Editing Whale (section)

===In myth, literature and art===
{{Further|Biomusic#Whale song in music}}
[[File:Im Februar 1598 an der holländischen Küste gestrandeter Walfisch.jpg|thumb|left|Engraving by [[Gilliam van der Gouwen]] depicting a stranded sperm whale being butchered on the Dutch coast, 1598]]

As marine creatures that reside in either the depths or the poles, humans knew very little about whales over the course of [[human history]]; many feared or revered them. The [[Vikings]] and various arctic tribes revered the whale as they were important pieces of their lives. In [[Inuit]] [[creation myth]]s, when 'Big Raven', a deity in human form, found a stranded whale, he was told by the [[Great Spirit]] where to find special mushrooms that would give him the strength to drag the whale back to the sea and thus, return order to the world. In an Icelandic legend, a man threw a stone at a [[fin whale]] and hit the blowhole, causing the whale to burst. The man was told not to go to sea for twenty years, but during the nineteenth year he went fishing and a whale came and killed him.

Whales played a major part in shaping the art forms of many coastal civilizations, such as the [[North Germanic peoples|Norse]], with some dating to the [[Stone Age]]. Petroglyphs off a cliff face in Bangudae, South Korea show 300 depictions of various animals, a third of which are whales. Some show particular detail in which there are throat pleats, typical of [[rorqual]]s. These petroglyphs show these people, of around 7,000 to 3,500 B.C.E. in South Korea, had a very high dependency on whales.{{sfn|World Archaeology|2014}}

The [[Pacific Islanders]] and [[Australian Aborigines]] viewed whales as bringers of good and joy. One exception is [[French Polynesia]], where, in many parts, cetaceans are met with great brutality.{{sfn|Cressey|1998}}

In coastal regions of China, Korea and Vietnam, the worship of whale gods, who were associated with [[Dragon King]]s after the arrival of [[Buddhism]], was present along with related legends.{{sfn|Lee Soon Ae|1999}} The god of the seas, according to Chinese folklore, was a large whale with human limbs.

In Thailand, the most common whales found are the [[Bryde's whale]]. Thai fishermen refer them as ''Pla pu'' ({{langx|th|ปลาปู่}}; {{IPA|th|plāː puː|pron}}), "grandfather fish", what with its large size and its long-term presence in the [[Bangkok Bay|upper reaches of]] the [[Gulf of Thailand]]. Fishermen do not fish for the whales, holding them in high regard and viewing them as akin to family members. They believe the whales bring good fortune, and their presence is considered as a sign of a healthy marine environment.{{sfn|Tha Chalom|2024}}

In Vietnam, whales hold a [[Whale worship|sense of divinity]]. They are so respected in their cultures that they occasionally hold funerals for beached whales, a custom deriving  from Vietnam's ancient sea-based [[Champa|Champa Kingdom]].{{sfn|The Independent|2010}}{{sfn|Sydney Morning Herald|2003}}{{sfn|Viegas|2010}}{{sfn|GNA|2005}}

[[File:Gustave Doré - Baron von Münchhausen - 067.jpg|upright|thumb|right|Illustration by [[Gustave Doré]] of [[Baron Munchausen]]'s tale of being swallowed by a whale. While the Biblical [[Book of Jonah]] refers to the Prophet [[Jonah]] being swallowed by "a big fish", in later derivations that "fish" was identified as a whale.]]
Whales have also played a role in sacred texts. The story of [[Jonah]] being swallowed by a great fish is told both in the [[Jonah in Islam|Qur'an]]<ref>{{qref|37|139-148|b=y}}</ref> and in the biblical [[Book of Jonah]] (and is mentioned by Jesus in the New Testament: [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 12:40.{{sfn|Matthew}}). This episode was frequently depicted in [[medieval]] art (for example, on a 12th-century column [[capital (architecture)|capital]] at the abbey church of [[Mozac]], France). The [[Bible]] also mentions whales in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 1:21, [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]] 7:12, and [[Ezekiel]] 32:2. The "[[leviathan]]" described at length in Job 41:1-34 is generally understood to refer to a whale. The "sea monsters" in Lamentations 4:3 have been taken by some to refer to marine mammals, in particular whales, although most modern versions use the word "jackals" instead.{{sfn|Lamentations}}<!-- "sea monsters" (marine mammals) in the Douay-Rheims, KJV, Webster, AKJV, and English Jubilee 2000 version - KJV margin "sea calves" (seals) -->

[[File:Oswald Brierly - Whalers off Twofold Bay, New South Wales, 1867.jpg|thumb|left|''Whalers off Twofold Bay, New South Wales''. [[Watercolour]] by [[Oswald Brierly]], 1867]]
In 1585, [[Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza|Alessandro Farnese]], 1585, and Francois, Duke of Anjou, 1582, were greeted on his ceremonial entry into the port city of [[Antwerp]] by floats including "Neptune and the Whale", indicating at least<!--in John Mack's view--> the city's dependence on the sea for its wealth.{{sfn|Mack|2013}}

In 1896, an article in ''[[The Pall Mall Gazette]]'' popularised a practice of [[alternative medicine]] that probably began in the whaling town of [[Eden, New South Wales|Eden]], [[Australia]] two or three years earlier.{{sfn|The Pall Mall Gazette|1896}} It was believed that climbing inside a whale carcass and remaining there for a few hours would relieve symptoms of [[rheumatism]].{{sfn|Barlass|2014}}

Whales continue to be prevalent in modern literature. For example, [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby Dick]]'' features a "great white whale" as the main antagonist for Ahab. The whale is an albino sperm whale, considered by Melville to be the largest type of whale, and is partly based on the historically attested bull whale [[Mocha Dick]]. [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[Just So Stories]]'' includes the story of "How the Whale got in his Throat". A whale features in the award-winning children's book ''[[The Snail and the Whale]]'' (2003) by [[Julia Donaldson]] and [[Axel Scheffler]].

[[Niki Caro]]'s film the ''[[Whale Rider]]'' has a Māori girl ride a whale in her journey to be a suitable heir to the chieftain-ship.{{sfn|Jøn|2014}} Walt Disney's film ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' features a showdown with a giant whale named [[Monstro]] at the end of the film.

A recording of ''Song with a Humpback Whale'' by a team of marine scientists became popular in 1970. [[Alan Hovhaness]]'s orchestral composition ''[[And God Created Great Whales]]'' (1970) includes the recorded sounds of humpback and bowhead whales.{{sfn|Hovhannes|1970}} Recorded [[Whale vocalization|whale songs]] also appear in a number of other musical works, including [[Léo Ferré]]'s song "[[Il n'y a plus rien]]" and [[Judy Collins]]'s "Farewell to Tarwathie" (on the 1970 album ''[[Whales and Nightingales]]'').