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'{{Other uses|Kraken (disambiguation)}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}} [[Image:Colossal octopus by Pierre Denys de Montfort.jpg|thumb|Pen and [[Wash (visual arts)|wash]] drawing of a colossal octopus by [[malacologist]] [[Pierre Denys de Montfort|Pierre Dénys de Montfort]], 1801]] The '''kraken''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|r|ɑː|k|ən}})<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford English Dictionary|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, England|year=1989|edition=Second}}</ref> is a legendaryDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJ DEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJDEVIN IS BETTER THAN AJ[[sea monster]] of giant size that is said to dwell off the coasts of [[Antarctica]], [[Norway]], and [[Greenland]]. Authors over the years have postulated that the legend originated from sightings of [[giant squid]]s that may grow to 12–15 meters (40–50 feet) in length. The sheer size and fearsome appearance attributed to the kraken have made it a common ocean-dwelling monster in [[Kraken in popular culture|various fictional works]]. It was first described by the Dane [[Erik Pontoppidan]] in 1752–53.<ref>[[Erik Pontoppidan]] ''Det første forsøg paa Norges naturlige Historie'', I-II, Kbh. 1752-1753</ref> ==Etymology<!-- There is probably a better section title. Strictly speaking, only the first eight words are an "etymology". The rest of the section is about Norwegian grammar and modern possible/probably cognates in English and other Germanic languages. -->== The English word ''kraken'' is taken from [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]].<ref>"[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/kraken kraken]". The Free Online Dictionary.</ref> In Norwegian ''Kraken'' is the [[Article (grammar)#Variation among languages|definite]] form of ''krake'', a word designating an unhealthy animal or something twisted ([[cognate]] with the English ''[[wikt:crook|crook]]'' and ''[[wikt:crank|crank]]'').<ref>[http://www.nob-ordbok.uio.no/perl/ordbok.cgi?OPP=Krake&bokmaal=S%F8k%20i%20Bokm%E5lsordboka&ordbok=bokmaal&alfabet=n&renset=j& "krake"]. Bokmålsordboka. {{no icon}}</ref> In modern [[German language|German]], ''Krake'' (plural and [[declension|declined]] singular: ''Kraken'') means [[octopus]], but can also refer to the legendary kraken.<ref>Terrell, Peter; ''et al.'' (Eds.) (1999). ''German Unabridged Dictionary'' (4th ed.). Harper Collins. {{ISBN|0-06-270235-1}}</ref> <!--see talk: ''Kraken'' may be derived from the Old Norse noun ''kraka'' "to drag under the water".<ref>{{cite book|title=An Icelandic-English Dictionary|publisher=Clarendon|location=Oxford, England|year=1957|edition=Second}}, p. 354 s.v. ''kraka''. [https://books.google.com/books?id=HkJXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA354]</ref>--> ==Biology== Kraken, although similar to the Octopus, only have seven appendages. ==History== [[File:20000 squid holding sailor.jpg|thumb|220px|An illustration from the original 1870 edition of ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]'' by [[Jules Verne]]]] In the late-13th-century version of the [[Old Icelandic]] [[saga]] ''[[Örvar-Oddr]]'' is an inserted episode of a journey bound for [[Helluland]] ([[Baffin Island]]) which takes the protagonists through the [[Greenland Sea]], and here they spot two massive sea-monsters called [[Hafgufa]] ("sea mist") and [[Lyngbakr]] ("[[Ericaceae|heather]]-back").{{efn|name=sea-reek|"sea-reek" and "heather-back" ({{Harvnb|Edwards|Pálsson|1970|loc=Ch. 21, p.&nbsp;69}}).}}{{efn|The episode occurs in the late fourteenth century text ({{Harvnb|Edwards|Pálsson|1970|p=xxi}}), and in codices ABE from 15th century, and ca. 1700 ({{Harvnb|Boer|1888|p=132}}).}} The ''hafgufa'' is believed to be a reference to the kraken: <blockquote> {| |- style="vertical-align: top;" | <!--Vignir sagði: «rétt þykki imér þér fara vit eptir vexti;-->[N]ú mun ek segja þér, at þetta eru sjáskrímsl tvau, heitir annat hafgufa, en annat lyngbakr; er hann mestr allra hvala í heiminum, en hafgufa er mest skrímsl skapat í sjánum; er þat hennar náttúra, at hon gleypir bæði menn ok skip ok hvali ok allt þat hon náir; hon er í kafi, svá at dægrum skiptir, ok þá hon skýtr upp hǫfði sínu ok nǫsum, þá er þat aldri skemmr en sjávarfall, at hon er uppi. Nú var þat leiðarsundit, er vér fórum á millum kjapta hennar, en nasir hennar ok inn neðri kjaptrinn váru klettar þeir, er yðr sýndiz í hafinu, en lyngbakr var ey sjá, er niðr sǫkk. En Ǫgmundr flóki hefir sent þessi kvikvendi í móti þér með fjǫlkynngi sinni til þess at bana þér ok ǫllum mǫnnum þínum; hugði hann, at svá skyldi hafa farit fleiri sem þeir, at nú druknuðu, en hann ætlaði, at hafgufan skyldi hafa gleypt oss alla. Nú siglda ek því í gin hennar, at ek vissa, at hún var nýkomin upp.