Abstract

This article outlines two ancient analogues of the contemporary legend of the wild beast in the sewer, often known as the alligator in the sewer. These stories are preserved in Aelian’s (AD 165/170–230/235) On the Characteristics of Animals and Pliny the Elder’s (AD 23/24–79) Natural History and feature octopuses rather than alligators as the transgressors of the vulnerable boundary between wild nature and the urban, manmade environment. I begin by proposing that the narratives represent two distinct versions of the same legend. Aelian’s conforms more closely to the pattern of the modern legend by including the motif of the ascent of the octopus through the sewers of the city, whereas Pliny the Elder’s replaces this theme with the descent of the octopus from a tree, a feat which is viewed as equally anomalous for a marine animal. Regardless of these differences, both texts hinge on the contradictory and ambivalent conceptions of octopuses current in the ancient world. I proceed to analyze these notions in order to unravel the symbolic qualities of the stories. The settings of the narratives and ancient attitudes to sewers, sewage, and dirt are also discussed. The ancient texts are then juxtaposed with later legends in the same vein. Emphasis is placed on the Victorian legends of swine in the sewers of Hampstead, as these might be less familiar to readers. Ancient, Victorian, and contemporary legends are compared and their similarities and dissimilarities are examined.

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