Giant Octopi - Tumblr Posts

Cryptid Aesthetics [6/?]: Giant Octopi

Tales of giant octopi appear in seafaring cultures worldwide, with similar accounts found in Māori, Caribbean, European, and Japanese folklore. 

The kraken is first described as a creature dwelling of the coasts of Norway and Greenland by Erik Pontoppidan around 1752, though an account of a beast similar to the kraken appear in Icelandic poetry as early as the 13th century.  Carl Linnaeus mentions the creature in his 1735 taxonomy. In 1802, Pierre Dénys de Montfort recognized the existence of the kraken in an encyclopedia of mollusks.

The Akkorokamui is a gigantic octopus which supposedly lurks in Funka Bay in Hokkaidō.  In 1901, John Batchelor describes the account given to him of Ainu fisherman attacked by the creature.  Described as being 120 meters long, emitting an ink-like substance, and having the ability to regenerate amputated limbs, the creature has become a revered part of Shinto tradition.

The St. Augustine Monster is the name given to a large carcass, thought to be the remains of a gigantic octopus, that washed ashore on the Florida coast in 1896.

Similarities may be drawn to Giant Squids and Colossal Squids, both of which are confirmed extant species.

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