Kraken, or
Korven» the
largeft creature
in the.
world.-
every day,-/tó .make a prey1 of the fanners cattle for his mb-
fiften.ce» 'TlW^ förft which ’Wâs Very^ tî^rütïSj as
the hiftorîàn' fay^ and. ço^^ôùt twenty df them their lives ; but
as the reft, grew more .ékpêrièriced % thlsTofs, they would not
in hopes of receiving a greater
reward, in cafe they flipuld fucceed. They cónqüefég it"dtfeft,
by making a large nèt/óf jférÿ their
opportunity when the créature' went 'ouf‘rii fefcrch of prey ; then
they flopped up the way it ufuaîly took in its return, and made
a kind of a defile, through which it Was dbfiged to pafs. At
the end of this they placed the net, ^dd'drove the monfter into
it. When they had thus fècuredit, they carried it to the Icing,
who gave them a reward fluked to the ftgtngenefs of the creature,
and the hazard of thëît.^^fprfle. Thé Sêtpent was favèd to
be a fight föi ftrarigeïs who yîfited PtôîdnÿV court, arid had
every day a large allowance of proper food. The author concludes
from this what Odoard. Dapper, and Other writers of later
date, confirm, namely, that in Æthiopia, and other parts of
Africa, there aie Serpents large' enough to devour not only oxen,
hut alfo the largeft elephants, firft by twiftihg themfehres .abpttt
their legs, and after thus entangling them, they oVerpbwé| them
with eafe.
S E C T . XI.
Iam now come to the third and inconteftibly the largeft Sea-
monfter in the world ; it isf called Kraken, Kraxen, or3 § fome
name it, Krabben, that word being applied by way of eminence
to this creature. This Taft name feems indeed beft to. agree with
the defcription of this creature, which is Wound, flat, and'fnHof
arms, or branches. Others call it alfo Horven, or Soe-horven,
and fome Anker-trold. Among'all the foreign writers, both
ancient and modern, which T have, had opportunity to confiait
on this fubjeft, not one of them feems to know much of this
creature, or at leaf! to have a juft Idép of it. -What they fay
however1 of floating iflands, as they apprehended them to be,
(a thing improbable that they fhould ekift in the wild tumultuous
ocean) (ball afterwards be fpoken of, and will he found applicable’without
any hyperbole to this creature, when I fhall have
firft given fome account of it. This, I fhall da according to what
has been related to me by my correfpondents, and what I have
otherwife collected by an indufttious enquiry and examination
into every particular, Cqncerning which I could receive intelligence.
Alf this, in comparison tq the unknown nature and conftru&
ion
ftroftion of the creature, is'iyéry fhoft Of a perfeft account, deficient,
and calculated pr awake rather than fetisfy the reader’s
euriofity. Bochart might therefore with reafön fey, Lib. i. cap.
éj with Oppiarf. M eu t , cap! i. In mari mfilta'latent, i. e. In
the ocean many things are hidden. Amongft the many great
things which’ are in the OGea%.and concealed from our eyes, oï
only prefented to’ our view*'for a few minutes, is the Kraken
This creature is tkeMgeft and moft furprizing'of all the animal
creation, and confeqoently well deferves fuch an account as the
natute Of -thé thirig||fàccQrd'mg to the Creator’s wife ordinance,
will admit of. Such I fhall give at preferit, and perhaps much
greater light in this fubje£$maay be referVed for pofterity, according
to the words of the fon of Siraeh, 66 Who hath feen him, that
he might tell as? and who can magnify him as he is,? There are
yet hid greater tbings than thefe be. for we have feen but a
few of his works. ' Eecluil chap, xlr^." v’erTfr, 32.
a E C T. XII.
Our fifhermen unanimously affirm, and without the’ leaft VartakBefcnFfîda;
tio-n in their accounts, that when'they row out federal miles ta
fea, particularly in? the hot Summer daysÿ tend by, their fituatiem?
(Which they know by taking aHiew of certakv pmhfÿ of land)
expeft to find 80 or 100 fathoms waterw it often happens that
they do not find above 2,0 or 30, and famet'imes? fefs. : At thefe
pfecêS they generally find the greateft plenty, of Fifth, efpecially
Cod and Ling. Their lihes they fay are no foonerout than they
may draw them up with the hooks all full óf Fifh.-j :by this they'
judge that the Krakfen is at the bottom. They faythiscreaturer
cawfes thofe unnatural fhallows mentioned above,.. and prevents
their founding. Thefe the fi&ermtlf aiçéialways glad to find, looking
«pon thS& as'a; means of their taking abundance of; Fifth.
There are fometimes twenty boats m more got together, and
throwing oat their lines at a moderate drftance from each other ÿ
ând thé only th in g tha.v-rih.en- h a v e ,t o , nbfe ry ft .isj.-wh p.fhftr the
depth continues the feme, which they know by itheii lines' or
whether it grows fhallower by their feeming to have left water.
If this feft be the çafe, they find thattt&e Rrakete is raffing him-
felf nearer the 'ftrrfece, and then it §jg not time fofc them to ftay
any longer j they immediately leave off fiflring, take to their oars,
and get away as feft as they can. When they have reached the
ufual depth of the place, and1 find themfelves out of danger,
they lié upon their oars, and in -a few miairies;’after they fee this
enormous monfter come up to the furface of the water ; he therd
(hows