Day XIV - Bishop-Fish

Preacher from the deep,

Religious fish gives blessing,

The sign of the cross.

Holy mackerel! Actually it's more of a 'mermonk', and the Bishop-Fish goes down in Christian legend as a funny creature of faith. Ocean-going, scaly but yet strangely Episcopal in appearance, the fish is said to have been captured several times in the 16th century, though it stubbornly refuses to eat on land and longs to get back into the water. The most famous tale is of the Bishop-Fish brought to the King of Poland who - unsurprisingly considering he's being gifted a talking, pious marine miracle as a present - wants to keep it. The fish pleaded with the Catholic bishops of the court, however, and they let the theological finned-one go free, with Bishop-Fish blessing them with the sign of the cross before he vanishes. From Holy See to sea, through the waves of temptation the Bishop-Fish obstinately swims...