19 Kraken Facts: Read About This Legendary Sea Monster
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Kraken is an enormous, legendary sea monster with a reputation for destroying ships.
The Kraken was said to have been sighted off the coast of Norway. This mythical creature was first described during the 18th century by Francesco Negri.
The Norwegian dictionary defines the word 'Krake' as a malformed or crooked tree. This term originated from the word kraki from Old Norse, which means pole or stake.
History & Origin
Egede also described the Kraken. However, the credit for the first description has been given to the Norwegian bishop named Pontoppidan, who identified it as being an octopus of giant size.
The first-ever known description of the Kraken was given by Italian writer Negri, who referred to it as 'sciu-crak', describing it as a many-armed, massive fish with multiple horns.
Egede, who compared the Kraken t0 Hafgufa, which is a fabulous whale, described the Kraken as having many heads and claws.
Erik Pontoppidan confirmed the creature as having multiple arms and speculated it to be a giant sea crab, starfish, or octopus.
Denys-Montfort authored two books about this sea creature and deemed it to be the largest being in zoology and represented it with an image of it attacking a ship.
Another being, the arbor, was compared to the Kraken. However, the arbor was described as being a starfish.
The Kraken in Writing, Movies, and Music
The giant octopus was mentioned in many literary creations and movies. The Kraken is so famed among sea creatures that many artists have painted the colossal octopus.
The Kraken gained popularity as one of the fascinating sea monsters after Alfred Tennyson authored and published the sonnet called 'The Kraken' in which it was described as a massive being that lived within the depths of the ocean and only rose in order to attack and destroy ships.
Bishop Erik Pontoppidan, in his book The Natural History of Norway, detailed Kraken as being a beast that feasts on fish and has feces that could be used as fish bait.
In a Disney comic series known as the Tamers of Nonhuman Threats, the Kraken appears in one of the stories, titled Let's Get Kraken, with it being enemies with the sperm whale.
It made an appearance in the film Hotel Transylvania 3, which is an animated film, and was voiced by the famous singer Joe Jonas.
Pirates of the Caribbean is another major movie that features this mighty legend of the oceans, in which the tentacled beast does the bidding of the main antagonist in the movie.
Characteristics & Features
Carl Von Linné, a zoologist and a respected scientist commonly regarded as the father of biological systematics, described Kraken as a real creature.
The Kraken is among the heaviest of the mythical creatures, considered to weigh between 300 and 600 pounds (136 - 272 kg).
These creatures are less likely to surface, only doing so in warm weather or when disturbed. They enjoy solitude and dwell on the floors of the oceans.
Sailors are said to identify the Kraken as surfacing when gurgling bubbles form on the water surface and fishes or jellyfish float up to the surface or flee the scene.
It has long tentacles and bodies with descriptions detailing approximate lengths of 10 ships or a mile and a half in length. Often sailors mistake an island they see to be one of these creatures.
Myth & Story Of Krakens
A prominent zoologist of the name Pierre Denys de Montfort once, after hearing various stories from sailors and ship captains of their sightings of long tentacles in the water, insisted that 10 ships that went missing in the year 1782 disappeared due to Kraken attacks.
He lost his reputation when the reason behind the missing vessels turned out to be hurricanes.
The legend of this mythological being originated from Scandinavian folklore. It is mentioned in Old Norse culture of Vikings consisting of sailors in boats who witnessed whirlpools which caused them to consider monsters as being the reason behind them.
Myths regarding beasts called the Kraken could also have come from unlucky sailors perceiving an island as a Kraken with a fearsome appearance.
These beings are reported, especially by sailors, to have spikes on their suckers.
Kraken is said to eat fish as well as humans and is considered a dangerous being.
In earlier descriptions of the being, it was considered to be similar to crabs and was associated with whales.
Kraken myths are generally based on accounts of sailors who may have mistaken islands or bubbles and volcanic activity for this gigantic octopus. However, this being has become a star in pop culture, with many literature and movies adopting ita reference.
FAQs
How old is the Kraken?
History of information or mentions regarding this mythological being exists from 1180 by King Sverre of Norway.
What is a Kraken in real life?
Kraken is considered a giant cephalopod or octopus in real life.
How big is the Kraken?
It is considered to be the size of 40 to 50 ft (12.1-15.2 m) in length.
What do Kraken eat?
They eat fish and humans.
How many Krakens are there in the world?
There is one global Kraken species, Architeuthis dux. However, evidence of the sea monster as per myths has not been found.
What color is Kraken blood?
The octopus, which is what this mythological being is said to look like, has blue-colored blood.
How did the Kraken get its name?
The word in English came from the Norwegian term Kraken.
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