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boer|1888|p=132}}</ref> | <!--Vignir said, "I see your wits are (as puny) as your grown stature." (Vignir was given birth by a giantess and considers his father Odd is puny)-->Now I will tell you that there are two sea-monsters. One is called the ''hafgufa'' [sea-mist{{efn|name=sea-reek}}], another ''lyngbakr'' [heather-back{{efn|name=sea-reek}}]. It [the ''lyngbakr''] is the largest whale in the world, but the ''hafgufa'' is the hugest monster in the sea. It is the nature of this creature to swallow men and ships, and even whales and everything else within reach. It stays submerged for days, then rears its head and nostrils above surface and stays that way at least until the change of tide. Now, that sound we just sailed through was the space between its jaws, and its nostrils and lower jaw were those rocks that appeared in the sea, while the ''lyngbakr'' was the island we saw sinking down. However, Ogmund Tussock has sent these creatures to you by means of his magic to cause the death of you [Odd] and all your men. He thought more men would have gone the same way as those that had already drowned [''i.e.'', to the ''lyngbakr'' which wasn't an island, and sank], and he expected that the ''hafgufa'' would have swallowed us all. Today I sailed through its mouth because I knew that it had recently surfaced. |} </blockquote> After returning from [[Greenland]], the anonymous author of the [[Old Norwegian]] natural history work ''[[Konungs skuggsjá]]'' (''circa'' 1250) [[Species description|described in detail]] the physical characteristics and feeding behavior of these beasts. The narrator proposed there must only be two in existence, stemming from the observation that the beasts have always been sighted in the same parts of the [[Greenland Sea]], and that each seemed incapable of reproduction, as there was no increase in their numbers. <blockquote>There is a fish that is still unmentioned, which it is scarcely advisable to speak about on account of its size, because it will seem to most people incredible. There are only a very few who can speak upon it clearly, because it is seldom near land nor appears where it may be seen by fishermen, and I suppose there are not many of this sort of fish in the sea. Most often in our tongue we call it ''hafgufa'' ("kraken" in e.g. [[Laurence M. Larson]]'s translation<ref>{{Harvnb|Larson|1917|p=125}}</ref>). Nor can I conclusively speak about its length in ells, because the times he has shown before men, he has appeared more like land than like a fish. Neither have I heard that one had been caught or found dead; and it seems to me as though there must be no more than two in the oceans, and I deem that each is unable to reproduce itself, for I believe that they are always the same ones. Then too, neither would it do for other fish if the ''hafgufa'' were of such a number as other whales, on account of their vastness, and how much subsistence that they need. It is said to be the nature of these fish that when one shall desire to eat, then it stretches up its neck with a great belching, and following this belching comes forth much food, so that all kinds of fish that are near to hand will come to present location, then will gather together, both small and large, believing they shall obtain their food and good eating; but this great fish lets its mouth stand open the while, and the gap is no less wide than that of a great sound or [[Bight (geography)|bight]], And nor the fish avoid running together there in their great numbers. But as soon as its stomach and mouth is full, then it locks together its jaws and has the fish all caught and enclosed, that before greedily came there looking for food.<ref>{{Harvnb|Keyser|Munch|Unger|1848|loc=Chapter 12, p.&nbsp;32}}</ref></blockquote> <!