Meet the Kraken!

Learn the surprising history of Clash of the Titans’ most memorable monster

A couple of characters say a couple of words in this weekend’s Clash of the Titans, but let’s be honest, the only phrase you’ll remember is Liam Neeson commanding, “Release the Kraken!”

The over/under on how long it takes that phrase to make it to SportsCenter? We’re going with “Yesterday.”

Although the Kraken appeared in the original 1981 version of Titans, it’s not a monster from Greek mythology. So what’s the Kraken deal? Here’s the background on this year’s breakout seabeast:

Origin While the Greeks certainly believed in sea monsters, the actual name Kraken goes back to Norway in the 12th century. It was thought to be a sea beast so giant that sailors could mistake it for an island. That is until the Kraken submerged, creating a whirlpool that would suck ships to their death.

Evolution By the 18th century, the Norse had decided the Kraken was instead more like a big-assed octopus that could wrap its tentacles around a ship. Historians hypothesize this evolution of beliefs was probably caused by sightings of real giant squid.

Propagation In 1830, the poet Alfred Tennyson essentially introduced the Kraken to the English speaking world with a poem titled, not particularly originally, “The Kraken.” The poem is well know but, admittedly, kinda boring.

Popularization Besides his star-making turn in the original Clash of the Titans, the Kraken also ate Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. He was used as a character in such videogames as Final Fantasy and God of War II. He became a rollercoaster at Seaworld. There’s now even Kraken Rum (Motto: “Put a beast in your belly”) and perhaps most touchingly, a Mexican deathcore band called Here Comes the Kraken. Appropriately, the band sounds monsterous.

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