What Lurks Beneath

Far from the beaches and tourist mouse traps lies a different Florida. A land with Indigenous name places and where rivers are the color of sweet tea from the tannins. This Florida is a mysterious land where Spanish moss drips from the arms of ancient oak trees and swamps with all manner of dangerous creatures swim. This is my Florida.

Growing up here we just knew that there was more lurking in the shadows than what could be seen. But it wasn’t all darkness. Here, there are fathomless springs. No one even knows how deep these springs are or often, where they begin. The limestone cave network that lies below is so vast. From the surface, the water looks shallow. But that is an illusion. The water is bottomless. What lurks beneath the mysterious watery depths of Florida Caves?

Labyrinth Caves

Long before I was born my ancestors were farmers. One of my great uncles lost a cow to a sink hole. Later that cow washed up on the shore of the Gulf almost one hundred miles away. This is how interconnected the underground water system is in Florida. These caves date back to the Ice Age when Florida was dry and cool and home to mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths, and sabertoothed cats.

Then, the costal plains were large and vast. The peninsula we know now was two to three times larger at that time. It is in this backdrop that we find Devil’s Den. A large prehistoric cave system with the fossils of mastodons alongside human artifacts. The steam rising from the entrance on cold morning gave rise to the name. Early settlers thought it was smoke from the devil’s chimney.

It is now filled with clear spring water. But the clarity is no sign of safety. In 2000 the mysterious disappearance of diver Ben McDaniel became the stuff of legend. Despite numerous searches he was never found. Like my uncle’s cow, was he washed away? Or did he find a hidden land and did not come back?

Cave of the Nymphs

Perhaps it is unsurprising that legends relate stories of guardian spirits hiding in Florida caves. According to one of these legends nymphs guard cave entrances that lead to an underworld. They lure travelers and divers with visions of immortality. Like many things in this mysterious state, there is no singular cave of the nymphs. Instead, there are many locations. It stands to reason after all. The cave network is expansive and could possibly connect to one another. Maybe there isn’t a singular entrance.

In The Odyssey by Homer, Cave of the Nymphs was a sacred site in Ithica. There, Odysseus hid Phaeacian treasure. Meanwhile, the Vari Cave in Attica housed ancient shrines for Apollo, Pan, and nymphs. Such places have been considered sacred for centuries. Is it such a leap to think a watery cave system in the US could also be home of gods or nymphs?

Mermaids

Sailors have long claimed viewing mermaids from onboard ships. For example, Christopher Columbus claimed to have seen a mermaid as he sailed the Atlantic Ocean. Ponce de Leon also claims to have seen mermaids off the coast of Florida during his journey. Generally, it is accepted that being so long at sea that the so-called mermaids were in fact manatees.  Have you seen a manatee?

The earliest mermaid legend dates to about 1000 BCE and centers on the Syrian goddess, Atargatis. She was transformed into a half- fish half-woman after accidentally killing her mortal lover. Interestingly, there are no manatees in Syria. Throughout history there have been deities with these attributes in lands without manatees.

Steeped in Mystery

Florida is more than a mouse trap if you are willing to explore. Yes, the beaches are lovely but this state, for all its insanity, is a wonder to behold! It isn’t the alligators or water moccasins one needs to fear in the water. It is what cannot be seen below the depths. What lies in the caves below the deep clear waters? Is it the land of nymphs and mermaids?

This is an ancient land. Far older than most can understand. What beings have existed here long before modern humans? Many of the legends echo older myths of early civilization. In this modern world maybe it is time to embrace the wonder and mystery that lives around us.

Footnotes

1.           Florida’s tannin-rich waterways are caused by decaying vegetation, particularly cypress and oak leaves, giving rivers their characteristic dark coloration.

2.           Many Florida springs connect to deep karst systems; some cave passages remain unmapped due to danger and depth.

3.           Florida sits atop the Floridan Aquifer, one of the most extensive underground water systems in the world.

4.           Fossil evidence confirms Ice Age megafauna once roamed Florida during periods of lower sea level.

5.           Devil’s Den has yielded both Pleistocene animal fossils and early human artifacts.

6.           The disappearance of Ben McDaniel remains one of Florida’s most famous diving mysteries.

7.           Guardian spirit traditions are common in cave folklore worldwide, particularly at liminal entrances.

8.           The Odyssey, Book XIII.

9.           Archaeological evidence confirms ritual use of the Vari Cave from antiquity.

10.        Columbus recorded mermaid sightings in his ship’s logs in 1493.

11.        Manatees have long been associated with mermaid misidentifications.

12.        Atargatis is among the earliest documented mermaid-like deities.

13.        Geological evidence places Florida’s limestone foundation tens of millions of years old.