• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

Octopus Goddess

So, should she...

  • have tentacles below

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • have tentacles on her head

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • something even more bizarre

    Votes: 6 100.0%

  • Total voters
    6

Insolent Lad

Maester
An octopus goddess: inspired to some degree by Hit, of Micronesian myth. She is definitely going to play a role in the WIP (though may make little more than a cameo appearance, physically), as one of many who desire to possess the powerful 'mystic' gems my protagonist carries. So, the question (I think!) is about her appearance.

Should she have tentacles below, like Ursula from The Little Mermaid? Or would she be like Medusa, but with tentacles on her head instead of snakes? Or some other look entirely? It may be noted that Hit (not that I'm bound in any way to be true to her myth) was noted for a certain lascivious dance she performed and that gives one all sorts of ideas about where limbs might have ended and tentacles began.
 
Is she bound to either water or land, or is she able to survive both? Perhaps she has two forms, one when in water, one when on land, and the land based appearance is more humanoid but her arms / fingers / legs can shape-shift into tentacles at will? Or perhaps her fingers and arms, when trailed over human skin (like if she is performing her mesmerizing dance) may appear human but feel like tentacles to whomever is touched by them. Or, if she grabs someone, they feel as if multiple tentacles are being wrapped around them? Lots of possibilities! Good luck!
 

Insolent Lad

Maester
Being a goddess, I'm figuring she can manifest in more than one way, to be sure. I'm just trying to pick the one she might use when she reveals herself to my protagonists--and I'm thinking it will tend toward the more human side of things. But she might have a bit of a boneless look!
 

Crescent

Acolyte
Let's think about the key traits of an octopus, the ones that differentiate them from other animals especially. To me, these would be flexibility, color changing, and intelligence. The intelligence matters little here, as we are focusing on appearance, and some shared themes of both flexibility and color changing are adaptability, control over oneself, and stealth.
Octopi also seem alien and foreign to us as humans, which I will also consider.
Given that this is a goddess, female, loosely basing her outfit off of an octopus would make some sense to me, a dress that splits into eight strips of fabric towards the bottom. Having her body be mostly human makes her more relatable, and I think helps to make up for my next idea; like many octopi, she could have pure black eyes, making her more alien in appearance. Her hair and dress colors could shift over time, and her deific powers could lead to her not having to physically have tentacles, but rather make tentacles with magic, being able to easily do things without even having to move, fitting of a deity.
As far as adaptability, control over oneself, and stealth, I think all lend themselves to a very dexterous character, which lends itself well to the dance you mentioned.
The dance a humanoid would most admire, I feel, is that of another humanoid.
I think simplicity could be valuable here, as it would make some sense for deities to have an appearance that varies depending on observer, with humanoids seeing this humanoid form, and fish seeing a fish form. This idea stems from many mythologies around the Mediterranean, where all gods were thought to shift into any animal form. This may be a concept you don't see in your world however, of course.
These are all just ideas, so you obviously don't have to use them, but I hope they at least give you some inspiration.
 

Almyrigan Hero

Minstrel
I think a sort of tentacle 'gown'/tail sort of thing would be an interesting take. Three tentacles at the base of each hip, two on the back/just above the buttocks, maybe with some sort of colorful membrane between them to complete the look. As for what she'd wear in conjunction with that sort of feature... honestly, as silly of a trope as bikini armor is, a marine goddess would actually be the one fairly sensible place to use it.
 

WooHooMan

Auror
I would lean harder on the octopus side rather than making her humanoid. Maybe an extra large octopus with a human face.
Maybe her or her dance can entice people (if that’s what your going for) not because she’s physical attractive by human standards but because of her divine radiance which makes her attractive to all beings?

I don’t know, I’m of the opinion that animal gods should look like the animal rather than being humans with animal traits.
 

Insolent Lad

Maester
Not that my goddess needs to follow the norm, but gods in general go for a human look when they visit mortals, and may have a very different form in their own worlds or, more precisely, are connected to another form, and can manifest pretty much any shape in between (but would be unlikely to bother). But this Octopus deity is not from any previous pantheon I've visited so maybe none of that matters! I am thinking when she first manifests, coming from the sea with her minions (a variant on the adaro), she will choose to be more fearsome and alien in appearance. But if she chooses to attempt a seduction of our hero--oh, who am I kidding, of course she will--I'll want something near-human Thanks for any suggestions. I'll probably have one choice or another in writing shortly.
 

Ned Marcus

Maester
If she's an octopus goddess, does that mean she only has a few years to live? Octopuses have very short lifespans.
 

Samantha Raspe

New Member
First of all, love this idea! Secondly,I think it would be cool if instead of prominently visible tentacles she had the suctions visible down the sides of her torso,arms and legs and then when angered or demonstrating her power the tentacles extend outward from those porous sections of her body? Just a fun idea.
An octopus goddess: inspired to some degree by Hit, of Micronesian myth. She is definitely going to play a role in the WIP (though may make little more than a cameo appearance, physically), as one of many who desire to possess the powerful 'mystic' gems my protagonist carries. So, the question (I think!) is about her appearance.

Should she have tentacles below, like Ursula from The Little Mermaid? Or would she be like Medusa, but with tentacles on her head instead of snakes? Or some other look entirely? It may be noted that Hit (not that I'm bound in any way to be true to her myth) was noted for a certain lascivious dance she performed and that gives one all sorts of ideas about where limbs might have ended and tentacles began.
 

ButlerianHeretic

Troubadour
As to how she should appear when she reveals herself, I'd think that should depend on her goals. Does she want the characters to underestimate her and possibly get themselves in trouble, in which case maybe she appears as an old woman selling fish that don't smell particularly fresh? Does she want them to be terrified and bow down in fear in which case maybe she looks like Mistress C'thulu saying "in place of a dark lord you will have a queen...as treacherous as the sea!..."? (couldn't resist, I just love that scene) Does she want them to see her as a powerful and benevolent being that they should willingly serve?

One of my favorite ideas for a diety's true form is based on a description of evolution as a blind mad god with millions of hands. Something about an octopus-goddess made me think of that.
 
Top