2025: Currents
Tides are natural phenomena that influence the water level of the sea. They are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the Earth, combined with the rotation of the Earth. These tides cause a regular rise and fall of the seawater. In many cultures around the world, the tides of the sea are not only seen as a natural phenomenon but also carry deeper symbolic meanings. In various coastal communities, such as those in Southeast Asia and the Polynesian islands, the tides are seen as a source of life and prosperity. The flood often brings fertile silt and nutrients ashore, which is beneficial for agriculture and fishing. The sea not only nourishes the people, but the returning tides also symbolize hope and the promise of continuity.
At the same time, the tides also bring a sense of fear and threat, especially for communities that are on one hand dependent on the sea but also vulnerable to its whims. In Norse mythology, for example, the sea is often depicted as an unpredictable and dangerous force, and in Japan, the concept of tsunami – a sudden and deadly tidal wave – plays a prominent role in the collective psyche. Ebb and flow are sometimes seen as symbols of the cycle of destruction and renewal that is inherent to nature. The realization that life is subordinate to the rhythm of the elements can also be seen closer to home, with islanders who live with it every day. They live in silent harmony with the tides and nature. For them, the rising tide is not just a symbol but also a source of life and prosperity, while the falling tide is both a force and a reminder of loss, weakness, and death.
Anthropologist Sir James George Frazer wrote about this in his literary work The Golden Bough: “Another ancient belief, attributed to Aristotle, was that no creature can die except at ebb tide. The belief, if we can trust Pliny, was confirmed by experience, so far as regards human beings, on the coast of France. (...) In Portugal, all along the coast of Wales, and on some parts of the coast of Brittany, a belief is said to prevail that people are born when the tide comes in, and die when it goes out.”
At the same time, the tides also bring a sense of fear and threat, especially for communities that are on one hand dependent on the sea but also vulnerable to its whims. In Norse mythology, for example, the sea is often depicted as an unpredictable and dangerous force, and in Japan, the concept of tsunami – a sudden and deadly tidal wave – plays a prominent role in the collective psyche. Ebb and flow are sometimes seen as symbols of the cycle of destruction and renewal that is inherent to nature. The realization that life is subordinate to the rhythm of the elements can also be seen closer to home, with islanders who live with it every day. They live in silent harmony with the tides and nature. For them, the rising tide is not just a symbol but also a source of life and prosperity, while the falling tide is both a force and a reminder of loss, weakness, and death.
Anthropologist Sir James George Frazer wrote about this in his literary work The Golden Bough: “Another ancient belief, attributed to Aristotle, was that no creature can die except at ebb tide. The belief, if we can trust Pliny, was confirmed by experience, so far as regards human beings, on the coast of France. (...) In Portugal, all along the coast of Wales, and on some parts of the coast of Brittany, a belief is said to prevail that people are born when the tide comes in, and die when it goes out.”
