minus 1 Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 Quote: So farewell then, Paul. The world’s most famous octopus, the underwater Nostradamus, the eight-legged cephalopod prophet of the football pitch, has died in his German aquarium. The good news though is that foul play is not suspected. Death threats had rained down on the Weymouth-born mollusc as he consistently predicted the outcome of the World Cup matches this summer. By correctly tipping Serbia to beat Germany, Germany to beat England, Spain to beat Germany in the semi-final and again Spain to beat Holland in the final, he succeeded in making enemies in England, Germany and Holland. For many fans, especially in Argentina (correctly predicted to lose against the Germans) it was a case of wanting to grill the messenger bringing bad news. The internet ran hot with octopus recipes – sliced , fried with garlic and white wine was a particular favourite – and security around his tank in the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre was doubled. Iran denounced him as decadent — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he was spreading Western propaganda and superstitions — and there were rumours of an octo-fatwa. Kazakhstan betting syndicates, furious that they had been out-guessed by an octopus or, indeed anyone born in Weymouth, swore revenge. The Spanish government offered Paul a safe haven in their country. Yet, at the end of the day, Paul appears to have died a natural death. He has been sluggish for weeks and while an octopus always has problems getting out of bed, it was clear that he was on his last legs. “We found Paul dead at the bottom of his tank,†said spokeswoman Tanja Munzig. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 Didn't predict his own death then? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 just heard about that on the news. Glad he had a good life. Glad that people are gonna quaff down some spiced octopus legs too. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 fried and spiced with chili n salt. Good send off. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 they could have let the ink dry before they wrote about him Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 Perhaps they were just putting their feelers out for the story? Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 He was a fine octopus. I felt like I knew him, somehow. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 Conspiracy theorists have him actually dying before the Final. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 Originally Posted By: RobBright Perhaps they were just putting their feelers out for the story? the suckers were in place for an exclusive. Link to post Share on other sites
Nisoko 6 Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 A TRIBUTE to Paul the octopus has been unveiled in Germany to mark the life of the unlikely World Cup star. The mollusc shot to fame by correctly predicting the winner of each of Germany's seven matches at last summer's tournament, as well as the outcome of the final between Holland and Spain. Millions watched as Paul was presented with two boxes containing mussels, with each one containing the flag of a team taking part in a forthcoming game. Paul swam around his tank before choosing a mussel, which indicated his prediction of a win for the country whose flag was on that box. After the finals, Paul's owner, Julie McDee, stated the octopus would not make any more predictions — and effectively sent him into retirement. He died on October 26 and was cremated, with his remains buried in the grounds of the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen. Link to post Share on other sites
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