The Secret of White.

It struck me this evening that there are three big, white animals in folklore and literature which stand apart as something extra special. There’s the white buffalo of Native American tradition, Moby Dick the white whale, and Iorek Byrnison, the great white bear of His Dark Materials.

All have something of the Romantic about them, if not always the mystical. All are single and singular creatures which live their lives alone, all are formidably powerful and determined, and all are winners in the end.

This is interesting because whiteness is more usually associated with purity, virginity and the quietness of a winter landscape. So why are we so enthralled by a mighty, indomitable creature which happens to be white? What’s the secret of whiteness that it can so readily become a symbol of supreme power? Forget racial supremacism because it doesn't fit the examples. It has to be deeper than that, so what is it?