Kraken

The kraken is a legendary sea monster of enormous size, said to appear in the Norwegian Sea off the coast of Norway. It is a cryptid, an animal people tell stories about but that has never been proven to exist. Its name comes from Norwegian, and most descriptions make it look like a giant octopus or squid.

Many experts think the legend began with sailors' sightings of real giant squid, which can grow to about 10.5 metres long. Over the centuries the kraken grew into the classic sea monster of books and films, dragging ships down into the deep. It remains one of the best-loved sea monsters.

How the legend grew

The kraken was first described in a Norwegian glossary by Christen Jensøn in 1646. A travel book by Francesco Negri followed in 1700, and in 1734 the missionary Hans Egede wrote about it in detail. The Danish bishop Pontoppidan wrote the most famous description in 1753, picturing a huge octopus that could pull down ships. Later, writers like Victor Hugo and Jules Verne used the idea in novels.

Monster or squid?

There is no proof of a ship-sinking monster. What is real is the giant squid, a deep-sea animal that sailors may have glimpsed at the surface. The word kraken probably relates to a Scandinavian word for something twisted, and in modern German Krake simply means octopus. So the legend is a mix of sailors' fears and a real animal, stretched by imagination.

On the globe

The toy globe places the kraken in the Norwegian Sea off Norway. Look at the dark water for the tentacled monster.