A nautical document written in the 12th century describes it as “the largest and most terrible monster on the seas.” This is how the sighting of a legendary being referred to the peoples of northern Europe. This beast so present in Scandinavian folklore is popularly known by the name of Kraken, one of the most famous sea monsters that inhabit the frigid and unfathomable depths of the ocean.
The mythological Kraken
It is definitely a sea monster, but its description is far from a snake, a giant whale or a fish of colossal proportions, as most sea monsters are often described in the mythology. The Kraken is a distinct monster that borrows the form of strange beings.
In most of these legends, the Kraken looks like the combination of a giant octopus and a squid of incredible proportions. We know that these animals can reach really terrifying sizes, with tentacles that can grow up to 12 meters. However, the Kraken that is described in the legends is much larger. This being surpasses the largest squid and octopus found in the oceans of planet Earth. If the epic narratives about sightings of the monster were taken into account, it could be considered the largest animal on the planet. Legends about this being state that its tentacles could reach an incredible 80 meters long. Its vitreous eyes would be no less than a meter in diameter, and its mouth would be capable of swallowing a grown man in one bite.
The powerful
The Kraken of mythology would have enough strength to drag ships into the depths and wreck great ships, drowning their crew in uncontrollable outbursts of anger. Yes, our ancestors described the Kraken as something to fear. Among the enormous amount of existing narratives, some account for the incredible feats that he could perform with his size and titanic strength.
The simple roar of the Kraken would have been able to explode the sailors’ eardrums if it occurred less than 100 meters away from their position. The movement of its tentacles would have generated huge waves, with up to 15 meters in height and capable of capsizing boats. The grip of the arms, thick as a tree trunk, had the ability to cut rowing boats in half like toothpicks.
When the suction cups were fixed on a poor bastard, they never let go, and if he had the misfortune to have them cling to his face, he could tear it off completely. Following these narrations, the Kraken’s flesh was so thick that no harpoon had the ability to penetrate it. Even the largest whales fled from the beast when it went hunting. When hungry, the Kraken was a veritable predatory force of nature. There was nothing in the world that could stop it.
Lyngbakr and Hafgufa, the two colossi.
But, if all the legends in Scandinavian mythology are taken into account, the Kraken may not turn out to be the largest monster in the oceans.
Orvar-Oddr, a famous Scandinavian hero whose adventures were known in a series of chronicles written in 1200, offers some of the most fanciful descriptions of sea monsters. A large number of historians and even specialists in Nordic folklore believe that this character referred to the mythical Kraken, but they leave room for interpretations.
Hafgufa, ruthless anger
In a fragment of the text the following is stated:
“I will tell you about the two kinds of monsters that inhabit the icy waters. One of them is named Ocean steam (sea mist) and the other Lyngbakr (briar loin). HeLyngbakr is the largest whale in the world, Meanwhile he Hafgufa is the most dangerous of the sea monsters. It is in the nature of this being to swallow whole ships, as long as they are within reach. It can stay submerged for days, and when it rises to the surface it displaces the water just enough so that its huge spout-like nose appears on the other side. The being waits until the currents change and then submerges again. If a ship catches your attention during that moment when you are breathing, all will be lost for those sailors. The monster perceives the scent of men and begins a hunt that generally culminates in a shipwreck ”.
And it continues a little further on:
“The Hafgufa has huge arms that are as long as bridges and thicker than any rope ever spun. He takes men by their limbs and throws them hard into the sea. When they come to the surface they cling to anything and throw it to the bottom to serve as food. Man or ship, it doesn’t matter, the embrace of the Hafgufa is doom ”.
It is a description that fits the legend of the Kraken very well when we consider that the Hafgufa’s arms would be tentacles, but even the Kraken with its colossal size seems shy before the size of these gigantic beings.
Lyngbakr, the living islands
About Lyngbakr, the sailor related:
“The Lyngbakr are those islands that mysteriously disappear, sinking from one moment to the next. Every sailor has already seen an island disappear, but most have no explanation for such a thing. The explanation is only one, the Lyngbakr emerges to the surface and sleeps with a part of its back out. For a long time, the creature remains immobile and in that time, the “island” is covered with earth and even vegetation – the trees on the back of the monster that give it its name are the plants that cling more easily. If enough time passes, even huge trees can be lifted on your back. Ignoring the nature of this island, even that it is a living being, people begin to inhabit the surface of the back of that immense whale, without having the slightest idea what it is about. There is nothing a man can do to disturb the sleep of a Lyngbakr, who can sleep for centuries. However, sometimes those who live on these islands feel the ground move and shake under their feet as if affected by earthquakes. It is nothing but spasms of the monster. And when it finally wakes up, everything that was built on it, houses or people, end up dragged to the bottom of the sea when it submerges ”.
Size is everything
In a 16th century document, the popular The king’s shadow, the Hafgufa is described as an enormous being.
“There is a monster that stands as a mystery, and that is only mentioned when talking about its size, which for most people is incredible. Only a few can speak on the subject with authority, for those individuals who see it and live to tell about it are rare. This monster does not appear near the coasts where fishermen cast their nets, it does so in deep water. It is not known how many of its kind exist, probably not more than one or two in the entire maritime area. Her name in our language is Hafgufa. From the surface, this creature looks more like an island than an animal. They say that it is possible to disembark on it and walk for hours without reaching the other end. When it sleeps it is harmless, it remains immobile for days, but when it awakens it is fatal because it feeds on everything it can reach ”.
In this same book the terrible diet of the Hafgufa is described.
“It is said that it is part of the nature of these monsters to employ strategy to attract their prey. The Hafgufa usually emerges on the surface with its nose first, with which it releases a huge burp. This is how it releases a certain amount of semi-digested fish that float on top of it, which ends up attracting entire shoals, small and large, with the intention of feeding. Even those men on fishing boats are lured by the promise of abundant catch. But they ignore the danger they are in. The monster keeps its jaws open and when there is enough prey on the surface, it simply gobbles it up, dragging everything into it. Once its stomach is full, the Hafgufa closes its jaws and submerges.
Wallenberg’s stories
In addition to these accounts, there is a third source from a Swedish sailor named Jacob Wallenberg. In My son on the galley, published in 1750, attempts to differentiate between the Kraken and the other monsters.
“The Kraken of legends is a deadly animal. It usually stays in the depths of the ocean, surrounded by shoals that serve as food and that, in contrast, feed on its excrement. The Kraken does not have to breathe, it emerges to the surface when attracted by the presence of food. In that case, it can attack ships and devour men after the ships are smashed by its onslaught. Its tentacles are deadly, being able to catch and bring prey to its mouth ”.
However, Wallenberg makes it clear that there are “bigger fish in those seas.”
“There are animals that exceed the Kraken in size reaching the dimensions of small islands, atolls and fjords. They are so colossal that on their backs there grows an environment conducive to being used as a dwelling by humans and all kinds of land animals. Trees and dry land can appear on the back of these beings and even small mountains. There is no doubt that it is leviathans”.
In our day, sightings of krakens and other colossal sea monsters are something very strange, almost nonexistent. Here are two possible explanations: all these huge monsters were the inventions of sailors and explorers who needed to decorate their boring voyages, or they were prehistoric beings that ended up becoming extinct several centuries ago.
However, the legend endures.
