“The Kracken” was created for the ‘Gods & Monsters’ exhibit here at Pale Horse Gallery. 30×40 in. framed archival canvas print. $550. Please inquire for purchasing details.

A massive sea monster that dwells off Scandinavian waters, the Kraken is so huge, it was sometimes mistaken for a group of islands by unsuspecting sailors who ventured far from shore. But when curious mariners drew near, the islands might erupt into a mass of waving tentacles that could grasp and sink even the largest of ships.

It was said that when the Kraken submerged, it could suck down a vessel just by the whirlpool it created. And it would discharge an inky liquid that blackened and poisoned the waters.

The Kraken may well be dead, poisoned by marine pollution. But those who have studied its history claim that it lives yet, but in a state of hibernation, sleeping, far beneath the abysmal sea.