Kraken

The Kraken is a legendary sea monster of giant proportions that is said to dwell off the seven seas. It is a prominent force in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, first appearing in Dead Man's Chest.
==Background==
The Kraken is a notorious tentacled sea-monster of myth which serves Davy Jones as a sort of pet. When Jones has a debtor, he releases the Kraken on them to drag them to the depths.
===Physical appearance===
The Kraken is a gigantic cephalopod beast, with a squid-like mantle and a number of long, suckered tentacles at the base of its head. It also has a long, sharp tail similar to a squid and large round eyes with orange irises and black pupils. It had a large, maw-like mouth surrounded by fangs below its large eyes, and a massive body at least twice as long as its tentacles.
The overall length of the Kraken is similar to the length of ten ships, which would be approximately 1400 feet in total length. Its body resembles a massive, cuttlefish-like cephalopod.
===Origins===
The Kraken was a cryptid (animal of unconfirmed/mythical status) which was inspired by misidentifications of the animal now known as the Giant Squid. Due to the giant squids being beached or run into by ships, the kraken developed a reputation for attacking vessels. The name "kraken" did not originally refer to the giant squid cryptid, but rather a monster from Norwegian sagas which is more comparable to a whale or carnivorous fish the size of an island.
==Appearances==
===Dead Man's Chest===
The Kraken first appears as the pet of Davy Jones, the dark lord of the sea, and commanded to prey upon ships to ensure Jones had many unwilling candidates for service aboard his cursed vessel, the Flying Dutchman. The Kraken could be summoned from aboard the Flying Dutchman, with the use of a giant capstan hammer that sent a shock wave through the ocean that served as a call to the creature. The terrible leviathan was first mentioned when Captain Jack Sparrow was given a Black Spot by Bootstrap Bill Turner on behalf of Davy Jones and was forced to avoid the open water to escape. When Jack's hat came into the possession of two men aboard a fishing boat, the Kraken followed, drawn to the piece of Jack. The creature then sank the ship with frightening ease, killing all on board.
When Will Turner escaped the Flying Dutchman with the key to the Dead Man's Chest, Davy Jones summoned the Kraken to attack the ship Edinburgh Trader, which had rescued Will. As the crew believed they hit a reef, the sailors followed orders from Captain Bellamy, who was caught by one of the Kraken's huge tentacles. The crew looked out toward the sea, where they saw their captain, now a tiny figure wrapped in a huge tentacle. The tentacle rose high in the air and then slapped the screaming captain down upon the water. Much to the fear of the ship's crew, the terrible creature appeared from the depths and began its attack. As Will Turner climbs up the mast, one of the Kraken's tentacles curls around the mast beneath him. Although the other crewmen have trouble defeating the Kraken's many tentacles, Will drew his sword and slashes at one tentacle before stabbing it. In one final move, the Kraken brought down two enormous tentacles onto the ship causing it to break in half. This allowed the Kraken to surface at the center of the destruction and easily drag crew members into its open mouth, dropping one screaming sailor with a tentacle. In the end, the beast's attack killed most of the crew (the rest were executed by Jones' men under his orders) and sank the ship, forcing Will to stow away aboard the Dutchman once again until the ship had reached Isla Cruces.
The Kraken then appeared again later, this time attacking the Black Pearl on Jones' orders when he failed to catch the ship. When the creature attacked, Will ordered the cannons fired on the Kraken's tentacles, severely wounding it but destroying the longboats in the process, save for the one Jack was escaping in. However, when the Kraken attacked again, it destroyed the cannons and attacked the crew, forcing Will, Elizabeth Swann and the crew to set a trap for it using barrels of gunpowder and rum. As the attack continued, it looked like the Kraken was going to win this battle. Nothing the pirates did to stop the monster worked. They shot and stabbed at it, but the beast kept coming. Elizabeth was ordered to shoot while Will was cutting at the rope with his knife. Before the shot could be taken, one of the Kraken's tentacles slithered behind Elizabeth and caught her by the ankle, wrapping around her leg. Elizabeth screamed at the top of her lungs as the tentacle yanked her to the ground, dragging to pull her out of the ship through the Pearl's cabin, until she was saved by the timely arrival of Pintel and Ragetti with an axe, whom chopped the Kraken's tentacle off. This plan would have failed had Jack not returned and fired the shot that caused the explosion that burned the Kraken's tentacles and caused it to retreat, making it even angrier than before. Ultimately, however, Jack was forced into a confrontation with the beast due to being tricked and being chained to the mast of the Pearl by Elizabeth so that everyone else could escape, and was consumed by it aboard his ship, the Black Pearl, as the Kraken pulled it down. Witnessing this, Jones stated that Sparrow's debt was paid.
