Did the Kraken of Mythology Really Exist?

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 24 January 2021
Update Date: 13 November 2024
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Does the Kraken Really Exist?
Video: Does the Kraken Really Exist?

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Here at PeritoAnimal we usually present interesting themes about the world of animals, and this time we want to do it on an example that, according to Nordic stories, for centuries caused fascination and terror at the same time. We are referring to the Kraken. Several accounts of sailors throughout history mentioned that there was a gigantic creature, capable of devouring men and even, in some cases, sinking ships.

Over time, many of these narratives were considered exaggerated and, due to lack of evidence, became fantastic stories and legends. However, the great scientist Carlos Lineu, creator of the taxonomy of living beings, included in his first edition of the work Systema naturae an animal called Kraken, with the scientific name of Microcosmus, within the cephalopods. This inclusion was discarded in later editions, but given the sailors' accounts and the consideration of a scientist of Linnaeu's stature, it is worth asking: Did the Kraken of Mythology Really Exist? Read on to answer this interesting question.


What is Kraken?

Contrary to what many people believe, the Kraken does not originate in Greek mythology. The word "kraken" has a Scandinavian origin and means "dangerous animal or something evil", a term that refers to an alleged sea creature of colossal dimensions that attacked ships and devoured their crew. In German, "krake" means "octopus", while "kraken" refers to the plural of the term, which also refers to the mythical animal.

The terror generated by this creature was such that accounts of Norse stories indicate that people avoided talking the name Kraken, as this was a bad omen and the animal could be summoned. In this sense, to refer to the fearsome marine specimen, the words "hafgufa" or "lyngbakr" were used, which were related to giant creatures such as a fish or a whale of colossal sizes.

Kraken Description

The Kraken has always been described as a large octopus-like animal that, when it floated, could look like an island in the sea, measuring more than 2 kilometers. There was also an allusion to its large eyes and the presence of several giant tentacles. Another aspect usually mentioned by sailors or fishermen who claimed to have seen him was that, when he appeared, he was able to turn the water black wherever he went.


The reports also point out that if the Kraken did not sink the boat with its tentacles, it would end up doing so when it plunged violently into the water, causing a large whirlpool in the sea.

The Legend of Kraken

The Kraken legend is found in Norse mythology, and not in Greek mythology, specifically in the work Norwegian Natural History, 1752, written by the bishop of Bergen, Erik Lugvidsen Pontoppidan, in which the animal is described in detail. In addition to the size and characteristics mentioned above, the Kraken legend reports that, thanks to its immense tentacles, the animal could hold a person aloft, regardless of their size. In these stories, the Kraken has always been distinguished from other monsters such as sea serpents.


On the other hand, stories about the Kraken have attributed to it both seismic movements and undersea volcanic activity and the emergence of new islands that occurred in areas such as Iceland. This dreaded sea monster was also often credited with responsibility for strong currents and big waves, supposedly caused by the movements this creature made when moving underwater.

But not all legends highlighted only negative aspects. Some fishermen also said that when the Kraken emerged, thanks to its huge body, many fish rose to the surface and that they, positioned in a safe place, managed to catch them. In fact, it later became customary to say that when a man caught a plentiful fishing, it was due to the help of a Kraken.

The Kraken legend has become so widespread that this legendary animal has been incorporated into several works of art, literature and movies, like Pirates of the Caribbean: The Chest of Death (from 2006) and Titans' Fury, 1981.

In this second film, which addresses the Greek mythology, the Kraken is a being created by Cronos. However, in the 2010 remake of the movie, the Kraken would have been created by Hades and it is basically due to these movies that there is this confusion that the Kraken would be from Greek mythology and not from Norse.

Another far-reaching story that tackled the Kraken was the saga of Harry Potter. In the movies, the Kraken is a giant squid that lives in the lake at Hogwarts Castle.

Does Kraken exist or did it ever exist?

Scientific reports are of vital importance to know the veracity of a particular species. In this sense, it is difficult to know if the kraken exists or existed. We must remember that the naturalist and scientist Carlos Lineu considered it in his first classification, although, as we mentioned, he did later deleted.

On the other hand, in the early 1800s, the French naturalist and scholar of molluscs Pierre Denys de Montfort, in his work General and Private Natural History of Molluscs, describes the existence of two giant octopuses, being one of them the Kraken. This scientist dared to claim that the sinking of a group of several British ships had occurred due to the attack of a giant octopus.

However, later, some survivors reported that the accident was caused by a large storm, which ended up discrediting Montfort and leading him to dismiss the idea that the Kraken was a giant octopus.

On the other hand, in the mid-19th century, a giant squid was found dead on a beach.From this discovery, studies on this animal were deepened and, although there are no exhaustive reports about them, as it is not so easy to locate them, it is now known that the famous Kraken is referred to a cephalopod speciessquid, specifically squid, which are amazingly sized but do not corroborate the characteristics and strength described in mythology.

Giant Squid Species

Currently, the following species of giant squid are known:

  • Giant squid (Architeuthis dux): the largest specimen identified was a dead female 18 meters long and weighing 250 kg.
  • Giant squid with warts (Moroteuthopsis longimana): can weigh up to 30 kg and measure 2.5 meters in length.
  • colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni): this is the largest existing species. They can measure almost 20 meters and a maximum weight of about 500 kg was estimated from the remains of a specimen found inside a sperm whale (a cetacean with dimensions similar to those of a whale).
  • Deep-sea luminescent squid (Taningia danae): can measure about 2.3 meters and weigh a little more than 160 kg.

The first video recording of a giant squid was only made in 2005, when a team from the National Museum of Science in Japan managed to record the presence of one. We can say then that the Kraken of Norse mythology is actually a giant squid, which although incredible, can't sink ships or cause seismic movements.

Most likely, due to lack of knowledge at the time, when observing the animal's tentacles, it was thought that it was a very large octopus. Until now, it is known that the only natural predators of these cephalopod species are sperm whales, cetaceans that can weigh about 50 tons and measuring 20 meters, so at these sizes they can certainly easily hunt the giant squid.

Now that you know all about the Kraken from Norse Mythology, you might be interested in this other article about the 10 greatest animals in the world.

If you want to read more articles similar to Did the Kraken of Mythology Really Exist?, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.