'The Kraken' is a legendary sea monster of giant proportions that is said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland. The legend may have originated from sightings of giant squid that are estimated to grow to 13–15 m (40–50 ft) in length, including the tentacles. The sheer size and fearsome appearance attributed to the kraken have made it a common ocean-dwelling monster in various fictional works, and is usually always an octopus.
Since the late 18th century, kraken have been depicted in a number of ways, primarily as large octopus-like creatures, and it has often been alleged that Pontoppidan's kraken might have been based on sailors' observations of the giant squid. In the earliest descriptions, however, the creatures were more crab-like than octopus-like, and generally possessed traits that are associated with large whales rather than with giant squid. Some traits of kraken resemble undersea volcanic activity occurring in the Iceland region, including bubbles of water; sudden, dangerous currents; and appearance of new islets.
Although fictional and the subject of myth, the legend of the kraken continues to the present day, with numerous references existing in popular culture. In Pirates of the Carrabien: Dead Man's Chest (and a small appearence in Pirates of the Carrabein: At World's End) the Kraken is controlled by Davy Jones, played by Bill Nighy, often to destroy ships that threaten him. Under Davy Jones' command, the Kraken brought Jones ever more souls to join his crew aboard the Flying Dutchman, dying sailors forever pressganged into servitude on his cursed ship.
On-board his ghostly ship, the Flying Dutchman, is a massive capstan with a carved Kraken on the top, the so-called Kraken's Hammer. To call the Kraken, the crew rotate the capstan clockwise, lifting it to its highest point. It then slams down, blasting shockwaves through the ocean, thus summoning the Kraken. One shockwave usually does the job unless the Kraken is farther away.
"Well, if you believe such things, there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature with giant tentacles that'll suction your face clean off, and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness. The Kraken. They say the stench of its breath is...(shudders) Imagine, the last thing you know on God's green earth is the roar of the Kraken and the reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses. If you believe such things." Joshamee Gibbs to Will Turner
