Hercules as an Involuntary Whaleman
The narrator admits uncertainty about including Hercules, who according to Greek mythology was swallowed and thrown up by a whale. The question remains whether this strictly qualifies as being a whaleman, since Hercules never actually harpooned the fish. He is claimed as “a sort of involuntary whaleman,” since “the whale caught him, if he did not the whale.” The chapter acknowledges contradictory authorities who suggest the Hercules story derived from the older Hebrew story of Jonah.
Jonah the Prophet Whaleman
Jonah is included among the roll of whalemen. The text notes that the Greek story of Hercules and the whale is considered to derive from the “still more ancient Hebrew story of Jonah and the whale,” though the relationship may be bidirectional. Both stories share striking similarities, and Jonah earns his place among the brotherhood of whalemen alongside the demigod Hercules.
Vishnoo the Divine Whaleman
The chapter presents the most ancient founder of the whaling fraternity through an oriental story from the Shaster. Vishnoo, one of three persons in the Hindu godhead, became incarnate in a whale to rescue sacred Vedas that had sunk to the bottom of the waters. By this first of his ten earthly incarnations, Vishnoo “forever set apart and sanctified the whale.” The narrator argues Vishnoo qualifies as a whaleman by the same logic that a man who rides a horse is called a horseman.
The Illustrious Roll of Whalemen
The chapter concludes by presenting the complete membership roll: Perseus, St. George, Hercules, Jonah, and Vishnoo. The narrator poses rhetorical challenges to any other club that might claim such distinguished company. This enumeration establishes whaling’s divine and heroic origins, connecting the Nantucket whalemen to the most venerable figures of mythology and scripture.
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