Akkorokamui
AinuSea DeityOctopusFolkloreMaritime
Lore
Akkorokamui is a Deity — a colossal, cephalopodic presence anchored in kelp-shelf legend. Field notes record a persistent brine of iodine and old seaweed on the wind; a sour-sweet tang like sun-warmed kelp and cured salmon. The sound of its approach is not a cry but a low, rhythmic pressure — the sucking cadence of great arms against water, the distant percussion of a hull dragged and released. Temperature around its claimed waters falls noticeably: cold, clammy drafts that bite through wool, carrying the damp weight of an incoming tide. Observed surfaces near sightings show ragged barnacle collars and radial suction scars where line and wood have been hauled taut and then freed.
Origin: Ainu • Hokkaido (Funka Bay)
Classification: Deity (Sea Spirit / Cephalopod)
Field Notes
Observations
- Radial suction scars on boats or buoys, sudden local whirlpools, and the lingering iodine-kelp scent in calm air.
Encounter Advice
- taboo: Do not cut or display severed tentacles, never set a fire on its waters during its season, and avoid loud metal striking near the shore; such acts are said to provoke deep displeasure.
- reverence: Leave salted fish, small carved offerings, or a bowl of clear water at a shore shrine; sing the old sea-songs and keep to the fasting and speech-prohibitions observed by elders when passing its bay.
- interaction: Approach only through ritualized offerings and quiet ceremony; do not thrust hands into inked water or attempt to harness its limbs. Respect distance—gift, song, and silence are safer than challenge.
- offering: Salted salmon, small wooden carvings shaped like tentacles, braided kelp, and clear water set at a simple shore altar.
Abilities
- Tide-Tentacle EmbraceExtends colossal tentacles across open water to seize vessels and drag them beneath the waves.
- Red Ink VeilEjects a viscous crimson ink that blinds, clots wounds, and lingers to confuse pursuers and mask its retreat.
- Kamuy's RegenerationSevered limbs regrow rapidly and can reform into anchors, extra grasping mouths, or living tools.
- Bay's CallTwists local currents and fish migrations to punish or bless coastal communities by starving or enriching their nets.
Weaknesses
- Exposed MantleA precise strike to the mantle cavity or beak disables propulsion and halts regenerative growth.
- Ritual BindingAinu ritual inau and properly performed coastal ceremonies can placate or temporarily bind the spirit.