Whale. Cultural History

The whale, the largest animal on our planet, has captivated people throughout the ages. Since seeing a live whale is a rare pleasure, in ancient times news of them was brought to shore only by sailors. Much of this storytelling turned the whale into a semi-mythical creature, and its image became the subject of numerous fantasies and speculations. For a long time, the whale was imagined as a fearsome beast, a biblical monster in the service of evil forces. Medieval bestiaries depicted this terrifying dweller of the depths as a servant of the devil. Authors of modern times were hardly more lenient, emphasizing the whale's cruelty: 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 changed: the monster of the depths became a touching, pitiful 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 Pastureau is dedicated to the terrifying myths about the sea creature, the representation of the whale in literature, and its representation in culture.

Translation from French — Stanislav Mukhamedzhanov. Scientific editor and author of the preface — Mikhail Muizuls.