Map · Olaus Magnus · 1539
Olaus Magnus, Carta Marina (1539)
The Carta Marina is a map of Scandinavia and the northern seas drawn by the exiled Swedish cleric Olaus Magnus and printed from woodblocks in Venice in 1539. It is the earliest detailed map of the Nordic countries, famous for its sea monsters, and as a 16th-century work it is in the public domain.
History
Olaus Magnus (1490–1557), a Catholic churchman who left Sweden after the Reformation, spent twelve years compiling the map from his own travels, from earlier charts and from sailors' reports. Its full title promises 'a marine map and description of the northern lands and their marvels'. It was printed on nine woodblock sheets that assemble into a wall map about 1.25 by 1.70 metres, and he later published a long commentary on it, the Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus (1555).
The map was thought lost until a copy was found in the Munich state library in 1886; a second copy surfaced in 1961 and is now in Uppsala University Library. Those two are the only surviving originals. Its whirlpools, sea serpents and whales were copied by later mapmakers for a century and are the source of the 'here be monsters' image of early cartography.
What the print shows
Scandinavia, Iceland, the Baltic and the North Atlantic, oriented with north at the top, drawn in black line with hand-colour on the surviving copies. Forests, castles, skiing Sami, reindeer and fighting kings fill the land; the sea is crowded with named monsters, a maelstrom off the Lofoten islands and ships under sail. Latin labels and a decorative title block run along the edges.
The reproduction is a high-resolution scan of the complete assembled map, restored and printed in a 3 : 2 shape.
Source and licence
Source: Uppsala University Library and the Bavarian State Library, Munich (the two surviving copies).
Licence: Public domain. A printed map of 1539 carries no copyright, and faithful scans of it are likewise free to reproduce.
Also one of the eight maps in the Antique Map download set.
Available sizes and prices
Print: paper or framed Etsy listing 4548689558
| Size | Paper | Framed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 12 in (21 × 30 cm) | $29.99 | $98.99 |
| 12 × 18 in (30 × 45 cm) | $44.99 | $137.99 |
Printed to order, shipped in 2–5 business days, free US shipping. Paper: matte fine-art paper. Framed: real wood (black, white, wood, dark wood), shatterproof acrylic, ready to hang.
Buy
- Olaus Magnus Carta Marina 1539 (print: paper or framed): buy on Etsy, from $29.99.
- Also in the Antique Map Print Set download set, $27.99.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Carta Marina?
- A 1539 woodcut map of the Nordic countries by Olaus Magnus, printed in Venice on nine sheets. It is the first map to show Scandinavia in recognisable detail.
- Why does the Carta Marina have sea monsters?
- Magnus recorded what sailors and fishermen described, mixed with older legends. The monsters mark dangers and curiosities of the sea, and later mapmakers copied them for decades.
- How many original copies exist?
- Two: one found in Munich in 1886, now in the Bavarian State Library, and one found in 1961, now in Uppsala University Library.
- Is the Carta Marina copyright-free?
- Yes. It was printed in 1539 and is public domain; the print is reproduced from a high-resolution public-domain scan.
Sources
Published 20 Oct 2026; prices are the live Etsy prices as of 20 Oct 2026. The work is public domain; this page's text is © ThinkDotCo and may be quoted with a link.