--ORIGINAL TEXT: Einn fiskr er enn útaldr, er mér vex heldr í augu frá at segja fyrir vaxtar hans sakir, þviat þat mun flestum mǫnnum útrúligt þykkja; þar kunnu ok fæstir frá hánum nǫkkut at segja gǫrla. þviat hann er flestum sjaldsénn, þviat hann er sjaldan við land eða í ván við veiðarmenn, ok ætla ek ekki þesskyns fisk margan i hǫfum; vér kǫllum hann optast á vára tungu hafgufu. Eigi kann ek skilvísliga fráa lengð hans at secja með álna tali, þviat þeim sinnum er hann hefir birzk fyrir mǫnnum, þá hefir hann landi sýnzk likari en fiski; hvárk spyr ek, at hann hafi veiddr verit né dauðr fundinn; ok þat þykki mér likt, at þeir sé eigi fleiri en tveir í hǫfum, ok ǫngvan ætla ek þá auka geta sín ámilli, þiat ek ætla þá hina sǫmu jafnan vera, of eigo mundi ǫðrum fiskum hlýða, at þeir væri svá margir sem aðrir hvalir fyrir mikilleika sakir þeirra, ok svá mikillar atvinnu er þeir þurfu. En sú er náttúra sǫgð þeirra fiska, at þegar er hann skal eta, þá gefr hann ropa mikinn upp or hálsi sér, ok fylgir þeim ropa mikil áta, svá at allskyns fiskar, þeir er í nánd verða staddir, þá samnask til, bæði smáir ok stórir, ok hyggjask sér skulu þar matar afla ok góðrar atvinnu; en þessi hinn mikli fiskr lætr standa munn sinn opinn meðan, ok er þat hlið eigi minna en sund mikit eða fjǫrðr, ok kunni fiskar eigi at varask þat at renna þar í með fjǫlda sinum. En þegar er kviðr hans er fullr ok munnr, þá lýkr hann saman munn sinn, ok hefir þá all veidda ok inni byrgða, er áðr girntusk þangat at leita sér til matfanga.--> [[Carl Linnaeus]] classified the kraken as a [[cephalopod]], designating the scientific name '''''Microcosmus marinus''''' in the first edition of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' (1735), a taxonomic classification of living organisms. The creature was excluded from later editions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WfQTAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA82|title=Caroli Linnaei Systema naturae sistens regna tria naturae|work=google.com}}</ref><ref name=metropolitana>"[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3X1GAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA255 Kraken]". ''Encyclopædia Metropolitana; or, Universal Dictionary of Knowledge ''. '''21'''. B. Fellowes, London. 1845. pp. 255–258.</ref> Linnaeus's later work, ''[[Fauna Suecica]]'' (1746), calls the creature ''singulare monstrum'', "a unique monster", and says of it ''Habitare fertur in mari Norwegico, ipse non dum animal vidi'', "It is said to inhabit the seas of Norway, but I have not seen this animal".<ref>Linnaeus, Carolus. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Jps-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA386&q=%22Microcosmus%20marinus%22 Fauna Suecica]. Stockholm: Laurentius Salvus. 1746. p. 386.</ref> Kraken were also extensively described by [[Erik Pontoppidan]], [[Diocese of Bjørgvin|bishop of Bergen]], in his ''Det første Forsøg paa Norges naturlige Historie'' "The First Attempt at [a] Natural History of Norway" (Copenhagen, 1752).<ref>Pontoppidan, Erich: ''Det første Forsøg paa Norges naturlige Historie'', Copenhagen: Berlingske Arvingers Bogtrykkerie, 1752.</ref><ref>Pontoppidan, Erich: ''Versuch einer natürlichen Geschichte Norwegens'' (Copenhagen, 1753–54).</ref> Pontoppidan made several claims regarding kraken, including the notion that the creature was sometimes mistaken for an island<ref name=Hamilton1839>Hamilton, R. (1839). [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vwoOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA327 The Kraken]. In: ''The Natural History of the Amphibious Carnivora, including the Walrus and Seals, also of the Herbivorous Cetacea, &c.'' W. H. Lizars, Edinburgh. pp. 327–336.</ref> and that the real danger to sailors was not the creature itself but rather the [[whirlpool]] left in its wake.<ref name=credibility>[Anonymous] (1849). [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZYMEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA272 New Books: An Essay on the credibility of the Kraken]. ''[[The Nautical Magazine]]'' '''18'''(5): 272–276.</ref> However, Pontoppidan also described the destructive potential of the giant beast: "it is said that if [the creature's arms] were to lay hold of the largest [[man-of-war]], they would pull it down to the bottom".<ref name=Hamilton1839 /><ref name=credibility /><ref name=Sjogren>Sjögren, Bengt (1980). ''Berömda vidunder''. Settern. {{ISBN|91-7586-023-6}} {{sv icon}}</ref> According to Pontoppidan, Norwegian fishermen often took the risk of trying to fish over kraken, since the catch was so plentiful<ref name=metropolitana /> (hence the saying "You must have fished on Kraken"<ref>Bringsværd, T.A. (1970). The Kraken: A slimy giant at the bottom of the sea. In: [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AwngAAAAMAAJ ''Phantoms and Fairies: From Norwegian Folklore'']. Johan Grundt Tanum Forlag, Oslo. pp. 67–71.</ref>). Pontoppidan also proposed that a specimen of the monster, "perhaps a young and careless one", was washed ashore and died at [[Alstahaug]] in 1680.<ref name=Sjogren /><ref name=perthensis>"[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=f1gKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA541 Kraken]". ''Encyclopædia Perthensis; or Universal Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, Literature, &c.''