Scandinavia’s Kraken

Kraken attacking merchant ship, 1830
Pierre Denys de Montfort

Original illustration from
Jules Verne's book, 1870.

In Nordic folklore, the kraken * (hafgufa) was a giant, sea monster that devoured ships and their entire crews.

The belief in this creature terrorized several generations of sailors and fishermen.

This monster dwelled at the bottom of the Greenland Sea off the coasts of Norway, Iceland, and Greenland.

Scary stories of the kraken were told throughout the 1700s and 1800s. The kraken was associated with many superstitions that sailors held. Especially since they loved a good “tall tale.”

It was stated that this enormous monster could swallow men and the largest ships, and even the most immense whales whole. It was believed its many arms could reach up from the depths of the sea and pull down its prey.

Its movements at the bottom of the Greenland Sea was said to resemble underwater volcanic activity.

It was so large—that when it gradually surfaced, bubbling, it was sometimes mistaken for an island.

It would burst up to the surface. Spurting water from its large nostrils, causing circular waves that would go on for miles, which resulted in dangerous currents.

It is believed there were only two krakens for it took massive amounts of fish to sustain them. They would just open their jaws and let the fish swim in, then when their stomachs were full, they would clamp their jaws together.

Fishermen would often take the risk of fishing around the kraken for the catch was exceptional. It is said the kraken would stretch its neck out, and belch out thousands of fish.

There were even stories of ships sailing right through its open jaws and living to tell about it.

Pen and wash drawing
Pierre Denys de Monfort, 1801.

In the 18^th Century it was described as “octopus-like” (cephalopod) with spikes protruding from its suckers.

In the Swedish and Norwegian languages, kraken or krake means an unhealthy animal or something that is twisted. In its plural form--kraken, it means octopus.

At one time the Nordic people even felt it was taboo to say the word “kraken” out loud, for it was believed this would summon this horrible monster.

It is believed a real sea creature inspired the origins of this tale—a giant squid that could reach up to 60 feet in length.

*  Note "kraken" is not capitalized in Nordic culture.

In 1830, Alfred Tennyson wrote a sonnet about the kraken.

"Below the thunders of the upper deep;

Far far beneath in teh 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 wonderous grot and secret cell

Unnumber'd and enormous polypi

Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.

There hath he lain for ages, and will lie

Battening upon huge seaworms 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."

Why Are Urban Legends Believable?

This question fascinates me. So as a folklore buff, I did some digging.

A classic urban legend--Bloody Mary.

Trevor J. Blank, an assistant professor of Communications at a New York State University, who studies folklore and legends gives a concise description of what an urban legend is and how it works.

He explains—

They are “Fictional stories that have some kind of believable component.”

These stories seem credible because they supposedly happened to “a friend of a friend” that the listener knows or has heard about.

But this source is always just far enough away—they cannot be reached to verify or confirm the “truth” of the claims.

This element is what makes urban legends different than rumors—which tend to be about people the teller knows.

Blank points out that an urban legend often has elements of truth, but they distort it to create more “intrigue.”

Ghost stories use this same ploy.

Jan Harold Brunvand, in his book, Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid states urban legends are believed because they are combined with the “details of real life.”

Brunvand points out that they are packed with “local details.” As well as dates and names, etc. are given to make them seem real.

The following ghost story is a classic example of an urban legend that has been shared for generations as an actual event.

The Ghost in Search of . . .

In 1949, Dr. Phillip Cook, while attending a medical meeting, heard Dr. S. Weir Mitchell from New York relate a story that happened to him in 1912.

I was sitting in my office late one night when I heard a knock on my door. I discovered a little girl on my doorstep. She pleaded with me to come to her home to attend someone who was ill.

I told her I was almost retired and no longer did house calls. But she was in such distress I agreed to go. I wrote down the name and the address.

I got my bag and coat, but when I returned to the door, she was gone. But since I had the address, I went to this home.

When I got there, a woman came to the door in tears. I asked for the patient in need of medical attention.

She told me I was too late for her little daughter had just died. She then invited me in. I saw the patient lying dead in her bed. It was the little girl who had called at my house.

Many versions of this story were told orally before it was first published in the 1950s-- people swore it was true.

The Crushing

In 1979, a coworker shared this story.

In a Kansas rail yard, a night switchman was caught in the couplers and crushed between two cars. These couplers went straight through his mid-section.

But this terrible accident didn’t kill this man immediately. The other workers at the scene knew they would have to extract him from the two cars by uncoupling them—he then would bleed to death.

Since he had not lost consciousness, they called his wife and children to come. The family said their tearful goodbyes, and when the cars were separated, he died.

The teller of this story insisted it was true, a trusted friend knew a family member—he knew their names.

But this scenario, regardless of how it happens is medically impossible.

This urban legend has been around for half a century even though today it is presented as recent.  It has spread like wildfire over the years, taking on details that reflect the region it is told in.

It is often referred to as “The Last Kiss.”

Various versions of this legend use subway cars, machinery, car accidents, etc.

A Mel Gibson film, Signs even uses this classic urban legend to explain how his character lost his wife.

