Is Cthulhu a Football Player?

He’s big. He’s powerful. Some say he has wings. And he has ten tackles. But he’s not a football player - at least not a famous one. He’s Cthulhu, and he leads the Great Old Ones in their quest to destroy the world and consume everything within it, engulfing it in evil and hatred. So let’s explore if this rumor about his athletic ability is true or not.

Whenever somebody talks about Cthulhu, it seems almost natural to turn the conversation at some point to tentacles. Tentacles, tentacles, tentacles (that’s four; I owe you six more). But seriously speaking, did Lovecraft actually describe Cthulhu as having tentacles?

The direct quote from “Call of Cthulhu” describes the creature as a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind- and fore-feet, and long, narrow wings behind.”

Wow. Quite the description. But the obvious missing element here is the word “tentacle”, although Lovecraft does mention an “octopus-like head” with “feelers”. And an octopus has tentacles, doesn’t it? Well, the answer may be surprising to most people.

Tentacles or Limbs?

Tentacles in zoology are mainly muscular hydro stats; that is, they are used for moving, manipulating objects, for sensory functions, or helping to feed the bearer. The human tongue is one such organ, making it a type of tentacle! So, too are the eye stalks of snails. Jellyfish have tentacles as well, and those serve a more defensive function.

Cuttlefish, squids, and octopuses (cephalopods), however, use “feelers”, “arms”, or “limbs” for defense or object manipulation. These are not, contrary to popular belief, tentacles. At least not by traditional or official zoological definition. Cultural usage has somewhat changed the definition of these limbs and made them commonly referred to as tentacles, but when you have fried calamari, you’re having arms, buddy.

Telling the difference between a tentacle and a limb can be tricky sometimes, but taking a look at a squid or a cuttlefish’s anatomy, it becomes pretty obvious that there is a difference, because these creatures have both! And yes, something like the Sollasina cthulhu from millennia ago has tentacles that may seem eerily like the arms of an octopus, but they served a different purpose, and are therefore not the same. Consider the difference between your tongue and your arm. Different, right?

So next time somebody talks about Cthulhu and mentions how many tackles he got this time around, you can have a serious conversation about his true statistics. Then again, ten is such a nice round number that you may just have to hold your own pink tentacle and not disclose how smart you are - lest you want to give that Great Old One an eleventh one.