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Whales in stories and the numbers that matter across cultures

Updated: 2026-10-07 · MarketRadar Whale

In many cultures the whale stands for something enormous whose bulk stays hidden below the surface. Perhaps that is why the crypto market calls its biggest holders "whales". This page walks through a few stories and numbers, with sources. Its purpose is cultural curiosity, not market prediction.

The story of Jonah and the whale

The Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions all tell of a prophet, Jonah (Yunus, peace be upon him), who is swallowed by a huge sea creature. In the Book of Jonah he spends "three days and three nights" inside the great fish before being released. The mosque and shrine attributed to "Nabi Yunus" near Nineveh (by present-day Mosul) have been revered by both Muslims and Christians.

Moby-Dick, the white whale

Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick was published in 1851. It follows Captain Ahab's furious hunt for a white sperm whale. The whale was modeled on a real, hard-to-catch albino whale called Mocha Dick, and the ending draws on the sinking of the whaleship Essex in 1820. The book sold poorly at first and later became one of the great American novels.

Why do numbers matter in cultures?

Small, round numbers carry symbolic weight in many traditions. The examples below only say what each number means in its tradition; they make no claim about any effect on life or markets.

The number 3

Many world religions contain triads or ideas of three; for example, the "three jewels" of Buddhism.

The number 7

A scientific-historical root: the seven classical planets visible to the naked eye are the reason the week has seven days. Seven is often considered lucky and symbolic in Western culture.

The number 9

Nine appears often in Indian culture; for example, the festival Navaratri lasts nine nights, and nine is seen as a complete number because it is the last digit of a cycle in the decimal system.

The number 12

Jacob's twelve sons are the source of the twelve tribes of Israel, and Christian tradition has twelve apostles. In the Twelver branch of Shia Islam, twelve Imams are the successors of the Prophet. Hindu astrology has twelve rashi.

The number 40

In Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions forty is often a large, approximate number (forty days, forty years). In Islam it is said that the Prophet was forty when he first received revelation through the archangel Gabriel, and the Quran treats forty as an age of maturity.

The number 108

In Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions 108 is sacred. Prayer beads (malas) usually have 108 beads, and in Japan a bell is rung 108 times at the end of the year in Buddhist temples to close the old year and welcome the new.

What does this have to do with markets?

There is no evidence that these numbers change prices. But traders, like everyone, pay attention to round, symbolic numbers; "$100,000" for Bitcoin makes headlines, for example. That is a psychological phenomenon, not a law of nature.

Sources (read on 2026-10-07)

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Frequently asked questions

Why are rich crypto holders called whales?

Because, like whales, they are huge and their moves create waves. The term is used for very large investors.

Do sacred numbers affect prices?

There is no scientific evidence. Any effect is mostly psychological, on the behavior of some traders, not on the market itself.

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Past results do not predict future results. This page is educational, not financial advice. — MarketRadar Whale