★ Overview
KRAKEN
The Kraken was often described as a colossal cephalopod—though early accounts sometimes portrayed it as more crab-like. It is a creature of such immense proportions that sailors would mistake its surfacing back for a group of islands. It doesn’t just hunt ships; its sheer mass alters the ocean itself, creating deadly maelstroms and whirlpools that swallow vessels whole.
- Some people believed that there was more than one kraken.
- Many also believed that the creatures were real, including scientists and zoologists. They were included in a number of pieces of scientific literature during the 18th and 19th centuries.
- “Release the Kraken” has become a popular saying in culture. It comes from the movie “Clash of the Titans”, released in 2010.
- One famous appearance of the creature occurs in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”.
Origin & History
The Kraken is the undisputed king of sea monsters. While its name first appeared in the 12th century, it was famously documented by Bishop Erik Pontoppidan in 1752. Unlike the serpentine Jörmungandr, the Kraken was often described as a colossal cephalopod—though early accounts sometimes portrayed it as more crab-like. It is a creature of such immense proportions that sailors would mistake its surfacing back for a group of islands. It doesn't just hunt ships; its sheer mass alters the ocean itself, creating deadly maelstroms and whirlpools that swallow vessels whole.
Powers & Abilities
- Maelstrom Generation: By rapidly submerging, the Kraken creates a massive whirlpool that drags nearby ships into the abyss, even without a direct attack.
- Ship-Crushing Strength: Its tentacles can exert enough pressure to collapse the hull of a vessel or pull an entire crew into the water simultaneously.
- Camouflage (Island-Mimicry): It can remain perfectly still at the surface, allowing its back to be colonized by fish and birds to lure unsuspecting sailors into "landing" on it.
- Bait Secretion: According to Pontoppidan, the Kraken releases a "muddy" excrement that smells so attractive to fish that schools flock to it, allowing the Kraken to feed simply by opening its mouth.
Appearance
- The Living Archipelago: When surfacing, its body can be over a mile and a half wide, appearing as a series of small, craggy islands or reefs covered in seaweed and flopping fish.
- The Cephalopod Silhouette: Modern depictions settle on a giant squid or octopus form, featuring massive, suckered tentacles that can reach as high as a ship's mainmast.
- The "Sea-Reek" (Hafgufa): In older sagas, it appeared as a "sea-mist" or a gaping maw in the water, with teeth that looked like seaside cliffs and nostrils that spurted water like geysers.
- The Beak: Hidden beneath its mass of tentacles is a parrot-like beak of incredible hardness, capable of snapping the oak hulls of warships like dry twigs.
- The Eyes: It possesses eyes the size of dinner plates (or larger), designed to see in the absolute darkness of the midnight zone, glowing with a dull, predatory light.