Maelstrom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Maelstrom (disambiguation).
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 word was introduced from the Nordic form by Edgar Allan Poe in his story "A Descent into the Maelstrom" (1841). In turn, the Nordic word was borrowed from the Dutch maalstroom[1] which means mill stream. The original Maelstrom (described by Poe and others) is the Moskstraumen, a powerful tidal current in the Lofoten Islands off the Norwegian coast.[2]
[edit] Maelstrom in popular culture
- Robert W. Smith wrote a musical composition called Maelstrom.
- In the novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Captain Nemo's Nautilus makes its last appearance going down into the Lofoten Maelstrom.
[edit] References
- ^ See e.g. Svensk etymologisk ordbok (in Swedish)
- ^ Encyclopedia Britannica, 1958 edition.
