Wednesday Etymology Lesson: maelstrom

From two Danish words (neither of which mean “bad” or “storm,” by the way, but I see why you might think that), maalen meaning “grind or whirl” and stroom meaning “stream or flow.”  Maelstrom was first used to describe a whirlpool, and not just any whirlpool but a mythical whirlpool that was supposed to exist in the Arctic Ocean, west of Norway called the Moskstraumen (see image).  It is described by Edgar Allan Poe in his short story A Descent into the Maelström.  The Mokstraumen does exist, but it is a series of currents, not a giant whirlpool in the middle of the sea.  Some other famous maelstroms include the Saltstraumen in Norway, the Corryvreckan off the coast of Scotland, and the Old Sow, located between Deer Island, New Brunswick and Moose Island, Maine.