Legend of Kraken
Could giant squid inspire medieval ocean myths?
4.7 (23)
44 mins
Explore the legendary origins of the Kraken, a gigantic Scandinavian sea creature feared by centuries of terrified sailors. Discover how early accounts from historians described a island-sized monster capable of sinking entire ships with massive tentacles. Learn about how the 19th-century discovery of the real giant squid finally provided a scientific truth behind the famous mythical beast.
Ep 1:
Birth of a Beast: The Norse Deep
Trace the Kraken from terrified Viking sailors to medieval sagas, exploring how hallucination, hunger, and religion forged a monster born not of myth but of twisted trees.
Ep 2:
Bishops, Hoaxes, and a Bathtub Discovery
A bishop takes sea monsters seriously, Linnaeus quietly erases his own classification, and a Newfoundland boy with a hatchet finally proves the legend had teeth.
Ep 3:
Ink, Hooks, and Scars from the Abyss
Poets, novelists, and Lovecraft reinvent the Kraken while scientists uncover the real giant and colossal squid locked in an ancient, scarring war with sperm whales.
Ep 4:
Lights in the Dark: Filming a Legend
From a bathtub corpse to glowing lures in the abyss, scientists finally capture the giant squid alive on camera—then watch its name get hijacked by pop culture.
Discussions (5)
Zachary
Level 5 · 6 days agoNamed after a bent tree. Not even the cool tree.
Hayes
Level 3 · 6 days agoSailed through its mouth and survived.
Luke
Level 7 · 6 days agobro the fishermen were doing marine biology before marine biology
