Many sea lovers and sea fishermen are heading north to the sea with higher popularity. In those waters, they feel much better than in crowded tourist destinations. They prefer the tranquility. But what inhabits the seemingly calm and deep northern seas? What might emerge from its depths? Could it be a giant kraken? Isn\’t that just a rumor? A story told to scare inexperienced land dwellers? Maybe so, maybe there is something to it!
According to some reports, a giant cephalopod called the Kraken was once spotted off the coast of Norway and Iceland. Information about it has been heard among sailors since ancient times. The first written report was left by Bishop Eric Pontoppidan in the first half of the 18th century. Bishop Pontoppidan wrote of the creature\’s great destructive power. He said that it was able to grab an entire warship with its giant tentacles and sink it to the bottom of the sea. He also writes about the dangerous fishing practices of Norwegian fishermen. They took great risks when fishing “on the kraken. Fish escaped from the kraken into the nets and were caught in large numbers. The authors also claim that observers often mistook this huge monster for an island. This could explain the fact that some maps depict the island as “only occasionally seen.”
In the 18th century, people called and drew this unknown creature a giant octopus. This led to the opinion that the Pontoppidan also depicted an octopus. However, experienced sailors who were familiar with these and other sea creatures considered this water giant to be something else, another kind of animal. Mainly because of its size. They also said that they were completely different from the sea serpents of Norse mythology. Some older descriptions compared this strange creature to whales and giant crabs. Its existence has even been linked to the mythical Atlantis. The inhabitants of that Atlantis are said to have created it and used it as a weapon to defend themselves against invaders.
So we can each choose what we believe in before we set sail!
