Working on a submission for our upcoming FISH anthology? Perhaps these great and wondrous, terrible and dangerous, mythic fish will give you something scaly to think about:
1. The Salmon of Knowledge: Ireland, Fish – “An ordinary salmon that ate the nine hazel nuts that fell into the Well of Wisdom (aka Tobar Segais) from nine hazel trees that surrounded the well. In doing so, the salmon gained all the knowledge in the world. The poet Finn Eces spent seven years fishing for the salmon. When he finally caught it, he instructed his apprentice, Fionn, to prepare it for him. Fionn burned his thumb when spattered with a drop of the hot fat from the cooking salmon and immediately sucked on it to ease the pain. Unbeknownst to Fionn, all the wisdom had been concentrated into that one drop, and Fionn had just imbibed it all.”
Salmon of Knowledge
2. Abaia: Fiji, Solomon and Vanuatu Islands, Giant Eel – “One day a man discovered a lake in which were many fish, and at the bottom of the lake lived a magic eel, but the man knew it not. He caught many fish and returned the next day with the people of his village whom he had told of his discovery, and they also were very successful, while one woman even laid hold of the great eel, Abaia, who dwelt in the depths of the lake, though he escaped her. Now Abaia was angry that his fish had been caught and that he himself had been seized, so he caused a great rain to fall that night, and the waters of the lake also rose, and all the people where drowned except an old woman who had not eaten of the fish and who saved herself in a tree.”
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3. Dakuwaqa: Fiji, Shark God -”Near the island of Beqa his old friend Masilaca, another shark god, told him of the great strength of the gods guarding Kadavu island and slyly asked Dakuwaqa whether he would be afraid to meet them. Like a shot Dakuwaqa sped off towards Kadavu and, on nearing the reef, found a giant octopus guarding the passage. The octopus had four of its tentacles securely gripping the coral and the other four were held aloft. Rushing furiously in, Dakuwaqa soon found that he was being almost squeezed to death as the octopus had coiled its tentacles around him. Realizing his danger Dakuwaqa begged for mercy and told the octopus that if his life was spared he would never harm any people from Kadavu wherever they may be in any part of Fiji waters. So the octopus released him and Dakuwaqa kept his promise, and the people of Kadavu have no fear of sharks when out fishing or swimming.”
4. Kamohoalii: Hawaii, Shark God – “Pele’s oldest brother, the king of the sharks, Kamohoali’i, gave her a great canoe, upon which she and her brothers traveled far from home, over the wide expanse of the seas, sailing on this great canoe eventually to find Hawaii.” He was able to assume all human and fish forms. A summit cliff on the crater of K’lauea is one of his most sacred spots. At one point he had a heiau (temple or shrine) dedicated to him on every piece of land that jutted into the ocean on the island of Moloka’i. He also guided home lost ships in exchange for booze.
5. Jonah’s Whale: Hebrew, Giant Fish – Not actually a whale at all! “In Jonah 2:1 (1:17 in English translation), the Hebrew text reads dag gadol (דג גדול), which literally means “great fish.” The Septuagint translates this phrase into Greek as mega ketos (μέγα κῆτος). The term ketos alone means “huge fish,” and in Greek mythology the term was closely associated with sea monsters. Jerome later translated this phrase as piscis grandis in his Latin Vulgate.”
6. Namazu: Japan, Giant Catfish – “Namazu (鯰) or Ōnamazu (大鯰) is a giant catfish who causes earthquakes. He lives in the mud beneath the earth, and is guarded by the god Kashima who restrains the catfish with a stone. When Kashima lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes.”
Kashima holding down a Namazu
7. Ikaroa: Māori, Sky Fish – “The long fish that gave birth to all the stars in the Milky Way or the Mother Goddess of the all the stars – ornaments of the Sky God. Ika-Roa is also an alternative name for the Milky Way.”
8. Kun: China, Transforming Fish – Kun is the fish form of Peng, a giant bird. “In the northern darkness there is a fish and his name is K’un. The K’un is so huge I don’t know how many thousand li he measures. He changes and becomes a bird whose name is P’eng. The back of the P’eng measures I don’t know how many thousand li across and, when he rises up and flies off, his wings are like clouds all over the sky. When the sea begins to move, this bird sets off for the southern darkness, which is the Lake of Heaven.”
9. Isonade: Japan, Sea Monster – “An enormous, shark-like sea monster said to live off the coast of Matsuura and other places in Western Japan. When it appears, fierce winds blow. Its body has never been seen, as it is always hidden beneath the waves, save for its huge tail fin which is covered in small barbs. It approaches boats stealthily and uses its hooked tail to snare sailors and drag them into the sea, where it devours them.”
- Isonade
