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Maelstrom
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A maelstrom (or malström/malstrøm in the Scandinavian languages) is a very powerful whirlpool; a large, swirling body of water. A free vortex, it has considerable downdraft. The Nordic word was introduced into English by Edgar Allan Poe in his story "A Descent into the Maelström" (1841).
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Encyclopedia
A maelstrom (or malström/malstrøm in the Scandinavian languages) is a very powerful whirlpool; a large, swirling body of water. A free vortex, it has considerable downdraft. The Nordic word was introduced into English by Edgar Allan Poe in his story "A Descent into the Maelström" (1841). In turn, the Nordic word may have been borrowed from Dutch maelstrom (modern spelling maalstroom).
The descriptions of the Maelstrom which were made by Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne describes it like a gigantic circular vortex that reaches the bottom of the ocean, in fact is a set of currents and crosscurrents with a rate of 18 km.
Notable Maelstroms
Moskstraumen
The original Maelstrom (described by Poe and others) is the Moskstraumen, a powerful tidal current in the Lofoten Islands off the Norwegian coast.
The Maelstrom is formed by the conjunction of the current forts that cross the Straits (Moskenstraumen) between the mentioned islands and the great amplitude of the tides. The Maelstrom’s name comes from the Dutch words malen (= to turn) and stroom (= current).
In Norwegian the most frequent name is Moskstraumen or Moskenstraumen (Current of [island] Mosken).
Corryvreckan
The Corryvreckan is the third largest whirlpool in the world, and is on the northern side of the Gulf of Corryvreckan, between the islands of Jura and Scarba off the coast of Scotland. Flood tides and inflow from the Firth of Lorne to the west can drive the waters of Corryvreckan to waves of over 30 feet (9 m), and the roar of the resulting maelstrom can be heard ten miles (16 km) away.
A BBC documentary team once threw a mannequin into the Corryvreckan ("the Hag") with a life jacket and depth gauge. The mannequin was swallowed and spit up far down current with a depth gauge reading of 262 feet with evidence of being dragged along the bottom for a great distance.
In popular culture
In Spanish and other languages, Maelstrom is used as a synonym for whirlpool. Hence, the word "Maelstrom" appears in diverse contexts metaphorically to make reference to different subjects or objects that suggest great chaotic or sinister forces.
The two more important literary productions which make reference to the Maelstrom date from the nineteenth century. The first is the Edgar Allan Poe story "A Descent into the Maelström". The second is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the famous work by Jules Verne. At the end of this novel, Captain Nemo seems to commit suicide, sending his Nautilus submarine into the Maelstrom.
In more recent times, Maelstrom was the name given by Blizzard Entertainment to the great vortex that separates both continents of Azeroth in the video-game world of Warcraft. It is also an ability by the Dark Archons in the game Starcraft, also created by Blizzard Entertainment. In the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" The Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman engage in combat while in a maelstrom. It has also lent its name to a live action role-playing game system run by Profound Decisions; a music project, synth MGP, initiated by Frank Martens, member of the Alphaville group; and is also the name of a Marvel Comics supervillain.
MaelStrom to London is a modern historical fiction, by Stephen Paul West. The Maelstrom is an alliteration for the swirling gothic darkness of the main character, Emily Black. The novel is a Regency/Victorian novel written in the style of Jane Austen, or the Bronte sister's – but of darker mood.
The word, maelstrom denotes powerful and inescapable, personal destructive forces.
A powerful spell in the Tales series of video games is called Maelstrom.
See also
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