The Kraken: Myth, Monster, or Misunderstood Squid?
Discover the truth behind the legendary Kraken, the sea monster of Norse mythology that inspired sailors’ tales, scientific curiosity, and Tennyson’s poetry. Was it real, or just a myth born from the giant squid?
Origins in Norse Legend
The first written account of the Kraken dates back to 12th-century Norway. King Sverre described a terrifying sea creature lurking in the deep, one of many monsters said to inhabit the northern oceans.
The word Kraken comes from the Norwegian krake, meaning twisted or crooked, an apt name for a creature imagined with writhing, powerful tentacles. In Nordic folklore, it was said to haunt the waters between Norway and Greenland, hunting ships and dragging sailors to their doom.
Seafarers, already wary of the perilous seas, added their own fear and imagination to the story. Early descriptions painted the Kraken as a vast, tentacled monster capable of swallowing men whole. Over the centuries, the legend grew, and “Kraken” became a byword for any enormous sea creature, real or imagined.
From Myth to Maritime “Fact”
By the 18th century, the Kraken had made its way into scientific and naval literature, described as a genuine creature to be feared. Sailors told tales of ships being dragged beneath the waves by its monstrous arms.
Some accounts claimed the Kraken could create whirlpools by swimming in circles, sucking entire vessels under. Illustrations from the time show beasts so large their tentacles reached a ship’s tallest masts.
In 1830, the legend received literary fame when Alfred, Lord Tennyson published his sonnet “The Kraken”, bringing the monster firmly into popular imagination.
The Truth Beneath the Waves
Like many sea monster myths, the Kraken likely has roots in reality. The giant squid (Architeuthis genus) is thought to have inspired these stories. Once considered almost mythical, this elusive deep-sea creature can grow tentacles up to 50 feet long and has eyes the size of dinner plates, the largest in the animal kingdom.
Though rarely seen alive, giant squids occasionally wash ashore or appear on deep-sea cameras, lending truth to ancient sailors’ stories. The species inhabits deep oceanic waters, surfacing only rarely, perhaps giving rise to sightings that became the basis for the Kraken legend.
Even classical scholars knew of such creatures: Aristotle mentioned enormous squid, and Pliny the Elder described one with “arms thirty feet long” capable of overturning boats. While the Kraken itself may be a myth, the creatures that inspired it are entirely real, and still mysterious.
The Kraken in Modern Culture
Today, the Kraken continues to loom large in popular culture. From Pirates of the Caribbean to Clash of the Titans (2010), it remains the ultimate sea monster, a symbol of the ocean’s immense power and mystery.
Even now, sailors and divers jokingly speak of “releasing the Kraken” when the sea turns wild, a reminder that myths never truly sink.
A Literary Glimpse
“Below the thunders of the upper deep,
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth…”
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Read the full poem on Poets.org
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