Kraken Day

I learned that today is Kraken Day (also know as Myths and Legends Day), which is part of Cephalopod Awareness Days.

First, what's a cephalopod? According to Dictionary.com, it's "characterized by well-developed head and eyes and a ring of sucker-bearing tentacles. The group also includes the octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and pearly nautilus."

According to Checkiday.com, Krakens are gigantic sea monsters from Scandanavian folklore. They were described as giant squids or octopi.

Some people think the Kraken came from tall tales that sailors told of actual giant squids they may have seen.

Here's a picture from Wikipedia of what one artist thought a Kraken looked like.

Here are some ways to celebrate Kraken Day according to Checkiday.com.

• Read Moby Dick, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, or a book about kraken.

• Read "The Kraken," a sonnet by Alfred Tennyson.

• Read a comic that features kraken.

• Watch Clash of the Titans (either the original film, released in 1981, or the 2010 remake).

• Watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

• Learn about the Northwest Pacific Tree Octopus.

• Learn about Akkorokamui and Kanaloa.

• Read a book or watch a documentary about giant squid.