Ancient legend has it that it began with a girl named Tiba. She lived off the coastal waters of present day Australia with her family in a small village named Kunareh. After a large storm had swept away part of their village, the people of Kunareh lived in fear of the ocean that neighbored them. They believed they'd angered one of the sea spirits by having been to abundant in their fishing and taking the beautiful fish for themselves. Tiba was a strange girl by the likes of her people, light skin the opposite of her red-skinned villagers, and long gray hair adorning shining black eyes. Her black eyes scared the Kunareh people and their fear was peaking as strong waves began once more.
To them, the sea spirits disapproved of the strange girl among them, and believed the only way to be safe was to rid themselves of the girl. One night, her family left their doors open so the villagers could steal away the sleeping girl and throw her into the choppy waves of the sea. But the cold winds woke the sleeping child who began to struggle in the villagers' grips. She was young and could not fight them with her strength. Out of fear, the strange girl bit onto one of the villagers' arm and kept her jaw secured as they tried to shake her off. By the time they had, the man had lost much skin, muscle, and tissue, as it now hung from the girl's mouth. Tiba ran home and washed her face of the blood before climbing back into bed.
The villagers needed another way to get rid of Tiba. And so, with no other option in their clouded minds, they sent Tiba to fish for the starving village. Should she return they would have food, should she not, they could be safe from the wrath of the sea spirits.
The next day, Tiba was sent to the water on a rectangular raft of tied bark, with nothing but a spear and net to accompany her. Once out to sea, she lost sight of the shore line and any people. She hoped that by catching fish, she would be able to return to shore. She quietly awaited, watching the choppy water until fish came close enough for her to spear. But that was too slow, and the net was not as easy to set as she had hoped. The night sky began to fall and she worried. She resorted to diving into the water and somehow, Tiba was able to latch her nails onto scaly slippery fish before biting into them to keep them from swimming away.
By the time Tiba had resurfaced, night had fallen and the waves were stronger. With little power, Tiba attempted to reach the beach, all in vain as the stronger waves and currents pulled her out to sea. With all her strength pulled from her, she laid on the bark raft, tired and hopeless as a child could be. Slowly, the bark began to break apart and the girl began to slip into the water, so exhausted to move she could do nothing as she sank into the dark vast ocean.
The deeper she sank the more the light from her dark eyes faded, the lighter her skin became and her hair grew longer. Her eyes were slowing closing when a strange tentacle wrapped itself around the waist of the young Kunareh girl, black as night it was and slowing it pulled the girl to the surface. She finally lay there, gasping for breath, still unable to move. A deep voice called to her from below the dark waters, now calm with no wind blowing.
"Tiba, child and woman of the Kunareh Tribes. Why have you been strewn across the dark blue velveteen of the Ocean?"
In a quiet voice she told the Ocean, "They are afraid of me. I do not look like them so they have cast me out, hoping to rid of me and calm the sea."
The waves rippled then as another black tentacle made its way to touch her heart, "Speak up, child." the Ocean demanded. So, she repeated.
The waves seemed to get stronger then, "The Kunareh people are foolish. They fear nothing but a child but now they shall have reason to fear."
And so the Ocean changed Tiba, into a large ocean predator with large jaws of glistening white teeth, to remind the people of Kunareh of what she had done. She had a broad long gray back and white belly, to match her outer beauty that the villagers had feared. She would be strong and never stop swimming or she would die as she almost had that night.
"Now, the Kunareh people will see calm waters and yet it will still be a danger to them. You, Tiba, are the strongest of all sea creatures and they will respect you as the people of land have not and perhaps never shall. You should fear no one."
And over the years, Tiba grew and grew and grew, until she gave birth to the pups she had been bestowed with by the Ocean, and she was feared and respected throughout many villages and people over time. And now all her descendants pass along the moment of finding humans and take a swift bite to show them who is strongest.
Soon enough the people gave her the name she and her kind all deserved: The Great White Shark.
To them, the sea spirits disapproved of the strange girl among them, and believed the only way to be safe was to rid themselves of the girl. One night, her family left their doors open so the villagers could steal away the sleeping girl and throw her into the choppy waves of the sea. But the cold winds woke the sleeping child who began to struggle in the villagers' grips. She was young and could not fight them with her strength. Out of fear, the strange girl bit onto one of the villagers' arm and kept her jaw secured as they tried to shake her off. By the time they had, the man had lost much skin, muscle, and tissue, as it now hung from the girl's mouth. Tiba ran home and washed her face of the blood before climbing back into bed.
The villagers needed another way to get rid of Tiba. And so, with no other option in their clouded minds, they sent Tiba to fish for the starving village. Should she return they would have food, should she not, they could be safe from the wrath of the sea spirits.
The next day, Tiba was sent to the water on a rectangular raft of tied bark, with nothing but a spear and net to accompany her. Once out to sea, she lost sight of the shore line and any people. She hoped that by catching fish, she would be able to return to shore. She quietly awaited, watching the choppy water until fish came close enough for her to spear. But that was too slow, and the net was not as easy to set as she had hoped. The night sky began to fall and she worried. She resorted to diving into the water and somehow, Tiba was able to latch her nails onto scaly slippery fish before biting into them to keep them from swimming away.
By the time Tiba had resurfaced, night had fallen and the waves were stronger. With little power, Tiba attempted to reach the beach, all in vain as the stronger waves and currents pulled her out to sea. With all her strength pulled from her, she laid on the bark raft, tired and hopeless as a child could be. Slowly, the bark began to break apart and the girl began to slip into the water, so exhausted to move she could do nothing as she sank into the dark vast ocean.
The deeper she sank the more the light from her dark eyes faded, the lighter her skin became and her hair grew longer. Her eyes were slowing closing when a strange tentacle wrapped itself around the waist of the young Kunareh girl, black as night it was and slowing it pulled the girl to the surface. She finally lay there, gasping for breath, still unable to move. A deep voice called to her from below the dark waters, now calm with no wind blowing.
"Tiba, child and woman of the Kunareh Tribes. Why have you been strewn across the dark blue velveteen of the Ocean?"
In a quiet voice she told the Ocean, "They are afraid of me. I do not look like them so they have cast me out, hoping to rid of me and calm the sea."
The waves rippled then as another black tentacle made its way to touch her heart, "Speak up, child." the Ocean demanded. So, she repeated.
The waves seemed to get stronger then, "The Kunareh people are foolish. They fear nothing but a child but now they shall have reason to fear."
And so the Ocean changed Tiba, into a large ocean predator with large jaws of glistening white teeth, to remind the people of Kunareh of what she had done. She had a broad long gray back and white belly, to match her outer beauty that the villagers had feared. She would be strong and never stop swimming or she would die as she almost had that night.
"Now, the Kunareh people will see calm waters and yet it will still be a danger to them. You, Tiba, are the strongest of all sea creatures and they will respect you as the people of land have not and perhaps never shall. You should fear no one."
And over the years, Tiba grew and grew and grew, until she gave birth to the pups she had been bestowed with by the Ocean, and she was feared and respected throughout many villages and people over time. And now all her descendants pass along the moment of finding humans and take a swift bite to show them who is strongest.
Soon enough the people gave her the name she and her kind all deserved: The Great White Shark.