Legendary Catfish: Difference between revisions
Stardew Valley
(Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead. #IABot (v2.0beta10ehf1)) |
RivetVermin (talk | contribs) (Stardew Valley) |
||
| (6 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown) | |||
Line 18:
Those legendary giant fish that inhabit certain lakes. They usually have names like "Bubba" or "Sherman". The exact kind of fish is usually a Catfish. They each have a story on how they're [[Stronger with Age|old as the lake itself, big as a bus]], and ''almost'' impossible to catch.
That ''almost'' part is important. The protagonist will thus be encouraged to go out and be The One To Catch
In a more general sense, an animal that ''ought'' to be considered easy prey, yet it is also a vicious creature that attacks ''you'' instead, succeeds in biting you and leaving a nasty scar (sometimes ''despite having no teeth!''). Oh, and it's darn near [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now|impossible to kill]] no matter how hard you beat on it, or how many bones you break.
Maybe it's a [[Killer Rabbit]], Evil Squirrel, or a Rabid Raccoon, or the actual evil Catfish himself (Several shows will have a whole episode about an evil vicious Catfish), but if it's an animal that should be easy prey, but turns into a ''[[Moby Dick]]''-style [[Animal Nemesis]] you've sworn to kill or die trying, you're probably dealing with '''The Catfish'''.▼
Bonus points if catching it requires the use of your own flesh as [[The Bait|live bait]].
Note that not ''all'' catfish in fiction are
[[Truth in Television]], at least in Eurasia. Look up the [[wikipedia:Wels catfish|"wels catfish"]], also called a "sheatfish". They can be up to 10 ft long (3m) and weigh 330 lbs (150 kg). They eat ducks.
Compare [[Legendary Carp]]. See [[wikipedia:Noodling|"Noodling"]]. Not related to [[w:Catfishing|"Catfishing"]], a term that can apply in a [[Dating Service Disaster]].
▲Maybe it's a [[Killer Rabbit]], Evil Squirrel, or a Rabid Raccoon, or the actual evil Catfish himself (Several shows will have a whole episode about an evil vicious Catfish), but if it's an animal that should be easy prey, but turns into a ''[[Moby Dick]]''-style [[Animal Nemesis]] you've sworn to kill or die trying, you're probably dealing with a '''
{{examples}}
Line 44:
== [[Film]] ==
* At the beginning of ''[[Big Fish]]'', Edward Bloom tells a story about how, when his son was being born, he was busy being dragged around a lake after having been foolish enough to try to catch one of these legendary catfish. After having used his wedding ring as bait.
* The association of catfishes with earthquakes seems rather common in Japanese works. This goes back to a Japanese legend that earthquakes are caused by a giant catfish wriggling in the mud underneath the earth.▼
* This [http://www.snopes.com/critters/lurkers/catfish.asp Urban Legend] about a giant catfish.▼
* '''Every Single Lake''' in America has its own Legendary Fish. Or at least some other awesome Folkie Tale or Legendary Legend, sometimes with cool gory bits. Make sure to ask around every time you visit one.▼
** OK, OK, every single ''large'', natural lake, and only the ones that don't have prehistoric monsters in them.▼
* Russian folklore features the sentient "Miraclous Whale Fish", whose body was turned into a [[Genius Loci|floating town]] as a [[Laser-Guided Karma|divine punishment]] for swallowing thirty ships ages ago. [[The Protagonist]] tells The Catfish about the punishment's reason, after which it spits out all of the ships ''unharmed together with the crew''. As soon as it's free from its curse, it starts helping the protagonist.▼
== [[Literature]] ==
Line 61 ⟶ 54:
* The Irvin S. Cobb story [https://web.archive.org/web/20130907041714/http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/10592/ "Fishhead."]
* In David Eddings' ''[[The Belgariad|Polgara the Sorceress]]'', one character is convinced to keep his true identity as the lost prince of Riva a secret by getting him hooked on trying to catch one of the local Catfishes, "Old Twister" - and, should he ever succeed, intends to let Old Twister go again. When Old Twister turns up dead after a hard winter, the heir actually gives up fishing.
