<P> The kraken (/ ˈkrɑːkən /) is a legendary cephalopod - like sea monster of giant size that is said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland . Authors over the years have postulated that the legend originated from sightings of giant squids that may grow to 13--15 meters (40--50 feet) in length . The sheer size and fearsome appearance attributed to the kraken have made it a common ocean - dwelling monster in various fictional works . </P> <P> The English word kraken is taken from Norwegian . In Norwegian Kraken is the definite form of krake, a word designating an unhealthy animal or something twisted (cognate with the English crook and crank). In modern German, Krake (plural and declined singular: Kraken) means octopus, but can also refer to the legendary kraken . </P> <P> In the late - 13th - century version of the Old Icelandic saga Örvar - Oddr is an inserted episode of a journey bound for Helluland (Baffin Island) which takes the protagonists through the Greenland Sea, and here they spot two massive sea - monsters called Hafgufa ("sea mist") and Lyngbakr ("heather - back"). The hafgufa is believed to be a reference to the kraken: </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> <P> (N) ú mun ek segja þér, at þetta eru sjáskrímsl tvau, heitir annat hafgufa, en annat lyngbakr; er hann mestr allra hvala í heiminum, en hafgufa er mest skrímsl skapat í sjánum; er þat hennar náttúra, at hon gleypir bæði menn ok skip ok hvali ok allt þat hon náir; hon er í kafi, svá at dægrum skiptir, ok þá hon skýtr upp hǫfði sínu ok nǫsum, þá er þat aldri skemmr en sjávarfall, at hon er uppi . Nú var þat leiðarsundit, er vér fórum á millum kjapta hennar, en nasir hennar ok inn neðri kjaptrinn váru klettar þeir, er yðr sýndiz í hafinu, en lyngbakr var ey sjá, er niðr sǫkk . En Ǫgmundr flóki hefir sent þessi kvikvendi í móti þér með fjǫlkynngi sinni til þess at bana þér ok ǫllum mǫnnum þínum; hugði hann, at svá skyldi hafa farit fleiri sem þeir, at nú druknuðu, en hann ætlaði, at hafgufan skyldi hafa gleypt oss alla . Nú siglda ek því í gin hennar, at ek vissa, at hún var nýkomin upp . </P> </Td> <Td> <P> Now I will tell you that there are two sea - monsters . One is called the hafgufa (sea - mist), another lyngbakr (heather - back). It (the lyngbakr) is the largest whale in the world, but the hafgufa is the hugest monster in the sea . It is the nature of this creature to swallow men and ships, and even whales and everything else within reach . It stays submerged for days, then rears its head and nostrils above surface and stays that way at least until the change of tide . Now, that sound we just sailed through was the space between its jaws, and its nostrils and lower jaw were those rocks that appeared in the sea, while the lyngbakr was the island we saw sinking down . However, Ogmund Tussock has sent these creatures to you by means of his magic to cause the death of you (Odd) and all your men . He thought more men would have gone the same way as those that had already drowned (i.e., to the lyngbakr which wasn't an island, and sank), and he expected that the hafgufa would have swallowed us all . Today I sailed through its mouth because I knew that it had recently surfaced . </P> </Td> </Tr> </Table>

When did the kraken first appear in stories