" "The Guardian of the Sea" brings together Roszak's interest in mythology with a specific historical event, the American bombing of Japanese waters. Roszak saw the bombing as an attack on nature that must have destroyed "millions of specimens of sea life." This destruction recalled for the artist myths of a "sea king" who protected the marine world. This legend of an amphibian sentinel inspired Roszak's image, but contemporary events motivated its creation: "My concern was to recreate this guardian of the seas, this sentinel of the seas for all the destruction that has happened as a result of our atomic war that not only destroyed life, but polluted the waters." (Theodore Roszak)" [Joan Marter, "Mythic Visions: Theodore Roszak's Works on Paper", p.25]