Pirates and Sea Monsters

The latest Pirates of the Caribbean film includes a legendary monster from the deep - the kraken.

Aaarrgggh! This could well be the year of the pirate as Johnny Depp and Company swagger into theatres with their latest escapades in Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest. What do pirates have to do with the paranormal, you may ask? Well, rumour has it that when going ashore to bury or otherwise conceal their ill-gotten booty, some particularly nasty pirates would murder one of the members of the landing party and toss his body in with the loot. It was thought that this unfortunate person's ghost would then haunt the site and "protect" the treasure. (Once word of this practise got out, you would think there wouldn't be too many volunteers for treasure-burying duty.)

Even if this story is ultimately not true, it certainly would discourage anyone from trying to unearth the loot for themselves.

The new Pirates flick also includes a legendary creature from the ocean's depths: the kraken. According to legend, the kraken was a terrifying sea monster with many arms that would attack sailing ships by wrapping its tentacles around a vessel and then pull it down into the depths. The unfortunate crew members would either drown or be eaten by the brute.

More than likely, the legend of the kraken is based on the real-life giant squid. The largest one ever measured washed ashore in 1878, measuring 20 feet from beak to tail,with tentacles measuring up to 35 feet - these were armed with 4-inch suckers. The giant squid has been known to attack 40-ton sperm whales, so a (relatively small) sailing ship would be no match for this deep-sea animal.

This week's article will examine another water beastie, the Loch Ness Monster.