* In [[William Faulkner]]'s ''[[The Sound and the Fury]]'', there is an eddy outside of Boston inhabited by a trout which has been eluding capture for 25 years. A store in Boston offers a $25 fishing rod to anyone who catches it. The main character, after observing a group of boys looking out at the Eddy and coveting the prize, tells them, "Only don't catch that old fellow down there. He deserves to be let alone." One of the kids remark, "Can't anybody catch that fish."
* In ''[[A Canticle for Leibowitz]],'' the giant catfish Bo'dollos is rumoured to haunt a lake formed over a crater once occupied by a village and 'an intercontinental launching pad, complete with several fascinating subterranean storage tanks.' Incidentally, the site was excavated by the Venerable Boedullus.
* The ultimate example has to be the short story [https://web.archive.org/web/20090304095258/http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/waldrop5/waldrop51.html "God's Hooks"] by [[Howard Waldrop]].
* In ''The Sword in the Stone'' ([[The Once and Future King|book by T. H. White]] and [[The Sword in the Stone|Disney movie]] both) Wart and Merlin encounter the king fish of the moat, who argues that "might is right."
* In ''December Boys'', an old fisherman named Shellback spends his days trying to catch a huge fish called Henry, {{spoiler|and was visibly upset when one of the orphans beat him in catching Henry}}.
== [[Live
* The show ''[[River Monsters]]'' and variants, are all about this.
** They did a show about giant catfish in Germany, where tradition going back hundreds of years says, they eat people. It turns out they [[I'm a Humanitarian|only nip at them a little]]. Overlaps with [[Legendary Carp]].
Line 80 ⟶ 73:
== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
* Khan, the giant catfish, is Julius' nemesis in ''[[Liberty Meadows]]''. Julius reacts to sightings of Khan the same way that Captain Ahab reacts to reports of [[Moby Dick]].
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
▲* The association of catfishes with earthquakes seems rather common in Japanese works. This goes back to a Japanese legend that earthquakes are caused by a giant catfish wriggling in the mud underneath the earth.
▲* This [http://www.snopes.com/critters/lurkers/catfish.asp Urban Legend] about a giant catfish.
▲* '''Every Single Lake''' in America has its own Legendary Fish. Or at least some other awesome Folkie Tale or Legendary Legend, sometimes with cool gory bits. Make sure to ask around every time you visit one.
▲** OK, OK, every single ''large'', natural lake, and only the ones that don't have prehistoric monsters in them.
▲* Russian folklore features the sentient "
== [[Real Life]] ==
* Arguable example: [http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=vf34hkPXHHw This] [[Real Life]] example.
** Even Bigger ones [https://web.archive.org/web/20090404050634/http://www.devilsden.com/default.php here:]
* In 2006 there was a rumour that a sea monster had been seen in the moats of
* Reggie: a feral Gator swimming in Machado Lake in Harbor City, California. After over a year, he was caught in May 2007 and currently{{when}} resides in the LA Zoo. The late Steve Irwin would've had a go...if not for his unfortunate accident.
* [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124991924916619783.html?mod=yhoofront Benson the giant carp], formerly of Bluebell Lakes, England.
*** The Watts bar catfish in TN. I've heard stories that divers will only go down there once or they won't go down without A FRIKKIN CAGE!
Line 109:
* In ''[[Ape Escape]]'', there's a level in the Primordial Era where you have to catch apes in an ancient jungle. Earlier you learn how to swim, but you can't swim in large areas in this level because a giant catfish lives in the water and will attempt to shock you.
* The King Fish in the [[Harvest Moon]] games
* ''[[Final Fantasy XV]]'' has two such fish. Catching the Murk Grouper (aka Devil of the Cygillan), is described as an "unrealisable dream" as no-one has caught one in living memory. Then, there's the Liege of the Lake, the Noble Arapaima, which has never been caught.
* There are five fish meeting this criteria in ''[[Stardew Valley]]'', each one found in a different body of water, and only catchable at specific times of year. The toughest of the five is actually called Legend.
** In an later update of the game, there's a quest to catch their successors, though these appear to infinitely respawn.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
Line 127 ⟶ 130:
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Aquatic Animal Tropes]]
[[Category:Truth in Television]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
| |||