Kraken

Overview

A legendary sea monster of enormous size from Scandinavian folklore, traditionally described as a giant cephalopod dwelling off the coasts of Norway and Greenland, capable of dragging entire ships beneath the waves.

Details

Origin:

Legendary range centered on the Norwegian Sea off the coast of Norway, extending to Greenland, Iceland, and in some accounts as far as the waters off Baffin Island, Canada.

Regions:

Norwegian Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Waters off the coast of Nordland, Norway, Greenlandic shelf

First Reported:

1646

Full Account

The Kraken is one of the most enduring sea monster legends of Northern Europe, originating in Norwegian and Icelandic maritime folklore. Historical accounts describe a creature of immense size — some placing it at a quarter of a mile in circumference — with many tentacles that could seize and capsize ships. Fishermen noted its dangerous secondary effect: when the Kraken submerged, it created a vast whirlpool that could swallow vessels. Erik Pontoppidan's 1753 account in his Natural History of Norway remains the most cited early description, noting that the Kraken's back, when surfaced, resembled a cluster of islands, and that the abundance of fish above a Kraken was attractive to fishermen despite the risk. The 1861 recovery of giant squid (Architeuthis) remains by the French vessel Alecton provided a credible biological basis for the legend. Modern scientific consensus holds that sightings of giant squid — the largest of which can exceed 13 meters — explain the Kraken tradition. The Kraken entered literary culture through Tennyson (1830), Melville (1851), Hugo (1866), and Verne (1870), and remains a pervasive figure in popular culture.

Also Known As

• Hafgufa (Old Norse, Iceland/Norway)
• Sciu-crak (Norwegian, Norway)
• Krake (Norwegian, Scandinavia)

Etymology

Origin:

Norwegian kraken, definite form of krake, itself from Old Norse kraki (crooked tree trunk, primitive anchor). The figurative connection to a cephalopod was made from the branching, hook-like appearance of tentacles resembling crooked branches or anchor drags.

Meaning:

Malformed or overgrown, crooked thing; by extension the creature named for its grasping, crooked appendages.

First Use:

1646 — Christen Jensøn provides the first written use of the name describing a multi-armed sea monster

Timeline

• 1539 — Olaus Magnus publishes his Carta marina map featuring large sea monster illustrations in Norwegian waters (Earliest pictorial depiction of possible Kraken-like creatures)
• 1555 — Olaus Magnus publishes Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus describing sea monsters (First major printed natural history to describe Scandinavian sea monsters)
• 1646 — Christen Jensøn's dictionary records 'kraken' as a multi-armed sea monster (First documented written use of the name Kraken)
• 1700 — Francesco Negri references a creature called 'sciu-crak' in his Scandinavian travelogue (Early Italian-language reference confirming the legend's reach)
• 1752 — Erik Pontoppidan publishes Det første Forsøg paa Norges naturlige Historie, containing the most detailed contemporary Kraken account (Foundational scientific-era description; internationalized the Kraken legend)
• 1801 — Pierre Denys de Montfort proposes two species of colossal octopus, linking them to Kraken-like legends and claiming a giant octopus sank ten British warships in 1782 (First attempt at scientific classification; claim of ship sinkings dismissed as fabrication)
• 1830 — Alfred Tennyson publishes the sonnet 'The Kraken,' cementing the creature in English literary culture (Major literary introduction to English-speaking audiences)
• 1861 — French corvette Alecton recovers remains of a large squid, later identified as Architeuthis; published in Comptes Rendus (First physical evidence connecting legend to real organism)
• 1870 — Jules Verne depicts a giant cephalopod attacking a submarine in Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (Definitively popularized the Kraken in global popular culture)

Sightings & Evidence

Cultural Significance

Norwegian fishermen believed that a Kraken's presence guaranteed an abundant catch, creating a dangerous temptation: fish attracted to the creature above it, but death in the whirlpool when it dove. Fishermen of the Lofoten region also connected the Moskstraumen maelstrom to the Kraken.

Related Phenomena

• Loch Ness Monster — Large aquatic cryptid from Scottish lake tradition
• Hafgufa — Medieval Icelandic sea monster tradition often equated with the Kraken
• Leviathan — Biblical sea monster of enormous size
• Lusca — Caribbean giant octopus / sea monster tradition

Tags

Sources

• Det første Forsøg paa Norges naturlige Historie — Self-published (Copenhagen)
• Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus — Rome
• Sea Monsters Unmasked — William Clowes and Sons
• The Kraken (sonnet) — Poems, Chiefly Lyrical
• Kraken