Sharks in Mythology, History & Global Cultures

Sharks have existed alongside humans for as long as humans have lived near the sea. Long before modern fear narratives, scientific classification, or media sensationalism, sharks were understood through mythology, spirituality, oral tradition, and cultural memory. Across civilizations, sharks were viewed as ancestors, guardians, symbols of power, and representations of balance within the natural world. Sharks in Mythology, History and Global Cultures explores how societies around the world have interpreted sharks across time, tracing their symbolic meaning through Indigenous knowledge systems, ancient mythology, religious traditions, and historical records. The book examines Polynesian and Hawaiian traditions where sharks were revered as ancestral spirits, Indigenous coastal cultures across the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as early Asian folklore, Middle Eastern maritime histories, and Mediterranean accounts. As the narrative moves through history, the book explains how colonial expansion, Western exploration, and industrialization disrupted long standing relationships between humans and sharks. Indigenous ocean knowledge was dismissed or erased, while distance from the sea allowed fear based narratives to replace familiarity and respect. The book also explores how religion, early natural science, maritime literature, and global trade reshaped cultural perceptions of sharks over time. Rather than treating mythology as superstition, this book demonstrates how cultural stories shape human behavior, policy decisions, and conservation outcomes even today. Written in clear, accessible language and grounded in anthropological and historical research, this book is designed for libraries, educators, students, and readers interested in environmental history, cultural studies, and&