Creating Collective Memory

Le Poulpe Colossal

This drawing by French naturalist Pierre Dénys de Montfort portrays a giant octopus with its tentacles wrapped around a ship. Early European narratives of the giant octopus or squid often told tales of these creatures dragging sailors into treacherous waters. Montfort believed that the giant octopus was responsible for the disappearance of British warships in 1782.

1801

illustration