Jack-a-mer (Mer-o-lope)

Linocut print of a mythical creature whose upper half is a jackalope and whose lower half is a fish.

Linocut on Awagami kitakata, edition of 50, 5 x 7 inches (12/7 x 17.78 cm)

In olden days, sailors returned from distant seas with tales of the elusive mermaid, which they described as a creature that was half-human and half-fish. But there were other weird sightings, too, like the fearsome Jack-a-mer or Mer-o-lope. This half-jackalope/half-fish was found in salt marshes and brackish estuaries. A shy creature, but the bane of any drunken tar who tried to get too close! Many a reckless sailor bore the scars from its antlers.