I share another classic urban legend, Drip, Drip, Drip here.

Shinigami: Japan’s Grim Reaper

One depiction of a Shinigami
by Shunsensal Takehara

In Japanese folklore, the Shinigami pronounced (shin-ee-game) is a god of death. They like the Western culture’s Grim Reaper usher people to the afterlife.

One stark contrast between these two entities is the Grim Reaper is feared, whereas the Shinigami is perceived as a helper.

The traditional Japanese, through their Shinto faith, believe death is a natural part of the cycle of life—so it is not perceived as bad. * 

But this does not mean they don’t take precautions to avoid death. The Japanese even today, perform rites to appease the Shinigami.

In relationship to other Japanese traditions and beliefs, the Shinigami is a modern invention-- first making an appearance in the 18th century. A theory is that the Grim Reaper was actually the inspiration for the Shinigami.

Unlike the solitary Grim Reaper, the Shinigami—Shi—meaning “death and kami—meaning “god’ appear in pairs.

Another depiction of a
Shinigami.

There are no consistent descriptions of these spirits because they are invisible—so the legend states they are rarely seen.

They appear at the dying person’s “deathbed.” Where they assist in the passage from one life to the next.

* Darker stories about the Shinigami state that they can possess the living and encourage them to commit suicide.

One story told about the Shinigami involves a desperate man who is about to commit suicide. He has lost all his money.

One of these death spirits appears before him and states—this is not your time to die—your candle has not burnt down yet.

The Shinigami insists that he needs to “live on.” To encourage this man, this spirit tells him a secret that will help him make money.

This secret involves special words that will send a death spirit away. But the spirit tells him he must follow one rule-- he can only use the secret words if the death spirit is sitting at the foot of the deathbed and not at the dying person’s head.

For if the Shinigami is at the head of the deathbed, it means the person's, “candle is burned up, and they must die.”

This man then pretends to be a doctor. For a fee, he tells families he can banish the death spirits, and their loved ones will live.

He quickly becomes wealthy. But eventually, this man’s greed takes over.

He meets a family that offers a huge amount if he can save their beloved dying father. There is one problem—the death spirit is sitting at the head of the father’s deathbed.

The man, wanting this fee, decides to trick the spirits. He turns the bed around. But this does not banish the Shinigami. Instead, this burns up his own candle, and he dies.

Terrifying Tales: The Tailypo

“At night when the moon shines, and the wind blows, you can hear a voice say: Tailypo, tailypo, now I’ve got my tailypo.”

Tailypo is a North American folktale with roots both in Appalachia and the South. There are many versions of this story.

Johanna and Paul Galdone's version.

Most versions include an old man or hermit that lives in a small log cabin in an isolated area-- in the woods or near a swamp. He has three hunting dogs named, Uno, Ino, and Cumptico-Calico.

It was late in autumn, and the old man had not had much luck with his hunting. He prepared a meager meal of one thin rabbit for himself and his dogs.

Heading for bed, he spots a strange cat-like creature entering his cabin through a crack in the floor.

It was fat with a dark coat of fur. Its tail was large and bushy. The man still hungry grabbed a hatchet and chased the strange creature. He chopped off its tail and then it left the cabin the way it entered--screaming.

The old man then cooked the tail and ate it—it tasted so good he does not share it with his dogs. He then went to bed. Within the hour, he awakens to the sound of a loud thumping. He hears something scratching on the cabin wall.

A shrill voice says, “Tailypo, tailypo, who has my tailypo?”

He calls his dogs, “Here, here, here” and opens the cabin’s door. Chaos ensues with the dogs barking wildly, trying to follow the creature up the wall of the cabin. Their barking becomes faint as they chase the beast into the swamp.

When the dogs return, Uno is not with them—the man is unconcerned for his dogs often hunt on their own-- he returns to his bed as he hears the other two dogs settle down on the porch.

Around midnight he is awakened once more by a loud thump.

This time the scratching sound is at the back of his cabin—near where he lay. It sounded like the wood was being shredded and torn away fiercely.

For the second time, he hears, “Tailypo, tailypo, who has my tailypo?” His dogs rush around the side of the cabin barking and growling. He gets up in time to see just Cumptico-Calico chase the dark figure back into the swamp.

When Cumptico-Calico doesn’t return-- the man reassures himself that Calico like the other dog was hungry and had found something else to hunt—exhausted the man goes back to bed.

Just before dawn, he is awakened for the third time. Now the thumping is at the foot of his bed, and he once more hears the scratching. He watches as his covers are pulled off. Frightened, the man dares not look anymore.

He feels the creature jump on the bed and then it pokes him with its sharp claws as it walks from his feet to his neck.

It then demands loudly, “Tailypo, tailypo where is my tailypo?” The man unable to move spots its' gleaming yellow eyes.

Several days later, a neighbor found the old man’s bed shredded to pieces with random bones laying about. His dogs were never seen again.

They say when the moon shines bright, one can hear way off in the swamp, “Tailypo, tailypo, now I have my tailypo.”

Here is a link that lists several versions of this folktale.

