The Kraken - Research and Ideas

After a lot of thinking I have reached the decision to transcribe the Kraken in a Steampunk style. Looking at various texts I have gathered a series of extracts that describe the beasts features, where it lives and its behaviour. 


'Kranken, Legendary sea monster long feared by sailors. Seamen from northern Europe and Scandinavia believed Kraken would think it is a small island. It would then grab the vessel with its tentacles and pull it under the water, devouring all me on board. The Kraken of legend was probably a giant squid. Alfred, Lord Tennyson penned a short poem entitled 'Kraken' in 1830 about the hideous beast.' (The Dictionary of Nautical Literacy By Robert McKenna, 2003)

'The Kraken' By Alfred Tennyson (1830)

Below the thunders of the upper deep;

Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea, 

His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep

The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee

About his shadowy sides: above him swell

Huge sponges of millennial growth and height; 

And far away into the sickly light, 

From many a wondrous grot and secret cell

Unnumbered and enormous polypi

Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.

There hath he lain for ages and will lie

Battening upon huge sea-worms in his sleep,

Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;

Then once by man and angels to be seen,

In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

Abysmal - profoundly dreadful 

Millennial - a thousand years worth 

Grot - cave
Polypi - giant squid
Winnow - stir
Latter - final
Battening upon - clutching

Extract from 'Seafaring lore and legend' By Peter D. Jeans (2004)      

From these extracts it is obvious that the creature is carnivorous and feared by most sailors, however I want to give the creature a bit more personality than it being feared beast, to do this I will have to give the character a story and a personality. At the moment I have the idea that the Kraken creature has been made by pirates to scare other sailors, this is where the Steampunk comes into the design. By giving the Kraken a purpose gives the creature more of a story gives it more of an edge. The Kraken being built by pirates could be made from parts of ship wrecks that the pirates have collected and looted. The themes pirates and Steampunk seem to fit well together and the legend of the Kraken lends itself well to pirates, so the combination seems logical but more importantly an opportunity exciting designs :).