The Kraken

Creator: Ray Harryhausen

Film: Clash of the Titans 1981

Kraken Video Clip

 

 

The Kraken had multiple limbs and from what the story says he was invincible according to the Stygian Witches; "a hundred men could fight him and army could not kill him." The Kraken was believed to be the last of the Titans and was kept in an underwater cave by Poseidon and the rest of the gods. Only used to destroy entire cities, such it was for Argos at the beginning of the story. As the Kraken rose he caused a giant tsunami that destroyed Acrisius and the entire population of Argos. When Cassiopean boasts and says that Andromeda is more beautiful than Thetis at the wedding, the goddess appears and demands the life of Andromeda as a sacrifice to the Kraken or else the beast would be released and destroy Joppa. Perseus now starts his search of the Stygian Witches to see if there is a way to defeat the giant beast. The Stygian Witches tell him that the only way is to use the head of Medusa the Gorgon which can turn any living creature into stone. Persues decapitates Medusa at the Isle of the Dead, and returns just in time for the Sacrifice. As Andromeda is tied against the sacrificial rock the Kraken rises from the sea and is about to take Andromeda when Persues arrives mounted on Pegasus and uses the severed head of Medusa and turns the Kraken into stone. The creature collapses into the sea and Andromeda is saved..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kraken Facts

 

• The original myth of Andromeda and the Kraken was not a kraken after all it was a leviathan a dragon looking creature, Mr. Harryhausen did not wanted to do another "dragon" so he came up with the design of the creature you see here.

 

• There were different sizes of the Kraken one which was a complete model that was about 4 feet long that now has his home in the Berlin Museum. The there was a large size model that was used for the close-ups to get the detailing of the face, then there was a very large model that was about 15 ft long made of sponge rubber that was used for the underwater shots designed and built by Colin Arthur. The other was a armatured model of the creature's lower arm and hand it was used for the detailed close-ups

 

Credit: An Animated Life

By Tony Dalton