search for the monster and its existence. The hope of spotting the Ayia Napa Sea Monster remains a highlight for many tourists on boating day-trips. Many hotels boast to being in close proximity of sightings.
There is no possible link to any such sea monster and any monster said to be living in Kouris Dam, which according to reports are more likley to be crocodile type creatures that had been kept as pets but unlawfully released.