Sharks in culture: History of a persecution

Sharks. I am sure most of you immediately saw flashes of teeth, brutal scenes, blood and hunger. Let‘s face it: today sharks have a bad reputation. It wasn‘t always so. In truth, shark‘s portrayals were once much more positive. Today, I want to take some time to explain how and when their image has shifted from awe to dread, passing through much misinformation.

Hard to chew

First things first, let‘s clear something right away: sharks are not known to be man-eaters. Man is not their favourite prey. In fact, most (if not all) shark attacks can be linked to provocation or confusion (say the shark mistakes a surfer and his board for a turtle). What‘s more, most shark attacks are not lethal as sharks have the habit of “tasting“ first. Lucky us, seems like they don‘t like our taste.

Anyway, sharks and similar sea creatures' first symbolism can predictably be traced back to cultures living near the ocean. Most myths showed sharks quite positively. This might seem surprising, but consider that the ocean was often seen as sacred to such cultures - what came from it often adorne the same image. Sharks were most often mystical creatures symbolizing strength and power. Ancient Greece saw them as guardians of the deep under the rule of Poseidon. Hawaiian famously had were-sharks. Other Pacific cultures share shark gods and demi-gods (most notably Kāmohoaliʻi). Hinduism and Buddhism share that aspect. Sharks were sometimes linked to good health, mainly in ancient Chinese medicine where shark parts were miracle remedies for many illnesses. One thing is clear: the association between sharks and hunger was not made/accepted yet. This was the status quo between man and sharks for a long time.

Growing hunger… for exploration

The advent of the era of exploration would change things. With the first European “discoveries“, the ocean would lose its reverence as a foster mother and look more and more as an opportunity to seize. This shifting attitude toward the unknown would in turn shift our perception of the sea‘s guardians as obstacles if not even nuisances. It was common at that time to call sharks and orcas sea dogs and sea wolves interchangeably. This underlines two aspects of these men's relation to sea creatures. First, sea creatures were often seen as replaceable. Differences between species were often seen as unnecessary distinctions even more so for species living in the sea, far from our eyes. As such, “shark attack“ stories from before our time can be hard to pinpoint as the attacker could well be a whale, an orca or any other similar sea creature and our chronicles would have still written the same thing. We have still a way to go before accurate taxonomy. Second, the words “sea wolves“ and “sea dogs“exhibit the new character of sharks. To us, sharks were still symbols of strength and perseverance, but they were now seen also as scavengers - silent and clever. Keep in mind that hunger in itself was still not a clear association. Even less a taste for human flesh. But sharks were still seen as secondhand concerns to mariners.

This would change again with the rise of nautical fiction. Voyaging across the sea as a way to reach new frontiers became old news. Exploring the sea itself would now take center stage. In the 18th century, Robinson Crusoe popularized the thrill of sea exploration in culture (with only a quick mention of sharks). Some years later, Moby Dick would describe in detail some inhabitants of the sea but still mention sharks as pests tempering with whale carcasses. The rise of underwater science fiction would lead writers to push further into the shark's domains and see them more and more not only as interlopers but threats. Jules Verne‘s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas is one of the progenitors of the genre and his view on sharks is quite stark. Within these pages, exotic sea creatures are recurrent threats. As deep sea creatures acquired a more threatening face, so were sharks. Vernes mentions them many times (at least ten times from my last read) and clearly states their association with hunger and savagery. This view has been repeated ever since. Sharks become more common in paintings too in that time. 1778‘s “Watson and the Shark“ by John Singleton Copley depicts a shark attack. Same with 1852‘s “Escape from a Shark “ by James Brayman. 1899‘s “The Gulf Stream“ by Winslow Homer depicts them prominently.

Devouring sensationalism

Shark man-eaters would finally reach the forefront of culture with 1916‘s infamous Jersey Shore shark “attacks“. From July 1 to 12, four people would die and another would be critically injured in doubtful conditions featuring sharks. Scientific authorities of the time reluctantly linked the deaths to sharks. They clearly stated that sharks are not a threat to humans. Those events could realistically only be linked to accidents, more the fault of humans than sharks. The Press didn‘t care. July 3, 1916, The New York Times would print “Dies After Attack By Fish“. As public attention grew after the second “attack“, shark sightings increased. The Boston Herald, Chicago Sun-Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle would all jump on the story. A wave of panic would gain momentum in the United States, quickly followed by a frenzy of shark hunts. Resort towns would close their beaches. The craze would gradually calm down, but the cultural depiction of the man-eater was born. Sharks were now at the forefront of other sea creatures.

Jaw-dropping depictions

Sharks became more commonplace in caricatures, cartoons and media in general. A shark features prominently in The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (scavenge the Old Man‘s bounty). Porpoise in Tom & Jerry is the caricature itself of the man-eater shark. The TV show Sea Hunt (1958 to 1961) features many episodes centred around sharks. Sharks are a common threat to James Bond, including in 1965‘s Thunderball and 1973‘s Live and Let Die. But the most influential depiction is obviously Jaws.

Peter Benchley grew up with stories of monsters in the shape of sharks and the Jersey Shore attacks. He would recapture the events of 1916 in his 1974 book. Most of us better know the 1975 movie based on it. To Benchley (and Spielberg), sharks had re-acquired a mythical status but of death and dread instead of strength and health. Later, Benchley would recognize that he knew little of sharks in themselves. Still, his fiction would solidify the cultural shark for years to come.

Final breath

We have explored the depths of our investigation and finally reached modern times. Today, sharks are still common in fiction - often as replacements for serial killers or as malevolent forces of nature. Still, the man-eater view is still largely overstated. The International Shark Attack File lists an average of 6 shark fatalities per year worldwide. Consider that, in Canada alone, there have been more deaths by lightning every year in the 1980s and 1990s than that. In the end, we need to remember that our minds can be far from the truth. I do hope that this short survey has given you a newfound respect for this persecuted fish.

In any case, see you next time.

References

International Shark Attack File (web page).
Twelve days of terror : a definitive investigation of the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks by Richard G. Fernicola