Octopus are found in every ocean in the world! They live in cold waters and tropical, can change colour and don't have bones.
Octopus are very interesting creatures. By why is there an octopus on a website about pregnancy and childbirth? The octopus is often seen as a slimy, weird, creepy creature. They are so unlike ourselves, and yet their intelligence makes them hard to ignore. They also have long histories and meanings in cultures of the world.
Octopus are anti-social, they have no true bones only a cartiligenous beak, and approximately one third of their brain lives in their arms. They have an incredible array of tiny cells called chromatophores, that allow them to change colour, camouflage and even mimic other sea creatures like eels and corals. They are highly intelligent, opening boxes and jars and using their water jet to knock out lights. They have been known to sneak out of their aquarium tanks and steal fish from other tanks! They are insatiably curious and great problem solvers. There has been accounts of Aquarists having to come up with the most convoluted tank cover systems, because octopus are also great escape artists. They can squeeze through any hole that fits their beak. So much of the curiosity, ingenuity and intelligence of these creatures comes from experiences that locals, aquarists, videographers and scientists. Octopus antics make for great stories, and much of their history within humanity revolves around stories.
In the Polynesian mythos, the octopus is the most important animal. It's eight arms symbolized the eight routes connecting the islands to Raiatea (Tahiti). In Norse Mythology, it is often associated with the Kraken, a enormous cephalopod-like creature that lives in the oceans between Norway and Greenland, it's job to terrify sailors. Na Kika is an ancient octopus god of the Gilbert Islands, and was said to have helped build the south Pacific Islands. In Hawaiian culture, the god Kanaloa, would often taken the form of an octopus. There is a story among the ancient Hawaiian myths that this current universe is just a part of a more ancient one. This ancient universe has only one survivor in ours, the octopus. In Babylonian ancient myths, the octopus has been a powerful symbol of female power, associated with the goddess Tiamat. The heavens and earth emerged from this goddess, associating the octopus with the divine feminine's creative power. The Ainu People of Japan have stories of Akkorokamui, a spirit both human and octopus, that can regenerate it's limbs. This tale earns Akkorkamui powerful healing qualities. In Ancient Greece, many saw both the octopus and the Odysseus, hero of Homer's the Odyssey, as "polymetis", a word to mean both wisdom and cunning. Some of these histories see octopus as dangerous and evil, and others as good, kind and helpful.
In more modern day symbolism, the octopus has taken up many characteristics and values. Intelligence, Ingenuity, Adaptability, Agility, Empathy, Regeneration and Altruism are the most commonly found symbols. It is this symbolism that seemed to connect to the role of parenthood, childbirth, and obstetrics.
- Intelligence and Ingenuity are needed to help you understand your little creature that doesn't yet speak your language.
- Adaptability is a vital skill as you can never know what your life will bring with pregnancies, new babies and children.
- Agility is needed when your little one starts to run, when you have to learn how to juggle the responsibilities of work, life and children. Being able to change directions quickly and take things as they come are important.
- Empathy is required to help understand and support your children; they have never been that age before and life is tough.
- Regeneration is from the octopus' ability to regrow a limb that it has lost, it has its importance within parenting as well. Parents need to constantly regenerate themselves in order to keep up with their kids, and the birthing person's body also goes through a vast change and regeneration when they have a pregnancy, childbirth and recovery.
- Altruism comes to octopus because when they become parents, its the last thing that they do. Octopus mothers will lay their eggs in a cave, and will keep watch over them for 6 to 8 months. During this time, she will not eat or leave. Her priority is to ensure the eggs have fresh water and oxygen, she will brush them clean with her arms, she will spend her last minutes watching them hatch and then she will die. When you enter into parenthood, your children deserve the best and everything you can give.
With all that fitting so perfectly with parenthood, it seemed appropriate to choose the Octopus as my mascot.
After all, it has one more symbol; wouldn't all parents like to have eight arms to help with their children?
Links to Reading Material on Octopus and Their Symbolism
Basic Etymology of the Word "Octopus", and it's Pluralization
Many people like to say "Octopi" as the pluralization of the word, partially I think because it's fun to say. However, technically the "i" ending is for a Latin word, and generally used with a masculine gendered word. Octopus comes from the Greek word októpus literally meaning eight foot. Greek words are also pluralized depending on the gender and often people want to pluralize it as "Octopodes". This is also not technically correct as Greek words also pluralize depending on the last letter of the word, and in this case it's just as simple as the English pluralization: "Octopuses".
I often find it hard to say "Octopuses" just because the last part of the word is a little hard on the tongue, so I often just pluralize but just saying "Octopus" the same way you say "Moose" and "Moose". So whenever you hear my talk about Octopus, I just keep it as it is regardless of the amount of creatures there might be. So, you know a bit about the history behind this word, but if you wish to pluralize octopus in whatever way you want, go ahead! Words are just made up anyways.
(random extra tidbit: despite the double "o" Moose is pluralized this way because while English "oo" becomes "ee"; Moose is an Indigenous North American word and doesn't follow the same grammar rules)