KRAKEN
Real Name: Ceto
Identity/Class: Demon (Elderspawn)
Occupation: Mother of Monsters;
former agent of Eurystheus & Neptune
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Achelous, Eurystheus, the Hand, Neptune, Matsuo Tsurayaba
Enemies: Hercules (Heracles), Medusa, Perseus, Wolverine (James "Logan" Howlett)
Known Relatives: Phorcys (husband), Echidna, Gorgons (Euryale, Medusa, Stheno), Graeae (Deinos, Enyo, Pephredo), Scylla, Sirens, Thoosa, Zirnitra (daughters), Typhon, Vârcolac (sons-in-law), Gaea (mother), Pontus (father), Set (father-in-law), Argus, Briareus, Brontes, Cottus, Cronus, Crius, Coeus, Gyges, Hyperion, Japet, Nereus, Oceanus, Ophion, Steropes, Typhon (brothers), Dione, Furies, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Theia, Themis, Tethys (sisters), Cerberus, Chrysaor, Hydra, Ladon, Nemean Lion, Orthus, Pegasus (grandsons), Angerboda, Chimaera, Phaea, Maralith, Sphinx (granddaughters), Callirhoe (granddaughter-in-law), Geryon (grat-grandson, deceased), Damballah, Dragon of the Moon, Siapep, Sligguth, Yamato-no-Orichi (brothers-in-law), Ishiti, Tartessus (sisters-in-law), Chthon, Hyppus (uncles), Issus, Oshtur (aunts), Demiurge (grandfather), many other distant relatives
Aliases: Cetus
Base of Operations: Mobile throughout Earth's oceans
First Appearance: (Mentioned) Marvel Tarot (2007); (seen) Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#3 (July, 2011)
Powers/Abilities: Ceto's head is mollusca-like in appearance including tentacles surrounding the maw. She possesses two arms with tentacle-like digits. Her upper and presumably lower body resemble a shrimp (a gigantic shrimp), including extremeties protruding from throughout the center of her chest. Her maw is filled with sharp teeth, so is her gullet. She possessed city-crushing strength (incalculable and far above class 100), easily taking apart buildings with the tentacles attached to her head alone. According to legend she could, despite her size and body armor, be killed with a sword by stabbing her through certain unarmored parts on her body. (see comments)
Height: 260' (by approximation)
Weight: 230 tons (by approximation)
Eyes: Red
Hair: None
History:
(Marvel Tarot) - Ceto, daughter of Gaea and Pontus, gave birth to many monsters fathered by Phorcys. They were all second generation descendants of Set.
(Mythology) - Neptune sent Ceto to devour Ethiopian princess Andromeda, daughter of King Cepheus, as punishment for her mother Kassiopeia claiming that Andromeda was more beutiful than Neptune's daughters. Chained to Jaffa's rock (seems like Andromeda was taken from Ethopia up to future Isreael to be eaten...quite a journey) as a sacrifice Andromeda awaited Ceto's arrival, but the hero Perseus came to Andromeda's aid and stabbed Ceto to death. (see comments)
(Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#4 (fb) - BTS) - According to Hercules Perseus did not turn the Kraken to stone, but....(see comments; he didn't get the chance to reveal how Perseus killed the Kraken because Wolverine cut him off).
(Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#4 (fb) - BTS) - Neptune took the remains of Ceto to an underwater tomb off the coast of Jaffa, Israel.
(Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#3) - Eurystheus, Achelous and Hand ninjas dove down to Ceto's tomb. The Hand ninjas resurrected the monster, which rose from its tomb in front of Eurystheus, who proclaimed to unleash the Kraken.
(Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#4) - Ceto nearly sank a fishing boat off the coast of Jaffa when she rose from the sea. Hercules jumped from a Quinjet on Ceto's head, but she esily swatted him away with a tentacle before Hercules could harm her.
Arriving in Jaffa Ceto attacked the city, but Hercules tossed a boat at her head and beat on her with another boat until it broke. Ceto got hold of Hercules and was going to devour him when Wolverine, using the Medusa's head, turned Ceto to stone. Hercules broke free from the petrified tentacle and was aggravated by the fact that Wolverine used "Clash of the Titans" knowledge to defeat the Kraken. Wolverine mocked Hercules for calling Ceto the Kraken.
Comments: Adapted by Frank Tieri (writer) & Juan Santacruz (artist).
Phorcys and Ceto both have that tentacle face thing going. I can see why they fell for each other! In the Marvel Universe, according to Hercules Perseus did not turn the Kraken to stone, which probably means the groin-stabbing was the means to slay the monster in the MU.
In some accounts Perseus turned Ceto to stone while in others he stabbed the monster in the groin over and over again until it died. The most famous depiction of the battle between Perseus and the Kraken is probably from the movie Clash of the Titans (1981) wherein Perseus used the Medusa's head, another monstrosity slain by Perseus, to turn the Kraken to stone.
Put an octopus on a shrimp's body and you got Ceto's look in the Marvel Universe. I see what her husband saw in her!
BTW Ceto's daughter Echidna also became mother to a long line of monsters, continuing her mother Ceto's legacy.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Kraken (Cetus) has no known connection to:
images (without ads)
Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#3, p22, pan2 (main image)
Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#4, p4 (head shot)
Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#4, p9, pan1 (attacking)
Appearances:
Marvel Tarot#1 (2007) - David Sexton (writer/design), Doug Sexton (technical consultant), Jeff Christiansen (continuity consultant), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants#3-4 (July-August, 2011) - Frank Tieri (writer), Juan Santacruz (artist), Charlie Beckerman (editor)
First Posted: 08/18/2015
Last updated: 08/18/2015
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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