. '''12''' (2nd ed.). John Brown, Edinburgh. 1816. pp. 541–542.</ref> By 1755, Pontoppidan's description of the kraken had been translated into English.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=k8UqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA622 The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer] Vol. 24 (Appendix, 1755). pp 622–624.</ref> Swedish author Jacob Wallenberg described the kraken in the 1781 work ''Min son på galejan'' ("My son on the galley"): <blockquote>Kraken, also called the Crab-fish, which is not that huge, for heads and tails counted, he is no larger than our [[Öland]] is wide [i.e., less than 16 km] ... He stays at the sea floor, constantly surrounded by innumerable small fishes, who serve as his food and are fed by him in return: for his meal, (if I remember correctly what E. Pontoppidan writes,) lasts no longer than three months, and another three are then needed to digest it. His excrements nurture in the following an army of lesser fish, and for this reason, fishermen plumb after his resting place ... Gradually, Kraken ascends to the surface, and when he is at ten to twelve [[fathom]]s, the boats had better move out of his vicinity, as he will shortly thereafter burst up, like a floating island, spurting water from his dreadful nostrils and making ring waves around him, which can reach many miles. Could one doubt that this is the [[Leviathan]] of [[Book of Job|Job]]?<ref>Wallenberg, J. (1835). [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uewNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA42 ''Min son på galejan, eller en ostindisk resa innehållande allehanda bläckhornskram, samlade på skeppet Finland, som afseglade ifrån Götheborg i Dec. 1769, och återkom dersammastädes i Junii 1771'']. (5th ed.). Elméns och Granbergs Tryckeri, Stockholm. {{sv icon}}</ref> </blockquote> In 1802, the French [[malacologist]] [[Pierre Denys de Montfort|Pierre Dénys de Montfort]] recognized the existence of two kinds of giant octopus in ''Histoire Naturelle Générale et Particulière des Mollusques'', an encyclopedic description of mollusks.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35755563|title=Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des mollusques|last=Denys de Montfort|first=Pierre|publisher=L'Imprimerie de F. Dufart|year=1801–1805|isbn=|location=Paris|pages=256–412|quote=|via=Biodiversity Heritage Library}}</ref> Montfort claimed that the first type, the ''kraken octopus'', had been described by Norwegian sailors and American whalers, as well as ancient writers such as [[Pliny the Elder]]. The much larger second type, the ''[[gigantic octopus|colossal octopus]]'', was reported to have attacked a sailing vessel from [[Saint-Malo]], off the coast of [[Angola]].<ref name=Hamilton1839 /> Montfort later dared more sensational claims. He proposed that ten British warships, including the captured French [[ship of the line]] ''[[French ship Ville de Paris (1764)|Ville de Paris]]'', which had mysteriously disappeared one night in 1782, must have been attacked and sunk by giant octopuses. The British, however, knew—courtesy of a survivor from ''Ville de Paris''—that the ships had been lost in a hurricane off the coast of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] in September 1782, resulting in a disgraceful revelation for Montfort.<ref name=metropolitana /> ==Appearance and origins== Since the late 18th century, kraken have been depicted in a number of ways, primarily as [[gigantic octopus|large octopus-like creatures]], and it has often been alleged that Pontoppidan's kraken might have been based on sailors' observations of the [[giant squid]]. The kraken is also depicted to have spikes on its suckers. In the earliest descriptions, however, the creatures were more [[crab]]-like<ref name=perthensis /> than [[octopus]]-like, and generally possessed traits that are associated with large [[whale]]s rather than with giant squid. Some traits of kraken resemble undersea [[volcanic activity]] occurring in the [[Iceland]] region, including bubbles of water; sudden, dangerous currents; and appearance of new islets.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} ==In popular culture== {{main|Kraken in popular culture}} [[File:Denys de Montfort Poulpe Colossal.jpg|300px|thumbnail|Kraken attacking merchant ship,1810]] The legend of the kraken continues to the present day, with numerous references existing in popular culture, including [[film]], [[literature]], [[television]], [[video games]] and other miscellaneous examples (e.g. [[postage stamp]]s, a [[rollercoaster]] ride, and a [[rum]] [[Kraken Rum|product]]). In 1830 [[Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson|Alfred Tennyson]] published the irregular [[sonnet]] ''The Kraken'',<ref>[http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/tennyson/kraken.html "The Kraken" (1830)]. The Victorian Web.