More evidence a cultures myths were a primary means of documenting natural phenomena across generations.
It makes sense because when bound books didn’t exist (or in very small volume), articulating the precise details of a concept (such as a baleen whale that uses this hunting technique) is incredibly tedious and not very memorable. Inserting a monster-parallel into myth is a way of ensuring future generations will be able to appreciate concepts previous generations found inspirational or important to understand.
check_yes_or_no t1_jap7gk2 wrote
Reply to Sea creatures in Greek manuscript and Norse mythology may have been whales with mouths agape — Fish instinctively swim toward apparent shelter of creature’s mouth, a phenomenon depicted in ancient texts as early as 2,000 years ago by marketrent
More evidence a cultures myths were a primary means of documenting natural phenomena across generations.
It makes sense because when bound books didn’t exist (or in very small volume), articulating the precise details of a concept (such as a baleen whale that uses this hunting technique) is incredibly tedious and not very memorable. Inserting a monster-parallel into myth is a way of ensuring future generations will be able to appreciate concepts previous generations found inspirational or important to understand.