Great Narwhal

The largest Narwhals ever seen could be found off the hamlet of Haavsket in northern Norway. That’s what brought famed Narwhal hunter, Sven Brinoche to its shores.

“This is a bad time to hunt for Narwhal,” said hamlet elder, Erling.

“It’s the best time!” said Sven, swigging his ale with abandon. “The biggest whales arrive in November.”

“But it’s the time when the Great Narwhal visits our shores.”

“What’s that?”

“He’s been a local deity for eons. He’s huge and dangerous.”

“Ha! A narwhal god? Excellent. The bigger the better!”

Days later, his life boat drifted to shore. Brinoche was battered and broken, barely alive. Just out to sea a giant narwhal had skewered his boat on its horn and spun the vessel around like a toy.

“You never said the Great Narwhal was that big!” moaned Brinoche.

Erling shook his head. “That’s only one of Great Narwhal’s babies.”
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Written for What Pegman Saw: https://whatpegmansaw.com/2018/02/03/northern-coast-finland/

Author’s Notes:

Narwhals(Unicorns of the Sea): “The narwhal (Monodon monoceros), or narwhale, is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large “tusk” from a protruding canine tooth…The narwhal males are distinguished by a long, straight, helical tusk, which is an elongated upper left canine.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhal

There is little protection for narwhals against hunting. According to endangerednarwhals.org:
“Narwhals have been listed as “Nearly Threatened” since 2008. Very few laws have been proposed in attempts to protect this interesting species. In an effort to support conservation, the European Union established an import ban on tusks. Narwhals are becoming extinct for three main reasons. The primary catalyst for the series of events that have led to decrease narwhal populations is unprecedentedly rapid climate change.”

Why Endangered?