The Octopus

     The octopus is an animal caractherized by their eight arms. Ancient people of the mediterranean were aware of the octopus, as evidenced by certain artworks and designs of prehistory. Octopus were also depicted in the art of the Moche, who whorshipped the sea and its animals.  

Vase from a Mycenanean Greek cemetery at Prosymna.

Yearly Cycle of Power:  Summer, Fall
Time of Power: Night
Attributes: Disguise, Deception, Colour, Intelligence, Texture, Touch, Versatility, Wisdom
In Mitology.
     The Hawaiian  creation Myth relates that the present cosmos is only the last of a series, having arisen in stages from the wreck of the previous universe. In this account, the octopus is the lone survivor of the previous, alien universe.
     In Pacific Mithology the Octopus, or Kupe, according to legend, a man named Kupe was fishing near his home on Raiatea when an octopus stole his fishhooks with its many arms. Enraged, Kupe jumped into his canoe and pursued the beast for 35 days. By that time he had covered 2,400 miles to the south-west and there he sighted an island larger than any he had ever seen before: North Island, New Zealand. He sailed back and invited his compatriots to follow him to the new found land. They did so and became the Maoris.

In Literature.
     The octopus has a significant role in Victor Hugo's book Travailleurs de la mer (Toilers of the sea).

Other forms:
     Years ago, the ancient sailors said that a huge animal lives under the sea, it has eight legs and a big mouth. The also said that this animal atacks the ships and eats his sailors. They called it Kraken.

Kraken.

 


 LINKS:
Tonmo.com
Spiricanada.com
Wikipedia - Kraken
Wikipedia - Octopus