Kraken Information

The Kraken is one of the most terrifying of all legendary sea beasts. The name "Kraken" dates back to the mid 18th century however similar giant sea creatures have reportedly been sighted earlier.

What is the Kraken?

History

Although the name Kraken is sometimes used to refer to any huge sea monster, it originally had a very specific meaning. The Kraken was a giant beast resembling a huge octopus or squid. It was reportedly so large that when it's tentacles were submerged it could be mistaken for an island.

This modern Kraken originated in Norwegian foklore. The first known description occurs in the 1752 History of Norway by Pontoppidian. He said that it was capable of grabbing the largest of ships with its tentacles. When the Kraken submerged it created a whirlpool that could drag the unlucky ship down with it.

There are, of course, many stories of sea beasts around the world. The Kraken of Norwegian mythology is similar to the Lusca reportedly found in the Caribbean. It's possible that some of these tales originated from distant sightings of a giant squid.

In the 19th century Lord Alfred Tennyson published his poem The Kraken which begins:

Below the thunders of the upper deep,
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth

More recently the Kraken lore - and Tennyson's poem - was the inspiration for the classic 1953 John Wyndham science fiction novel The Kraken Wakes.

In 2006 the Kraken - or possibly Lusca - featured heavily in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest.