Sharks are dangerous predators that live deep inside our oceans and seas. They are dangerous for people and all other animals that live inside oceans and seas. Since they feed of flesh of other animals, they have gained a very bad reputation among people.
There was never a link between humans and sharks and their presence never meant anything good for us. They rarely swim in shallow waters, but they definitely represented danger for everyone who was on the open ocean or sea.
Shark symbolism was created by many cultures around the world since sharks can be found in many areas around the globe. Most people saw them as threats and potential dangerous predators, but there was also a fearful worship for sharks that we often expressed through symbolism.
Today, shark symbolism is still relevant and important. Many TV shows and movies used sharks as motifs and characters, but their presence was mostly seen as negative. If you are interested to learn more about the symbolism of this deep ocean predator, then keep on reading.
Spirit Animal and Totem
Spirit animals show us where to go in life and how to cope with difficult moments. When we need help of the spiritual realm, we seek for guidance from the spirit animals. Their presence in our lives is something we search for no matter how strong we are. Spirit animals come to us by themselves and we don’t have to call for them. They are always next to us, following our every step and guiding us in life.
Totems are animal spirits we call for when we need help. Their powers help us defeat problems in our life and fight against obstacles. When we are in deep trouble, totems help us wake up all of those strengths and powers hidden deep inside of our souls. When we are born under the influence of a certain totem, we collect all of the characteristics and traits of this particular animal.
- Spirit animal
As a spirit animal, shark is best described with these words:
- Family safety,
- Productivity,
- Advancement,
- Transformation,
- Work ethic,
- Independence,
- Bravery,
- Sure movement and action,
- Leadership and
- Awareness about the past life.
People guided by this spirit animal are all in for the family. There is nothing more important in their life than family. When someone touches something they care about, everything else becomes less important. If you hurt their loved ones in any way, things will become bad real quickly. They love having large families and most of people guided by this spirit animal strive towards forming a family early on in their life. Others might say they are too young to jump in a marriage this early, but they are simply more serious than others when it comes to these things.
People guided by the shark spirit animal are also born leaders. They love having control over their lives and even the lives of others. This might seem a little bit hard to handle for some people around them, but shark people do this only to help those in need. They have a strong tendency to promote their leadership abilities to everyone, so they excel at job positions that require independence and taking the charge.
When your spirit animal is the shark, you are also quite independent. You love to take control over your life and you don’t let anybody else interfere with your personal things. You love doing things alone and everything you can do for yourself, you do it. This is an especially good characteristic to have, since you will never wait for someone to do something for you or help you. Having all the strings in your hands is a very good strategy in life and you should promote it.
If your spirit animal is a shark, then you love doing something productive with your life. Sitting around the house all day is not something you love to do and you would rather be doing anything else that is more productive. Jobs that require your full attention and presence are perfectly fine for you, since you will give 100% to do your obligations in time.
Shark spirit animal symbolizes transformation, therefore you are a person who likes to change a lot and improve in life. When your life becomes too boring and not interesting, you love to shake things up and get something moving. Your productive nature won’t let you sit around and do nothing all day, so you have a very good chance in making it in everything you do.
- Totem
When your totem is a shark, you are someone who likes to move around and get things done. Everyone born under this totem animal is productive and creative in their work. Their negative characteristics might be workaholic nature and job obsession. Nothing in your life is more important than getting things done in time and the right way. Even though you are a family person, your work still comes on the second place. Between family and work, there is little time left for your own needs. This can make you feel overwhelmed at times, so the best advice is to find some time for yourself.
Shark totem is a symbol of cruelty at times, because born under this totem tend to be too aggressive to others, if they let their bad characteristics overrule. If you manage to control your anger and focus it on something productive, you have a very big chance of achieving almost anything in your life.
Shark totems symbolize transformation as well. This transformation considers transformation in all forms and shapes. You love to see things moving along and changing, and movement is what makes you feel happy. When you are too static, you tend to become nervous and aggressive, which is a behavior nobody wants to see in you.
Symbolism and Meaning
Shark symbolism was created by the people who lived close to them their whole lives. Sharks have been people’s enemies for centuries, but we still had a small respect for their power and skills.
Native Americans saw sharks as symbols of weather changing. Since they mostly lived in forests, distant from the shores of the oceans, Native Americans didn’t have many myths regarding sharks. Those tribes that did live next to the ocean, considered sharks as vicious and dangerous creatures, that would only come near the shore if the weather is about to change to rain. Even though sharks weren’t as important in Native American symbolism, they still saved a spot for their symbolism and respected them.
In Celtic culture, druids used to wear sickles that reminded others about sharks. They were a symbol of a good period and harvest. When they saw a shark, they knew that their hard-work is going to pay off and that there will be plenty of produce. Celtic culture respected sharks for their ability to survive and endure difficult living conditions.
Japanese have a god that is inspired by shark nature. They consider it to be a powerful god that is a symbol of strength and power. To invoke protection, airplanes in China are covered with shark images. In Polynesia, sharks are highly worshipped animals. They are symbols of divine protection and the Polynesians usually have a shark tattoo on their body in order to attract protection.
Hawaiian people find sharks to be important. They tattoo small dots on their ankles, which are supposed to scare away sharks when they are at the ocean. Hawaiians have many myths about sharks and one of them tells a story about a woman who was swimming in the ocean. Shark spotted the girl and began to chase her. But, when the shark saw the dots on the girl’s ankle she stopped chasing the girl and went the other way.
People that lived next to the ocean had a high opinion about sharks and worshipped them more than other cultures. The further the people lived from the ocean, the less they involved sharks in their myths and folklore.
In popular culture, sharks are marking that we can find on ships and boats and everything sea-related. Humans still fear them and considered them big opponents. Many popular TV shows and movies use shark characters and portray them differently. Probably the best known movies that involve sharks are the “Jaws” and “Sharknado”.
Dreams about sharks
Sharks in our dreams can have different meanings. Sometimes they bring us good news, while other times they are warnings about something big. Sharks are usually symbols of strength, power, cruelty and independence. They can represent all of these things in our dreams, but it is important to remember as much as you can about the dream in order to decipher it.
When you had a dream about a shark, this means you have someone in your life who is trying to manipulate you in a way. This person is someone close to you and the intentions of this person are not genuine. Pay close attention to the behaviors of people around you, and try to spot anything strange about someone close to you.
If a shark was really close to your face in the dream, then you are about to encounter some problems on your path. These problems are going to be huge, so be prepared to fight against them with everything you got. Gather your strength and don’t fall in depression when these problems come along. This dream can be considered as a warning sign about the problems that are coming, so definitely don’t ignore it.
If the shark in your dream was dead, this means you are about to enter a period of luck and happiness. Things in your life are going to be perfect, for a change, so use this period to improve every part of your life.
When shark in your dream was swimming, then you are unaware of the situation you are in. people in your surroundings are not honest and they have bad intentions they will try to make true. These intentions involve hurting you in some way and causing damage to your life. Take extra care about your words and actions and don’t let others use them against you.
When shark in your dream was swimming in dirty water, this means you are perfectly aware of problems you are in. they are pressuring you and making you feel bad, there is currently no solution for them. If you think hard enough, you will be able to understand what is going on and what the solution to your problem is.
When shark in your dream attacked you, this means you need to pay more attention to your romantic life. This dream is warning you to be more involved in your partner’s private life and to pay more attention to your partner in general. If you don’t do this, you risk of losing your partner and completely ruining your private life.
Dream about a shark chasing after you is a symbol of a burden you have in your life. There is something hard on your back and soul that is completely stressing you out. Try to figure out a solution to this problem and don’t stress too much about things you can’t change.
Conclusion
Sharks are definitely people’s enemies and they are highly dangerous for us. They don’t have any connection with humans which makes them even more dangerous. Their desire to eat flesh and fresh blood is terrifying, but somehow people still respected their ability to endure difficult living conditions. They don’t have many natural enemies which makes them even more resistant to death.
Sharks are symbols of family, even though people wouldn’t instantly relate them to that. They love being a part of the community and family, but they love being independent as well. Shark as a totem and a spirit animal symbolize transformation, change, power, cruelty and productivity. When you are guided by such a strong animal, there is no need to be afraid of anything in life.
Shark symbolism might be seen as negative in general, but there are still many traits we should all learn from sharks no matter how cruel they can be.
