Squid
Squid are soft-bodied cephalopods. They are very intelligent open-ocean hunters. Some species can change color for camouflage, some defend themselves by spraying ink, and some are even bioluminescent.
Unlike many sea creatures, squid survived and even thrived as the oceans acidified at the end of the Fourth World. They and other cephalopods make up a large portion of sea fauna in the Fifth World.
#Human relations
People who live in coastal areas often hunt squid for their meat, preparing it in a variety of ways.
#Squid People
A community specializing in relationship with squid will invariably live near or on the ocean. A close relationship with squid can influence their culture in many ways, examples of which follow:
Squidding communities will take great care not to hunt too much squid, so as to maintain ecological balance. Perhaps they'll have a tradition of moving from place to place, squidding in certain places only at certain times of year. Their wizards may go into trances to communicate with the squid, or a representative of the local squid, to ask how many they may take in that particular season.
Squidding communities must, by necessity, also have mastered boat-making, sailing, and catching other sea-meats. They'll likely catch squid with hook-and-line fishing, making use of bait. All of this -- wood for boating, and materials for making sails, nets, and fishing lines -- will require some time on land. They may care for forests of the trees they use to make their boats, perhaps developing a scouting tradition to protect the forests from outsiders who might cut them down. Or they may practice a small amount of gardening; growing hemp or bamboo for rope, sails, nets, and lines. Different squidders will work to find the most effective lures to attract squid, perhaps passing especially effective lures down from generation to generation.
As sailors, squidders understand the necessity of food that keeps. They likely dry much of the squid they catch, to preserve it for long sea voyages. If they themselves don't like to sail far, they may trade dried squid with communities that do, or with sea traders on regular sailing routes. They may make dried squid in a variety of flavors, mixing it with various spices grown on land, or even coconut sugar for a sweet-and-salty taste. Certain community members might become known for their excellent dried squid recipes, impressing neighboring communities when they bring their dried squid to yearly festivals.
The squids' intelligence, creativity, and adaptability will inspire any community that gets to know them. The squid may become the subject of that community's trickster tales. Communities that specialize in relationship with squid will likely have ceremonies and/or festivals honoring the squid. Celebrants may dress up as squid and dance in ways that emulate their speed and grace underwater, imitate the squid's color-changing and camouflaging abilities with body paint, or even playfully throw black ink on each other!
The giant squid, while living far below the surface, has inspired tales of sea monsters for thousands of years. A community specializing in relationship with squid will usually hunt only smaller species of squid, but like all sailors, they will remain fearful of giant squid, knowing that one might destroy their boats if not given the proper offerings. (What offerings the giant squid demands will probably vary from place to place and community to community.) Their wizards may view giant squids as gods or spirits, representing and protecting the smaller species of squid that humans encounter more often. They may have stories about giant squids who killed greedy squidders in retribution for the excessive squid they killed.
#Families
- Ancistrocheiridae
- Architeuthidae
- Brachioteuthidae
- Chiroteuthidae
- Cranchiidae
- Cycloteuthidae
- Enoploteuthidae
- Gonatidae
- Histioteuthidae
- Joubiniteuthidae
- Lepidoteuthidae
- Lycoteuthidae
- Neoteuthidae
- Ommastrephidae
- Onychoteuthidae
- Pholidoteuthidae
- Pyroteuthidae
- Thysanoteuthidae