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OCTOPUS - OCTOPI - OCTOPUSES Stories, Folktales, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Legends, Myths, History, Nursery Rhymes, Fantasy & Facts Scroll down or click on your choice below: • SOS - Searching Out Stories/Info - Octopus - Octopi Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians

SOS - SEARCHING OUT STORIES AND INFORMATION - OCTOPUS - OCTOPI - OCTOPUSES
Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians
(excerpts from Storytell posts plus original research)

Book titles and online links are in dark blue and underlined. Click on them to get more stories/information.
In performance, always credit your sources.
To retell these stories, get permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain.
Posts are listed chronologically as they are received by Story Lovers World.


1) The Octopus: Phantom of the Sea by Mary M. Cerullo, 1997. Monkeys aren’t the only ones who see and do. Learning by watching is considered an advanced form of intelligence, and this ability has earned the octopus the distinction of “primate of the sea.” Surprised? Read and find out more about this elusive creature.


2) Beneath Blue Waters: Meetings With Remarkable Deep-Sea Creatures by Deborah Kovacs and Kate Madin. Viking, 1996. Join the crew of a research submersible to explore the depths of the sea. Meet the creatures that call the ocean home and learn about the adaptive strategies that allow them to survive.


3) http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/common-octopus.html
Common Octopus from National Geographic.


4) Johnny Moses recorded a wild story about a crow who says "I know" who gets eaten by an octopus. It's called "Octopus and Crow" but is also listed as "Crow and the Octopus Lady."


5) http://www.activated-storytellers.com/folktales/old_stormalong.html
Old Stormalong. Here is an online version.
Click here: Act!vated Folktale Old Stormalong - page 1 of 2


6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus
Octopus from Wikipedia.


7) http://www.npca.org/marine_and_coastal/marine_wildlife/octopus.html
Giant Pacific Octopus from National Parks Conservation Association.


8) http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/octopus.aspx
Octopus from the Columbia Encyclopedia.


9) http://www.tonmo.com/science/fossils/mythdoc/mythdoc.php
Myths and Legends from tonmo.com.


10) http://history-nz.org/maori9.html
THE LEGEND OF KUPE..
Myths and Legends
It is said that the cause of the voyage that led to the discovery of Aotearoa is to be laid at the feet of Muturangi and his pet octopus. Te Wheke-o-Muturangi. Te Wheke had many children who were in the habit of stealing the bait off the hooks of Kupe and his fellow tribesmen while they were out fishing in open ocean. The next morning, before first light, the fishermen set off from the village in their canoes, aiming to get to the fishing grounds and carefully let down their fishing lines. Unbeknown to the octopus, however, the fishermen hadn't lowered their lines as deep as usual, and so were able to detect the Wheke as they wrapped their tentacles around the bait .By gently pulling up their lines Kupe and his companions were able to raise the unsuspecting baby octopuses to the surface ,where they slaughtered large numbers of them. Kupe then chased Te Wheke's octopus to New Zealand and that's how he discovered New Zealand.


11) http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/akkala_thom/Page%204.htm
Awesome Octopus Stories from Tom Akkala. Bibliography included.


12) Tales from the South Pacific Islands by Anne Gittins, 1977. Octopus helps Lasa build a canoe, advises Lasa to take along anyone who wants to come. Helpers help Lasa to pass a series of tests. Cook Islands. 79-81. Giant Octopus. Ratu defeats giant clam and giant octopus,rescues parents from inside giant blue whale. Cook Islands. 66-71. Octopus forces shark to promise to leave men alone. Fiji. 32-36. Berry, Erick. The Magic Banana and other Polynesian Tales. NY: John Day, 1968. 30-44. Octopus forces shark to promise to leave men alone. 30-44.


13) Legends of Hawaii by Padraic Colum, 1937. 77-83.
Octopus forces shark to promise to leave men alone.


14) Japanese Fairy Tales and Others (Cosimo Classics: Mythology & Folklore) by Lafcadio Hearn. [Many editions, page numbers may vary.] Why Octopus [or jellyfish] has no bones. [Some versions may be about jellyfish instead of octopus.] 35-41. Why octopus lives alone. 83-86.


15) Land of the Long White Cloud: Maori Myths, Tales and Legends by Kiri Te Kanawa, 1997. Islands formed during fight with giant octopus. New Zealand, Maori. 28-34.


16) Fairy tales from the Philippines, by Dorothy Lewis Robertson, 1971. Octopus beats jellyfish and is banned. Philippines. 43-52


17) Gyaehlingaay: Traditions, Tales and Images of the Kaigani Haida (Themes Burke Memorial Washington State Museum, Monographs, No 6) by Carol M. Eastman and Elizabeth A. Edwards, 1991. Raven people mistreat baby octopus, octopus people retaliate. Ultimately reconciled. Kaigani Haida. 35.


18) "Octopus and Raven" from Keepers of the Animals: Native American Stories and Wildlife Activities for Children by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac, 1991. Raven is rude to Old Woman Octopus as she was digging clams. Octopus teaches Raven manners by holding him under water as the tide rises. 73-74.


19) The Magic Banana and Other Polynesian Tales by Erick Berry, 1968. 30-44. Octopus forces shark to promise to leave men alone. 30-44.

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Created 2003; last update 2/3/10