Little-known myths about whales

(Baonghean.vn) - In human history, whales are quite special animals, holding special positions in the cultures and societies of many countries.

Stories of whales destroying ships and swallowing small humans are not uncommon in many countries. Meanwhile, many people believe that whales are supernatural deities that bring peace, luck and harmony to their people and the world. Here are some famous myths about whales from different countries:

Illustration: Internet.

Yu-kiang

The ancient Chinese believed that there was a mythical creature called Yu-kiang that ruled over the vast ocean. This creature was often depicted as a very large fish (whale), hundreds of meters long, and had human-like limbs!

When Yu-kiang gets angry, it turns into a giant bird and causes storms at sea.

Jonah repents in the belly of a whale. Photo: Internet.

Jonah and the Whale

The story is about a young man named Jonah who refuses to listen to a divine warning and decides to do the opposite of what the divine tells him to do. In the story, the divine commanded Jonah to preach repentance in the city of Nineveh. However, Jonah thought the city was a bad place and did not listen to the divine command, so instead he went to the port of Joppa and sailed to Tar Shish, which was directly opposite Nineveh.

On the way to Tar Shish, the seas began to churn, causing the ship to toss and turn in the ocean's fierce waves. The crew grew anxious and tried every means to right the ship, but to no avail.

At this, Jonah felt remorse for going against the gods' orders, and asked the sailors to throw Jonah into the sea as a sacrifice.

Suddenly, the ocean became calm again, and the crew continued their journey. As for Jonah, he did not sink to the bottom of the ocean, but was swallowed by a giant fish sent by the gods.

After 3 days of repentance in the belly of the fish, God finally relented and agreed to release Jonah.

Whales washed ashore in Cua Lo, Nghe An. Vietnamese people often bury dead whales with care and many places build temples to worship them.

The significance of whales in Vietnam

In Vietnam, whales are considered sacred animals and bring luck, peace and prosperity to people.

When a dead whale is found washed ashore, people bury it carefully, and many places even build temples right next to the whale's grave, becoming a place for people to come and pray for peace.

Illustration: Internet.

King Sulemani and the Hungry Whale

In East Africa, there is a story about King Sulemani and the hungry whale. King Sulemani planted a lot of corn to feed the people and animals who were suffering from hunger. One day, after all the people and animals had enough to eat, King Sulemani prayed to the gods to give him the power to feed the whole world.

The gods were not satisfied with the king’s request and sent a giant creature from the ocean to eat all of King Sulemani’s crops. Then the giant whale turned to King Sulemani and continued saying: “I am still very hungry, please give me food.”

The king was surprised and asked again: "Are there many creatures like you?"

The whale looked straight at the King and replied: “Yes, there are about 70,000 more like me.”

At that moment, King Sulemani thanked the gods for teaching him a valuable lesson, and he realized that feeding the world was not a responsibility that he or his territory could shoulder. From then on, he never sought to oppose the divine rule with the responsibility of providing food for the world.

Crow and beached whale. Photo: Internet.

The Story of the Giant Crow

The Inuit people in the Arctic pass on to each other the story of Big Raven (a giant crow), who is a deity. One day, Big Raven, in human form, discovered a stranded whale. Wanting to help the whale, Big Raven prayed to the Supreme Being for help, and received the answer that if he wanted to save the whale in distress, Big Raven had to go through the forest to a place where the moonlight shines in a very special way. When he got there, he would find very special mushrooms, which, if eaten, would give Big Raven the strength to bring the whale back to the ocean. And after a difficult journey, Big Raven successfully saved the whale's life and brought it back to its home.

Phu Binh

(According to Whalefacts)