One favorite version of this story is presented in Johanna Galdone’s picture book entitled, The Tailypo: A Ghost Story. Her tale leaves so much to the reader’s imagination that it actually is one of the scariest versions.

Thirteen Days

Here is a ghost folktale from the 1900s West Virginia oil fields.

The son of a young farmer was pitching hay one day when he fell on his pitchfork and was killed. A worker from a nearby oil derrick discovered the body.

He had just pulled the pitchfork out of the young man’s chest and was standing over him when four farmers came along and saw him.

These men were tipsy, for they had stopped after work for a drink. They became angry because they knew the boy’s father. They accused the oil worker of murdering the young farmer.

Irrationally, they decided to dispense justice immediately. One of the men got a rope and threw it over a limb of a tree while the other three dragged the protesting oil worker over to the tree.

They slipped the rope around his neck and asked him if he had any last words. He spat in their faces and announced that he would see all of them in hell. The oil worker threatened they would all die similarly within thirteen days.

The farmers hanged him and then assigned one man in the group, to bury the body. This man remained behind to place the body in a wagon.

He started for the woods. He drove his wagon along a road that was above a steep embankment.

His horses became spooked, and the wagon turned over, flipping him out. He fell twenty feet where his neck landed between two branches killing him instantly.

When his body was discovered, it was deemed an accident. The remains of the oil worker were not found.

At the scene, witnesses stated they saw a dark figure standing in the woods near the accident.

Three days later, the body of the second of the four men was found hanging from a hay mow in his barn. It appeared he had slipped on the clean floor and had fallen onto a rope used to haul things up to the loft.

Again, witnesses stated that they saw a dark form standing near the barn.

The two remaining men started to suspect the oil worker’s prediction was coming true--they wondered who would be next.

Nine days later, the third man was found hanging by the neck between two steel crosspieces on an oil derrick.

Several oil workers saw a a strange dark figure in the woods near the derrick, after the body was found hanging.

The next night, which was the thirteenth day, the fourth man was found hanging from a rafter in his kitchen-- an apparent suicide.

The man’s wife saw a dark form lurking around their farm for several days after her husband took his own life. He then stopped appearing.

Did the ghost of the innocent oil worker help his prediction come true?

Hoosac Tunnel: The Bloody Pit, Part l

An Engineering Feat

This five-mile railroad tunnel is located in the Berkshire Mountains of northwest Massachusetts. 

In the 19^th century it was the second longest tunnel ever built--this accomplishment is still touted in history books. 
Construction started in 1851 and twenty-four years later in 1874, it was completed.

The workers that dug through this tunnel used a variety of tools, including their hands. They used machines, gunpowder and nitroglycerine, which proved to be the most deadly, to blast through the solid rock.

Their methods became the “gold standard” for tunnels built after this, but the Hoosac Tunnel came at a high price. One hundred ninety-six men lost their lives during the construction. This was one man’s life for every one hundred and twenty-seven feet dug.

Under Construction

The use of nitroglycerine was the cause for most of these deaths.

Considering the tragic way in which these men died it is not surprising the Hoosac Tunnel has many stories, some folklore, some considered true about the ghosts that still linger in and around this tunnel.

Bizarre occurrences were reported as early as 1866 when the tunnel was still under construction.

Three workers, Ned Brinkman, Billy Nash and Ringo Kelley were working with nitroglycerine in the tunnel in 1865. This unstable “highly volatile liquid explosive” had just been introduced into the market and most did not know how to use it correctly.

Brinkman and Nash were planting nitro against the tunnel wall when Kelley set off the charge prematurely. Both Brinkman and Nash were killed in the blast. Kelley emerged from the rubble without a scratch.

What actually happened remains a mystery but many believed the deaths were not an accident. Most concluded that foul play took Brinkman and Nash’s lives.

Their suspicions were backed up when Kelley quit his job shortly after the incident and disappeared.

A year later, in March of 1866, Kelley reappeared. His dead body was found in the tunnel on the exact spot where Brinkman and Nash were killed. A look of terror was frozen on Kelley’s face. Dark bruises were discovered around his throat.

It was apparent very strong hands had strangled Kelley. Many felt the spirits of Brinkman and Nash had finally gotten their revenge.

After the deaths of Brinkman and Nash, many of the workmen in the Hoosac Tunnel began to feel it was haunted. These brave men who fearlessly used dynamite and nitro quit their jobs when confronted with ghosts.

The sounds of gruesome moans were heard throughout the tunnel. It was described as if someone were in great pain. Reports of this phenomenon became so common that the construction company in the fall of 1868, hired a detective to investigate.

Workers resting on wooden supports.

Paul Travers, a respected mechanical engineer and former Civil War officer was brought in to establish “a reasonable” explanation for what was being heard.

After a month the company was disappointed, for Travers report confirmed he had actually been frightened several times by unexplainable human moans while in the tunnel.

In Part ll of Hoosac Tunnel: The Bloody Pit I share more stories including more recent ones about the ghosts that are seen and heard around this tunnel.

Dan Asfar, Haunted Highways, Ghost Stories and Strange Tales, 1973 here.