Kraken

a giant sea monster

The Kraken is a legendary, island-sized squid or polyp of the northern seas.

💡 Did you know? With its mighty tentacles it was said to drag whole ships into the deep.

for an island

Fishermen supposedly landed on the Kraken's back: until the „island“ suddenly sank.

💡 Did you know? A similar tale is told of Saint Brendan, who is said to have celebrated Easter Mass on the back of a whale.

the giant squid

The real giant squid grows many metres long and was long known only from carcasses.

💡 Did you know? Only in 2004 was a living giant squid first photographed in the deep sea.

from Norse seafaring legend

The Kraken comes from the tales of Norwegian and Icelandic sailors.

💡 Did you know? Early naturalists even described it in serious scientific works.

by tentacles and whirlpools

It dragged ships down with its arms or created dangerous whirlpools as it dived.

💡 Did you know? Such whirlpools provided models for monsters like Charybdis.

in sea adventures and films

From Jules Verne to „Pirates of the Caribbean,“ the Kraken is a star of adventure tales.

💡 Did you know? Even a brand of rum and sports mascots are named after it.

Erik Pontoppidan

In his natural history of Norway.

💡 Did you know? He believed the kraken to be the largest animal on earth.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Davy Jones's beast drags the Black Pearl into the deep.

💡 Did you know? “Release the Kraken!”, however, is from “Clash of the Titans”.

Jules Verne

In “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”.

💡 Did you know? Real squid strandings of his time were the model.

about 13 metres

Including tentacles, with eyes the size of plates.

💡 Did you know? Females grow considerably larger than males.

the sperm whale

Sucker scars bear witness to the battles.

💡 Did you know? Such scars fuelled the monster legends.

Olaus Magnus

The 1539 Carta Marina shows the north full of monsters.

💡 Did you know? His monsters were copied for centuries.