Maelstrom, or Mosken-straumen, a tidal whirlpool between two of the Lofoten Islands, off the northwest coast of Norway. Waters in the vicinity of the Lofotens are extremely stormy. Under certain conditions of wind and tide, large whirls are created, resulting in the whirlpool. The Maelstrom is a danger to small boats. Edgar Allan Poe's A Descent into the Maelstrom is an imaginative description of these waters.