===At World's End===
Shortly after obtaining Davy Jones' heart, Cutler Beckett ordered Jones to kill the Kraken, fearing Jones may use it against him. The Kraken's death deeply affected Jones as well, as he was seen flinching at the mention of Beckett's recalling of the event. Upon returning from Davy Jones' Locker, Jack Sparrow and his companions discovered the dead beast washed up on a beach. Pintel and Ragetti approached the Kraken's face, and Pintel poked it with a long stick, celebrating the fact that the monster was dead and mused on calling themselves "Kraken Slayers" and turning the creature into an exhibit for profit. Recalling in silence that the Kraken had been the last of its kind, Jack reflected on his own mortality and the potential of being the last pirate in existence while looking into the beast's glazed eye and agreed that Beckett and Jones had to be stopped from taking control of the seas.
Beyond Davy Jones reluctantly killing the monster under Lord Cutler Beckett's orders, the specific way it was done is never given.
===Once Upon a Time===
The Kraken first appears in "The Heart of the Truest Believer". Gold and Neal summon it to steal its ink while stuck on Neverland. It appears again in "Dark Waters".
==Video games==
===Disney Infinity===
The Kraken appears in the game as part of the Pirates of the Caribbean set: in the storyline, the player has to obtain a prize which will allow them to fend off the Kraken and battle Davy Jones. The final reward of the game is the ability to summon the Kraken itself at will. Occasionally, its tentacles can be seen rising from the waves for a few seconds before disappearing into the depths, both during and after the storyline.
===Disney Magic Kingdoms===
The Kraken appears as an attraction that can be built for the player's park for gems.
===Kingdom Hearts III===
The Kraken appears as a boss fight in "The Caribbean" world, inserted into the game's adaptation of the events of At World's End. Unlike the film, it was still alive (indicating that Beckett didn't order its death in this version) and took part in the Battle of the Maelstrom.
==Disney Parks==
====Pirates of the Caribbean====
A reference to the Kraken was installed to Pirates of the Caribbean circa 2006 with the refurbishment that incorporated in elements from the films. On the map of Isla Tesoro, red writing on the north-most part of the island reads, "Beware the Kraken". Given how the map gives it a good amount of proximity to the Ghostly Grotto, this could be implication that the Kraken could have been responsible for some of the shipwrecks seen on the island.
This map is only blatantly visible in Disneyland's incarnation of the attraction, being located on a sand-bar near a parrot in the queue. It is also present in the Magic Kingdom's albeit not visible, being in the possession of the pooped pirate and being spied on by Jack from a barrel.
====The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow====
The Kraken made an appearance in this defunct attraction along with Davy Jones.
====Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure====
The Kraken plays a more prominent role in this Shanghai Disney attraction. It is first seen when riders voyage under the ocean and see the Kraken swimming around and over them. Later in the ride it assists in Davy Jones' attack on Jack Sparrow and the guests.
==Gallery==
Kraken-DMC.png|Capsizing a ship
Pirates2-disneyscreencaps.com-11432.jpg|The Kraken's tentacle goes after Will Turner.
Pirates2-disneyscreencaps.com-11444.jpg|Will Turner fights the tentacle.
KrakenBlackPearl-DMC.jpg
Scnet_pirates2_09956.jpg|One of the Kraken's tentacles sneaks behind Elizabeth Swann.
Scnet_pirates2_09957.jpg
Pirates2-disneyscreencaps.com-15338.jpg|Elizabeth screams as the Kraken drags her.
Scnet_pirates2_09961.jpg
KrakenMouth-DMC.jpg|Jack Sparrow stands before the Kraken
JackvsKraken.jpg
Kraken Mouth.jpg|The Kraken's mouth up close
KrakenAttacking.png
Dead Kraken.jpg|The Kraken beached
Kraken Lego.jpg|Mega Bloks Kraken
Pirates Kraken Concept.jpg|Concept artwork
Kraken Disney Infinity.png|Kraken in Disney Infinity
Once Upon a Time - 6x15 - A Wondrous Place - Kraken.jpg|Kraken in Once Upon a Time
Ba-the kraken.png|Kraken attraction in Magic Kingdoms
File:KrakenKingdomHearts3.png|The Kraken in Kingdom Hearts III
Kraken in POTC Battle for the Sunken Treasure.jpg|Kraken in Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure
Disney100Poster.jpg
==Trivia==
*It is stated in related media tied in with the films that the Kraken was the last of its kind.
*While a famous sea cryptid, contrary to popular belief, the Kraken did not have much affiliation with the golden age of piracy's superstition. This was largely because giant squids (which inspired the kraken myth) were not native to tropical climates where the golden age of piracy was predominately set in.
==External links==
*Kraken on Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki
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