Who let the Kraken out? Turns out it was an 18th-century Danish dude named Erik Pontoppidan! Though there had been various accounts of fearsome, tentacled sea creatures dating back to Viking times, Pontoppidan's light beach-read The Natural History of Norway described several "encounters" with a massive, powerful beast prowling the northerly seas... in detail! Not cool, man! Krakens will reveal themselves when they're ready! For example, this purple monster took a few hundred years to come around to the idea of trading in the briny deep for the comfy chair! Don't let Pontoppidan (the print paparazzi) turn you off to humans, Kraken! We're cuddly, warm and totally capable of respecting your privacy!