“The archetype of the hero in the belly of the whale is widely known. The principal deed of the adventurer is usually to make fire with fire sticks in the interior of the monster, thus bringing about the whale’s death and his own release. Fire making in this manner is symbolic of the sex act. The two sticks – socket-stick and spindle – are known respectively as the female and the male; the flame is the newly generated life.”
–Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces