Octopuses are creatures with more than half a billion years of evolution.
They are extremely intelligent and resourceful, often deemed mischievous because of their capability to confuse the aggressor and being an escape artist.
Octopus (just like octopus tattoos) have a unique appearence, almost alien-like.
Octopuses are solitary creatures that live alone in dens built from rocks, which the octopus moves into place using its powerful arms.
The octopus’s are super smart and there are records of them being able to touch, smell, manipulate objects as well as dismantle the filtration systems of an aquarium tank. They can also develop opinions about people.
As they live on the bottom of the sea, they have also had this mysterious veil to every sea goer.
This has lead to them being in many mythologies around the globe, from Japan to the Nordics, all the way to modern day story of Ursula in the little mermaid.
Usually the villain, octopus legends are:
- The Kraken is a sea monster from Norse sagas, that dwells off the coasts of Norway and Greenland and terrorizes nearby sailors; it is commonly tattooed along with a sunken ship tattoo.
- The Escape Artist is an urban myth of several stories about octopuses escaping from their tanks in aquariums around the world.
- The Villain is the common octopus trope that can be seen in Jules Verne‘s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, then to Ursula the Sea Witch in Disney’s retelling of The Little Mermaid, all the way to dr. Otto Octavius, or Doctor Octopus, is another villain from the Marvel Spider-Man series.
- The Divine referrs to many cultures from South America to the Pacific Northwest, to the Polynesian Islands where octopuses were traditionally revered as divine protectors and spiritual guides. There are some traditional beliefs that the octopuses control the weather and have the power to heal the sick.