HUMANS are terrestrial beings and our relationship with the oceans hasalways been uneasy, based largely on ignorance. The oceans’ vastness –they cover over 70 per cent of the planet – and their hidden depths evoke awe and fear. Oceans can be dangerous places for humans, epitomized by the sinking of the Titanic – at its time, the world’s largest ship and considered unsinkable. Fear of the sea has given rise to the many traditional beliefs in sea monsters, such as the kraken, which would entwine whole ships in its tentacles, and has created modern monsters out of sharks through movies such as Jaws. |
