This is the true story of Porphyrios the Whale, a giant, ancient sea monster that terrorized the waters around Constantinople for over 50 years. It wasn’t a myth. Even Emperor Justinian I of the Byzantine Empire tried to stop it. And failed.
Sailors in the 6th century were scared to death of this thing. It attacked ships in the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara, smashing hulls like they were made of paper.
In this episode, we’ll walk you through what we know, what we don’t, and why this purple beast became an ancient legend in Byzantine history.