cecaelia

plural cecaelias

1. A composite mythical being, combining the head, arms and torso of a woman (more rarely a man) and, from the lower torso down, the tentacles of an octopus or squid as a form of mermaid, sea witch, or sea demon.

   URSULA |Film| “The Little Mermaid” (1989) |Voiced by| Pat Carroll |Special attributes| She’s a cecaelia (a human-octopus mashup) with magical powers.

   2014 May 30, Sarah Bryan Miller, “They’s the Best at Being the Worst”, in Go! Magazine (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), page 17

   5 more examples

   During planning for the film, Ursula was not originally designed as a cecaelia (a composite mythical being, combining the head, arms and torso of a woman, and from the lower torso down, the tentacles of an octopus or squid as a form of mermaid or sea demon). It was thought that she would be another sea creature, such as a rockfish-like mermaid.

   2010, Joshua C. Shaffer, Discovering the Magic Kingdom: An Unofficial Disneyland Vacation Guide, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 40

   A mundane company had hired him to summon up a cecaelia demon. For the amount of money they were paying, and considering that cecaelia demons were lesser demons who could scarcely cause all that much fuss, Magnus had agreed to not ask questions.

   2013, Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway) (The Bane Chronicles), Margaret K. McElderry Books, →ISBN

   A spear of flame lanced out to strike the cecaelia. It shrieked and writhed as the heat seared its flesh, dropping its spear to bat at the smoldering wounds. Torius took the opportunity to drive his cutlass up into its chest. Still the thing clutched him, tentacles wrapping his arm and snaking around his neck. Celeste darted forward, but before she could reach him, an arrow transfixed the cecaelia’s head, and it fell.[…]She had seen that the pirates outnumbered the cecaelias, but the longer reach of the invaders’ spears and their entangling tentacles were wreaking havoc.

   2013 April, Chris A. Jackson, “A Surprise Engagement”, in Pirate’s Honor (Pathfinder Tales), Paizo, →ISBN, pages 113–114

   An officious Cecaelia rapped the floor of the platform sternly and called the court to order. After a few more raps and some stern looks, there was silence. She bowed deeply to Atlantica who bid her to continue with a wave.

   2014, Jolie Jaquinta, “Throne of the Sea”, in Red Queen, →ISBN

   Mademoiselle halted momentarily to marvel at a cecaelia rising furiously from the waves being whipped into foam by her tentacles and brandishing a trident high above.

   2014 June, Christian Vago, The Rotted Garden (The Mademoiselle de Commercy Series; volume one), FriesenPress, →ISBN, page 441