</ref> which described a massive creature that dwells at the bottom of the sea: {{quote|<poem>Below the thunders of the upper deep; Far far beneath in the abysmal sea, His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee About his shadowy sides; above him swell Huge sponges of millennial growth and height; And far away into the sickly light, From many a wondrous grot and secret cell Unnumber'd and enormous polypi Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green. There hath he lain for ages, and will lie Battening upon huge seaworms in his sleep, Until the latter fire shall heat the deep; Then once by man and angels to be seen, In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die. </poem>}} In [[Herman Melville]]'s 1851 novel ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' (Chapter 59. Squid.) the Pequod encounters what [[Moby-Dick#Mates|chief mate Starbuck]] identifies as: "The great live squid, which, they say, few whale-ships ever beheld, and returned to their ports to tell of it." Narrator [[Ishmael (Moby-Dick)|Ishmael]] adds: "There seems some ground to imagine that the great Kraken of [[Erik Pontoppidan|Bishop Pontoppodan]]{{sic}} may ultimately resolve itself into Squid." He concludes the chapter by adding: "By some naturalists who have vaguely heard rumors of the mysterious creature, here spoken of, it is included among the class of [[cuttle-fish]], to which, indeed, in certain external respects it would seem to belong, but only as the [[Anak]] of the tribe."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/0/2701/|title=Index of /files/2701|work=gutenberg.org}}</ref> [[Pontoppidan]]'s description influenced [[Jules Verne]]'s depiction of the famous giant squid in ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]'' from 1870.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} [[John Wyndham]]'s [[apocalyptic science fiction]] novel ''[[The Kraken Wakes]]'' depicts humanity locked in an existential struggle with ocean-dwelling aliens. ==See also== {{columns-list|colwidth=30em| * [[Akkorokamui]] * [[Aspidochelone]] * [[Cetus (mythology)]] * [[Colossal squid]] * [[Gigantic octopus]] * [[Globster]] * [[Iku-Turso]] * [[Leviathan]] * [[Lusca]] * [[Scandinavian folklore]] * [[Triassic Kraken]] * [[Vanishing island]] * [[Kraken (genus)]] }} ==Notes== ;Explanatory notes {{notelist}} ;Citations {{Reflist|33em}} ==Bibliography== {{Refbegin}} ;texts *{{cite book|ref=harv|editor-last=Boer |editor-first=Richard Constant |title=Ǫrvar-Odds saga |publisher=E.J. Brill |year=1888 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7lBG_YS0J-0C |page=132}} *{{cite book|ref=harv|editor-last=Rafn |editor-first=Carl Christian |title=Örvar-Odds saga |work=Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda |volume=2 |place=Copenhagen |publisher=Enni Poppsku |year=1829 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=85QrAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA248 |pages=248–249}} *{{cite book|ref=harv|editor-last1=Keyser |editor-first1=Rudolph |editor-last2=Munch |editor-first2=Peter Andreas |editor-last3=Unger |editor-first3=Carl Rikard |title=Speculum regale. Konungs-skuggsjá |place=Christiana |publisher=Carl C. Werner |year=1848 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWoJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA32 |chapter=12 |page=32}} ;translations *{{cite book|ref=harv|last1=Edwards |first1=Paul |last2=Pálsson |first2=Hermann (translators) |title=Arrow-Odd: a medieval novel |publisher=New York University Press |year=1970}} *{{cite book|ref=harv|editor-last=Larson |editor-first=Laurence Marcellus |title=The King's Mirror: (Speculum Regalae - Konungs Skuggsjá) |place=New York |publisher=Twaine Publishers / American-Scandinavian Foundation|year=1917|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKQtAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA119 |pages=119–}} {{Refend}} ==External links== {{Wiktionary|Kraken}} {{Wikisource}} * [http://www.mediumaevum.com/75years/mirror/index.html "King's Mirror" (See Chapter XII)] {{Scandinavian folklore}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Sea monsters]] [[Category:Mythic aquatic creatures|Monster]] [[Category:Scandinavian legendary creatures]] [[Category:Mythological cephalopods]]'