Astronomica (Manilius) god" and "the universe (microcosm) wishes to reveal itself to man". Most of the fifth (and final) book is a discussion of "paranatellonta" via the myth of Andromeda and Perseus. Manilius recalls how Andromeda was chosen to be sacrificed to a sea monster by her parents; Cepheus and Cassiopeia. Andromeda was chained to a cliff but before the creature could consume her, Perseus (who had just vanquished Medusa) arrived. He instantly fell in love with Andromeda, killed the sea monster, and saved the young woman's life. According to Green, the digression, which is by far the longest in the poem,
Sea monster Tropical cyclones such as hurricanes or typhoons may also be another possible origin of sea monsters. In 1892, Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans, then director of the Royal Zoological Gardens at The Hague saw the publication of his "The Great Sea Serpent", which suggested that many sea serpent reports were best accounted for as a previously unknown giant, long-necked pinniped. It is likely that many other reports of sea monsters are misinterpreted sightings of shark and whale carcasses (see below), floating kelp, logs or other flotsam such as abandoned rafts, canoes and fishing nets. Sea monster corpses have been reported since recent