Lyngbakr

Lyngbakr
The lyngbakr may have been borrowed from the aspidochelone (shown above).
Creature information
GroupingLegendary creature
Sub groupingWhale-like sea monster
FolkloreSagas of Iceland
Origin
CountryGreenland
HabitatGreenland Sea

Lyngbakr (Icelandic, lyngi "heather" + bak "back") is the name of a massive whale-like sea monster reported in the Örvar-Odds saga to have existed in the Greenland Sea. According to the saga, Lyngbakr would bait seafarers by posing as a heather-covered island, and when a crew landed on his back, he sank into the sea, drowning the crew.