In Greek epics, drowning was an ignominious, unmanly death because it was unwitnessed. Better to die in battle. Hero narratives typify the journey of men to masculinity. The young man must leave the feminine, suffer, and become a man before he can return to the feminine in marriage and kingliness. During this journey there is always the temptation to opt out of masculinity and return to the feminine before he has grown.
In Greek myth, drowning was a universal symbol for returning to the womb, for failing the quest to manhood and extinguishing strength.
It is curious that no godly man drowns in the Bible. Noah, Moses, Jonah, Peter, and Paul- none were swallowed by the sea. Those who did drown in the ignominious manner did so on the other side of the metaphor, into the feminine – Adam, Samson, David, Solomon, et al.
Thought Butter 