The Whale Rider

The ancient bull whale recounts hearing his master play the flute for the final time. Under the sea, “muted thunder boomed” like “a great door opening far away” (52). The sea “was filled with awesome singing, a song with eternity in it” (52). The whale recalls, “He was wondrous to look upon, He was the whale rider” (52). The whale rider told the beast that it was time to spread “the life-giving seed” (52) to make the land fruitful. The two arrived at a place now called Whangara, and the “golden rider” (52) dismounted. The whale waited at sea for his master, who stayed away longer than usual. When he returned, he told the whale he met a woman and was to be blessed with children. The master told the beast, with great sadness in his eyes, that this ride would be his last. The whale tried to inspire and impress his master, but the man remained firm in his decision. He told the whale that he was to return to the Kingdom of Tangaroa and be with the rest of his kind. The whale felt immense heartbreak.

The whales arrive in Antarctica. They swim under the ice as a storm rages above.