How Old Maps Lied to Us

Sea monsters, phantom islands, and continents that vanished—why the maps of the past were as much fiction as they were navigation tools.

If you’ve ever looked at an ancient map, you might notice something odd. There’s a stretch of ocean where a massive serpent curls around a ship. There’s a continent you’ve never heard of floating somewhere between Asia and North America. And then there’s a strange warning scrawled across the sea: “Here be dragons.”

It’s beautiful. It’s fascinating.
It’s also wrong.

For centuries, maps were less about accuracy and more about imagination, politics, and—sometimes—sheer guesswork. The story of old maps isn’t just about navigation; it’s about how humans saw their world, and how those visions were often shaped by fear, ambition, and the limits of their knowledge.

When the Unknown Became the Untrue

Before satellites and GPS, mapmaking was part science, part storytelling. Explorers relied on sailors’ tales, merchants’ rumors, and even secondhand descriptions from people who had never left their hometowns. If one traveler claimed to have seen a giant island far out at sea, cartographers might simply add it in.

One of the most famous examples is Hy-Brasil, a “phantom island” said to lie west of Ireland. For centuries, it appeared on maps as a real place, despite no one ever actually finding it. Some claimed it was shrouded in mist, only visible once every seven years. Eventually, it faded from maps—not because it was discovered, but because people finally stopped believing it existed.

The Creatures That Never Lived

Old maps weren’t complete without a few terrifying creatures lurking in the corners. Medieval cartographers often filled uncharted waters with drawings of whales, giant squids, and sea serpents. These creatures were based on a mix of real sightings—like a distant whale spout mistaken for a monster—and pure artistic license.

They weren’t just decoration. These illustrations warned sailors: Danger lies here. If you’re venturing into unknown waters, be ready for the unimaginable. The monsters may not have been real, but the fear of the unknown certainly was.

Political Borders That Never Existed

Maps were also tools of power. Rulers often instructed cartographers to stretch borders in their favor, making kingdoms appear larger and more impressive than they actually were. Colonial powers used maps to claim lands they’d never even set foot on.

For example, during the Age of Exploration, European maps often carved up entire continents based on treaties and royal decrees—ignoring the fact that people already lived there with their own borders, cultures, and histories. In this way, maps didn’t just reflect reality; they actively reshaped it.

Continents That Disappeared

The biggest lies on old maps weren’t just islands—they were entire continents. Take Terra Australis Incognita, a massive landmass drawn across the Southern Hemisphere. Ancient and medieval scholars believed it must exist to “balance” the continents in the north. For centuries, this fictional continent appeared on maps, influencing exploration and fueling expeditions.

When European explorers finally reached Antarctica, they discovered it was nothing like the lush, habitable land they’d imagined—it was a frozen, inhospitable desert. The dream of Terra Australis melted away, but not before inspiring countless voyages.

Why They Lied—and Why It Mattered

Not all these inaccuracies were intentional. Many cartographers did their best with the information they had. But others knew that a good story sold better than a dull truth. A map with mysterious islands and monsters captured imaginations. It inspired sailors to seek riches—or rulers to fund voyages.

These “lies” shaped history. Some explorers set out in search of lands that never existed. Others avoided promising trade routes because maps warned of monsters or endless storms. In some cases, entire wars were fought over places that were later revealed to be myth.

From Dragons to Data Points

Today, we can zoom in on nearly any spot on Earth from our phone. Google Earth doesn’t leave room for dragons in the margins. Yet, even our modern maps aren’t perfect—they can still be influenced by politics, incomplete data, or even deliberate omissions.

The difference is that now, our inaccuracies are harder to hide. A misplaced border on a digital map can cause an international incident in hours. And while the age of sea monsters might be gone, the age of misinformation is very much alive—only now, it travels at the speed of Wi-Fi.

The Beauty in the Lies

Despite their flaws, old maps hold a certain magic. They’re windows into how our ancestors dreamed about the world. A medieval mariner might not have known where the Pacific Ocean ended, but his map told a story—of courage, curiosity, and the human desire to fill in the blanks.

Even their errors have value. They remind us that knowledge is always evolving. What we see as fact today might be seen as fantasy tomorrow. And perhaps that’s the greatest lesson old maps can teach: the world is always bigger, stranger, and more surprising than we think.