History Main / KrakenAndLeviathan

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': Sin is an unusual example in that it shows it can fly toward the middle of the game, but otherwise fits this trope, being a cetacean-esque sea monster bigger than a city. It appears in ''Webcomic/AnsemRetort'' as "World-killing God-whale", and it's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

** A prehistoric whale species called the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livyatan_melvillei Livyatan melvillei]]'' is very much like its modern relative the Sperm Whale in appearance, but is [[http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/6/30/1277901299026/Artists-impression-of-gia-002.jpg far deadlier, with 14-inch teeth.]] It is named after the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Leviathan]] from Hebrew mythology, and (because it reminds one of the deadly fictional whale Moby Dick, is also named after that novel's author, Creator/HermanMelville.

** A prehistoric whale species called the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livyatan_melvillei Livyatan melvillei]]'' is very much like its descendant the Sperm Whale in appearance, but is [[http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/6/30/1277901299026/Artists-impression-of-gia-002.jpg far deadlier, with 14-inch teeth.]] It is named after the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Leviathan]] from Hebrew mythology, and (because it reminds one of the deadly fictional whale Moby Dick, is also named after that novel's author, Creator/HermanMelville.

** Perhaps not only whales; large salt water crocodilians could be inspiration. Also, there is a ''chance'' that Mesozoic sea serpents survived and became a basis, but it's unlikely.

** The Colossal Squid is even larger, and is the largest cephalopod known (yet). The largest specimen caught was estimated to be 10 meters in length before its tentacles shrank post-mortem. There are indications the species may grow to 14 meters, beaks larger than that of the specimen have been found in the stomachs of sperm whales.
** Huge prehistoric cephalophods include ''Cameroceras'', which looks interesting as it is the largest of the primitive shelled cephalophods, making it appear like a cross between squids and snail. The creature spans up to 9 meters (30 feet) in length.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17089110670.18683200

-->-- '''FlavorText for Cawh''' (pictured), ''TabletopGame/MagiNation''

[[quoteright:279:[[TabletopGame/MagiNation https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cawh_oc_vs_7782.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:279:What's kraken?]]

* [[Myth/CelticMythology Irish mythology]] has The Mata, also known as the muirselche. While its exact description is somewhat vague, most often it's described as a colossal, kraken-like octopus or cephalopod. Though other descriptions include an enormous turtle, or a multi-headed, multi-limbed monstrosity. What is known is that it was big enough to create or drink up seas, and hunted by [[VacuumMouth sucking in a flood tide of water from which none could escape.]] The creature was eventually slain by [[TopGod The Dagda]] using his Staff of Wrath [[ThunderHammer Lorg Mor]] which also caused the sea it was living in to reced. Some believe this may have originally been part of the Celtic creation myth.

The Leviathan in the Bible is often taken to be a view of a whale and is sometimes translated directly as whale. (Notably, the "big fish" that swallowed Jonah was often interpreted as a whale or leviathan but nowadays people are having a lot of fun with it as a megalodon.) Indeed, the modern Hebrew word for whale is לויתן, or leviathan. Strangely, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan actual biblical description of a leviathan]] suggests that it has legs and is able to move on land, and seems to refer to armour plates or scales (in fact, if one ignores the WordOfDante and the [[BreathWeapon fire-breathing]], it sounds quite like a [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile very large crocodile]]). Broadly speaking, however, medieval and older cultures rarely made very granular distinctions between different types of huge marine creatures -- consider, for isntance, how whales were considered to be a type of fish -- which means that, in both ancient and modern fiction, the Leviathan or leviathans are varyingly depicted as outsized sea dragons, SeaSerpents, giant fish or {{Monster Whale}}s.

%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!

%%
%%
%%
%%
%%

The Leviathan in the Bible is often taken to be a view of a whale and is sometimes translated directly as whale. (Notably, the "big fish" that swallowed Jonah was often interpreted as a whale or leviathan but nowadays people are having a lot of fun with it as a megalodon.) Indeed, the modern Hebrew word for whale is לויתן, or leviathan. Strangely, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan actual biblical description of a leviathan]] suggests that it has legs and is able to move on land, and seems to refer to armour plates or scales (in fact, if one ignores the WordOfDante and the [[BreathWeapon fire-breathing]], it sounds quite like a [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile very large crocodile]]). In modern fiction, leviathans are typically interpreted as outsized sea dragons, SeaSerpents, giant fish or {{Monster Whale}}s.

** In ''Film/Godzilla2014'' both the film and viral marketing depicting Godzilla as he was seen by various ancient cultures, as well as his general appearance, status as an untamable force of nature, and ties to the ocean to the point his arrival causes a tsunami all heavily imply he either ''is'' Leviathan or that he inspired the story.

* In ''VideoGame/KidIcarus: Uprising'', you fight a [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Giant Space Kraken]] at the end of Chapter 8.

* ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'': Living in the atmosphere of the gas giant Saturn are massive floating creatures knonw as Kraken. Very little is known about them.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AngelsFriends'', there was an octopus-like monster dwelt in the waters of the Caves of Obscurity who tried to attack the students Julia, Helen, and Matthew, and tried to eat Raf and Sulfus when it dragged the latter two into the water it came from.

* ''FanFic/RomanceAndTheFateOfEquestria'': Evade identifies himself as a leviathan, though Soledad insists on calling him a Film/{{Sharktopus}}. Either way, [[LastOfHisKind he’s the last one left]].