On the eighth day of Steampunk Christmas,
My true love gave to me:
Eight Tentacled Arms.
“The octopus was brandishing the victim like a feather. ” Woodcut etchings from illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville, published in the 1871 première edition of Jules Verne’s Vingt mille lieues sous les mers.
The octopus and its cousin, the squid, and its larger cousin, the Kraken, are steampunk icons. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to why they are, however. The best guess involves the octopus attack in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (changed to a giant squid in the Disney movie version), possibly combined with H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu. In any case, cephalopods are intelligent, bizarre, and mysterious creatures, so why not?
So, how have steampunks incorporated these eight-armed creatures into their everyday lives? As you would expect, the amount of imagination and creativity is amazing.
A simple brooch:
A ring:
Hair accessories:
Incorporated into goggles:
As a hat decoration:
Amazing sculpture:
And last, but certainly, not least, El Pulpo Magnifico, the flaming octopus, infamous from Bay Area Maker Faire and Burning Man.
On the Seventh Day of Steampunk Christmas…
On the Sixth Day of Steampunk Christmas…
On the Fifth Day of Steampunk Christmas…
On the Fourth Day of Steampunk Christmas…
On the Third Day of Steampunk Christmas…
Airship Flamel 
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