Original artwork, not a still
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea • 1870
Mobilis in mobili.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The Latin means roughly "moving in the moving element": the Nautilus lives in the sea and travels with it. It tells readers who Nemo is before he says a word, a man whose only home is the water he moves in. Submarine and steampunk stories since have borrowed the motto, and Nemo's engraved N is one of the first clues in the novel.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaShow the scene
The motto is revealed in Part One, Chapter VIII, which Verne titles for it. Professor Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land have been dragged aboard the strange vessel by masked men and are brought to a meal. Each piece of cutlery and crockery carries a letter N under the Latin words, printed in the text as a facsimile. Aronnax guesses that N is the initial of the mysterious captain. Readers have noted a resemblance to the Confederate raider Raphael Semmes, who came from Mobile, Alabama.
Sources (2)
- Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Project GutenbergPart I, Chapter VIII (Mobilis in Mobili)Reference checked
- Nautilus (Verne), WikipediaSection on the Semmes comparisonReference checked
Context reviewed
