Lore 315: All Shook Up
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How did the island of Simalue survive the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami?
First, the ground began to tremble. Then the waterline receded as if the ocean itself were running from something. And finally, a mountain appeared on the horizon. Except it wasn't a mountain at all. It was a wave. When the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami hit Indonesia, nearly a quarter of a million people died. It was a catastrophe on a level most of us can't even imagine, and hopefully never have to. Entire towns wiped off the map, whole families destroyed. And yet there was one island nearby with an almost impossibly low death toll. It's called Simalue, and out of its 80, residents, fewer than 10 people died. And no, it wasn't because the tsunami didn't hit Simulue. It definitely did. But you see, the people there had a secret weapon that helped them survive.
A weapon that had been honed and cultivated for hundreds of years, passed down from one generation to the next. A weapon called folklore. There was a tradition there of telling stories about tsunamis, stories that outlined the warning signs and early clues that a tsunami might be coming. These folktales told you what to do and what not to do, and most importantly, when to evacuate. Here in the States, most of us grow up with things like Three Little Pigs and Cinderella. The folks in Simulue grew up with tsunami tales, and because of that vital difference, when the ground began to rumble just like it had in their bedtime stories, they knew exactly what to do. In short, when it comes to natural disasters, sometimes a good story.
Can save your life. I'm Erin Mankey, and this is Lore.
Our little planet experiences millions of earthquakes each year, although most are too small for us to sense. And as for the ones that we do feel, well, as frightening as they are, at least we understand what causes them: the shifting of the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust. But of course, we didn't always have that knowledge. In fact, the theory of plate tectonics didn't fully coalesce until the 1960s. And before that? Well, it's not that we didn't have any explanations. They were just a bit more colorful. For example, in Japan, their earliest earthquake legends blame an insect called the Jinshin Mushi, a ten-legged oblong giant with the head of a dragon whose burrowing causes the earth to shake.
Of course, there isn't really a huge earthquake-causing bug. That's silly, right? No, earthquakes are actually caused by a massive eel, so big that all the islands in Japan sit on its back. This eel theory enjoyed its time in the sun for a while, until finally a catfish known as Namazu usurped it as the cause of earthquakes in Japan. Even today, signs in Japan warning that a road will be closed because of an earthquake depict a smiling, cartoon catfish. Meanwhile, parts of Siberia tell of a large mammoth living underground that, yes, causes earthquakes, while in other parts, quakes are blamed on a subterranean sled dog. The tremors occur either when the dog shakes snow off its back or scratches at fleas.
Now, you might be sensing a theme here. The idea that there's some giant underground animal causing the earth to shake is honestly found in. A ton of cultures. The Chinese have a giant ox, while the Algonquin tribe in America have a giant tortoise.
What are some of the mythical creatures different cultures blamed for earthquakes?
All over India, it's a giant mole, but hey, at least a mole is supposed to be under the ground to begin with. And then again, not everyone assumes it's a zoo down there. In some cases, it's a god. In New Zealand, for example, Maori tradition holds that quakes are caused by a god named Ruam. Moko, the child of the sky and the earth, who lives deep beneath the ground. And whenever Ruaomoko takes a little stroll down there, the world above shakes. In other Maori stories about Rua Moko, though, he doesn't actually know how to walk at all. That would be because he's a baby. Some believe Rua Moko was and still is in his mother's womb, and earthquakes are him kicking his mother's belly. Meanwhile, While over in ancient Greece, Poseidon wasn't just the god of the sea, he was also the earthquake god.
And you might be smart to leave him a sacrifice or two, because if an earthquake did occur, well, that was a sign that Poseidon was very, very mad at you.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did the island of Simalue survive the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami?
0:12–4:02
2
What are some of the mythical creatures different cultures blamed for earthquakes?
4:02–7:40
3
Why did the Catholic Church in Cusco create the “Christ of the Earthquakes” legend?
7:40–11:36
4
Who were the “Doom Sealers” and what prophecy did they spread in 1890?
11:36–15:08
5
How did the 1906 San Francisco earthquake fulfill Mariah Woodworth Edder’s prediction?
15:08–19:32
6
What is quicksand, and why is it less deadly than movies suggest?
19:32–23:19
7
What are the safest techniques for getting out of quicksand?
23:19–26:43
8
How does the historic Morecambe Bay “Guide to the Sands” protect walkers from quicksand?
26:43–31:12