Giant squid: real life mega-monsters
I have spent the past three summers as a camp counselor, and I’ve heard my share of ghost stories and other bizarre anecdotes (it’s natural campfire conversation, after all). I’ve even told a few of my own: I used to perpetuate the rumor that there were giant, hungry, freshwater sharks on the other side of the lake that were kept away by a powerful invisible net, and that’s why we couldn’t go to the other side.
None of these stories frighten me because I can easily disprove or rationalize them. The scariest stories for me, and the ones that keep a light on in my room at night, are those that stem from something real. One such example, and one of my biggest fears, would be encountering a giant squid – especially the one that takes hold of the ship in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
A giant squid terrifies me for numerous reasons, but the two main reasons are because they’re predatory and really ugly. These reasons make it easier to separate myself from them and sever any connections we may have. Both are common characteristics of monsters, and I feel the need to keep my distance.
First and foremost, giant squids are predators. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, lots of squids or octopi surround the boat, but only one attaches to the boat (so of course it’s the biggest and most powerful). The crew of the boat has to fight it off, and then the giant squid grabs one crew member with its excessive tentacles and drowns him! Is that real? Actually, yes. Squid have sharp, serrated tentacles that could easily grab and hold onto their prey. They also have a beak – beak! – and it’s huge. I found out all of these things from a seventh grade animal science project and they’ve tormented me ever since. The idea of such creatures has kept me out of deep water and aquariums ever since; I don’t want to be associated in any way with these predators.
Another monstrous characteristic of giant squids is their awful appearance. According to the National Geographic website, the largest giant squid ever recorded was 59 feet (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com). That’s more than ten times my height, and that’s disgusting. They also are thought to have the largest eyes of all animals, up to the size of a beach ball. (Eyes really freak me out. I’m so glad I have good eyesight because I don’t think I’d ever be able to put a contact lens on my eye. Just thinking about their giant eyes makes me shudder.) Again, they have a beak, which likens them to birds, which are also freaky (making me think of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds). Unlike birds, though, a giant squid beak is super strong and can easily bite through human bones. I don’t get any warm feelings from a giant squid; they’re not cute or sweet or similar to me in any way. I can easily distance myself from this monster because I can’t liken it to me at all.
A fictional sea creature that can take hold of the best ship on the seas, like Captain Nemo’s Nautilus, is not one to take lightly. Worse yet is a creature that’s real, not just a figment of someone’s imagination (like hungry freshwater sharks on the other side of the lake). Giant squids are horrible, predatory, hideous monsters that I need to distantly separate from myself. Fear of a giant squid will definitely keep me away from aquariums, deep waters, and any sea voyages for the rest of my life.
For more information to keep you up at night, check out National Geographic: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/giant-squid/.
Squids are just simply nasty all around, so I definitely understand your reasoning. Appearance is important to the overall perception of monsters. Squids represent how awful looking creatures create such an uncomfortable feeling. But monsters don’t always have to appear so creepy. For instance, I’m terrified of rodents. Mice absolutely creep me out. But admittedly, they don’t appear to be monsters (they are), or even all that scary looking — they’re just really disgusting!
I agree! Appearance can definitely be a big factor in determining our fears. I am terrified of bees but I do not view them as monsters. I just scream and run whenever they come within ten feet of me! This idea of disgust manifesting into fear is very interesting to what we’ve been discussing of the monster archetype.
Are you talking Professor Ganyard’s class? If so, you should talk about that a bit in our class sometime. I only ask because, obviously, the content of his course on monsters is highly relevant! I think this post does a good job talking about setting–something we really haven’t touched on much in discussion–and how something like “the sea” is always going to be seen as something that hold monsters: Moby Dick, Jaws, Giant Squid. Which leads me to ask, is the sea itself perceived as monstrous by the human eye?
Two big things stood out to me in your post. One, that squid are terrifying because they’re REAL. You can’t put your mind at ease by recognizing the impossibility/improbability of this “monster’s” existence as you could with, for example, a zombie. Your only comfort is, as you said, avoiding their places of dwelling (unless your “freshwater shark” myth bites you in the butt and we somehow get Land Squid). The second topic that stood out to me is your strong desire to disassociate yourself from the monster in any way possible. You point out the differences in appearance, location, etc.. Though this is partially (mostly?) to keep yourself away from them, could this also indicate your desire to be incapable, by nature, of the monstrosities attributed to such a creature?
I agree with Katie in what I get out of your post; what makes a monster most/more terrifying is its plausibility. I definitely agree that the most terrifying monsters (literary or otherwise) are the ones that are possible. To me though, ugliness has less of a part in it. In the natural world, as you mention, things that are dangerous often times LOOK dangerous. This is sort of a natural warning system. To me the scariest “real” monsters are those we don’t see coming: the tiny insect/arachnid that will kill you in a minute flat with one bite, the rabid dog that wags it tail and whines like it wants a good ear-scratching, and (to tie it back to the text) an unassuming looking dude (Hyde) who will beat you to death with a cane at the drop of a hat. now that is scary.
AND, just to freak some folks out:
they’ve found Bull Sharks as far up the Mississippi River as Illinois.
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/07/16/sharks-in-illinois/
I double checked my research on the freshwater shark epidemic… there are more recent cases (1937 was a long tie ago), how about 2006 and further north… like Lake Pepin, Wisconsin:
http://www.nokomiseast.org/yard/light/creeksharks.html
Real monsters are definitely the most scary…
Its actually an April fools joke I think, but it got the juices flowing huh? the possibility of reality is indeed the most frightening. lol
This makes me think of the special on the Discovery Channel I saw the other night. It was about the Megaladon Shark, which is now extinct. The special tho acted like it was real, sadly i came in right after the bignining where they say it was all actors and not real. I went around for two days thinking that there might be a 40ft shark out there and I should start to tell people.
I love researching underwater mammals and other creatures because they are so exotic and weird. But I have to say, they are terrifying and I will never go in water deeper than my waist out in the ocean, rivers or lakes. I hate the water. It hides everything. And squids are the scariest thing to me for all the reasons listed. However, its so cool to read about, watch, and learn. But I cannot ever go near it for real. It’s terrifying because of that unknown depth of the sea.