Abstract
Hundreds of years ago, sailors were terrified by the Kraken, a dreadful sea monster capable of sinking ships and with a taste for human flesh. Today we know the legends of this monster were based on sightings of giant squids. This animal belongs to the genus Architeuthis and was the subject of many scientific studies. Despite its enormous size (up to 18m), the giant squid is astoundingly elusive and much of its biology remains unknown. Thus shrouded in mystery, Architeuthis is almost a mythological creature and has a place both in science and in myth: the very last of the legends to persist to this day.
Highlights
Resumo Séculos atrás, marinheiros se amedrontavam com histórias do Kraken, um terrível monstro marinho capaz de afundar embarcações e devorar suas tripulações
Besides the initial confusion of shapes mentioned above, the Kraken was commonly confused with an octopus even after its image was linked to the giant squid
The description of such sea serpents commonly includes: (1) an elongated and sinuous serpentiform body; (2) an eyeless and mouthless head; (3) a water gush that the serpent expelled from its mouth
Summary
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 Unnumbered and enormous polypi Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green. The habits of theses monsters were later described in the Norwegian encyclopedia Konungs Skuggsjá (from circa 1250, by an anonymous author) They shared many features with the Kraken, namely their gigantic size (as big as an island or mountain) and their inclination to attack ships and their crews. The Kraken’s colossal size initially reached a few kilometers in length (Pontoppidan, 1752, 1752-1753; Wallenberg, 1835), but as the legend matured and took its molluscan shape, it was progressively diminished to more modest proportions Even this smaller Kraken was still large enough to attack and sink a ship (Figure 1), and its ability to do so is the commonest theme in its stories, reflecting sailors’ fears. He acknowledged Steenstrup and Verrill’s species, adding them to the body of global
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