Whale. Cultural History

The whale, the largest animal on our planet, has fascinated people since time immemorial. Since seeing a live whale is a rare pleasure, in ancient times news of it was brought to shore only by sailors. Much of the reason that the whale became a semi-mythical creature is due to these stories, and its image became the subject of numerous fantasies and speculations. For a long time, the whale was envisioned as a fearsome beast, a biblical monster in the service of evil forces. Medieval bestiaries depicted this terrifying inhabitant of the depths as a servant of the devil. Authors of the modern era were hardly more lenient, emphasizing the cruelty of the whale: it was a man-eater and the main enemy of sailors, like Moby Dick, this fierce white sperm whale from Melville's novel. But over time, the image of the whale has changed: the monster of the depths has become a touching, pitiable creature, unjustly made a victim of greed and violence. Today, the whale is a friendly hero of hundreds of children's books, peacefully swimming through the oceans and sometimes even through the skies.

This book by Michel Pasturo is dedicated to the terrifying myths about the creature from the depths of the sea, the representation of the whale in literature, and its representation in culture.

Translation from French – Stanislav Mukhamadjanov. Scientific editor and author of the preface – Mikhail Muizers.