Outside of my grandfather’s house is the wide-open harbour leading to the Atlantic Ocean. On sunny days, the scenery is peaceful. Birds fly high and low, sinking into the water to get food. The waves glisten like starlight in the daytime, and sea glass washes up amongst the rocks of different colours. But what does this have to do with the paranormal you ask?

Let me tell you what happens when the days aren’t so sunny.

Fog gathers over the rough waters that thrash against the rocks, spitting at anyone who dares to come close. Waves reach into boats, trying to steal fishermen into the big blue unknown. Tides become violent and ripples are turned into a force all on their own.

It’s almost like a warning...

On a day caught between sun and clouds, I armed myself with a jigging line, fisherman’s boots that came up to my knees and splash pants that did as little as any other splash pants would do besides trick you into hoping they won’t fail. I sailed out into the waves with my grandfather, ready for squid season.

I’d never seen a live squid before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Some were no bigger than my hand, others as large as my arm. Their eyes were so dark, they looked like mirrors in the night. The moment they emerged from the ocean was the moment they began shooting water at us, and if we didn’t put them in the designated squid bucket on time, then they’d start spraying ink.

Though most of their tentacles weren’t as long as my fingers, their grip was stronger than even a hand had any right to be. It took an extreme amount of caution not to let them take control. But it wasn’t the tentacles I had to watch out for most.

“Don’t let your fingers get close to their beak.” My grandfather warned me, “Or you might not get them back.”

Did you know that squids have beaks? Because that was the first time I realized these creatures could do a lot more harm than I even realized. And that’s when I began to understand why fishermen and sea travelers along the North Atlantic feared the Kraken.

If I thought the small squids were a little terrifying, despite their magnificence, I couldn't imagine seeing a giant one up to 50 feet long. The Kraken is thought to be inspired by these colossal squids, and now that you know what the tiny ones are like, perhaps you can see why the tale would keep sea travelers at the ready, on the lookout for this monster.

The Kraken originates from Scandinavian folklore, descending from the old Norse. In some versions of the myth, the Kraken was not a vicious attacker, but a lazy creature spending most of its time sleeping at the bottom of the sea. It would surface when hungry, and the only reason ships were thought to be taken down was if they got in its way.

It was also believed that the Kraken was a smart and even admired hunter. It would eat thousands of fish at a time, but instead of chasing its prey, it would lure them in. After eating, the Kraken would digest the food, leaving behind dark and dirty waters that attracted other fish. So when the Kraken got hungry again, its food was already waiting.

Is the Kraken really just a myth? Or did it adapt and become too smart for us to find? After all, there’s so much uncharted territory down in the deep blue, we never really know what we might find.

Read more about the Kraken here.

Korpse

“Where does time go?” is a question we often ask ourselves, and though Korpse might be an unfamiliar name, he’s no stranger to asking himself the very same question. In fact, he asks that question when he can’t find time to research mythology in its many forms. But fear no more, for Korpse has found a balance in the making, and will share his findings with you about paranormal myths, legends, stories and more.