superstitions of sailors

superstitions of sailors. Although a great many of the old superstitions of seamen, which initially owed their origin to the desire of mariners of ancient times to guard themselves against the unknown dangers of the sea, have been forgotten or are now ignored by the sophisticated sailor of today, some still linger on. For example, in classical times it was the custom when launching a ship, or before sailing on a long voyage, to offer a libation to the gods of the sea, such as Fortunus and Neptune.

Another superstition dating from classical times was that to be successful a warship's keel must taste the blood of a live person during its launching, and the same ceremony was also practised when Norse longships were launched. In the Mediterranean, when a galley was launched, a slave was tied down on the keel blocks so that as the galley gathered speed on its way into the sea, his body was crushed and his blood splashed the vessel's keel and hull, and his head was then mounted on the vessel's stemhead. This custom survived almost into the 20th century when Solomon Islanders were still fixing the head of a killed enemy onto the stemheads of their newly built canoes. The natives of the Celebes used to do the same but by the mid-20th century they simply smeared the blood from a cock onto the bow and sternpost. The ritual of mounting a head on the bows of a vessel has continued almost to the present day with figureheads.

It used to be an ill omen to start a voyage on certain days of the week. Friday was one, the origin for this being that the Crucifixion took place on a Friday. Other days are the first Monday in April, believed to be the birthday of Cain and the day on which Abel was killed; the second Monday in August, thought to be the day on which Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed; and 31 December, the anniversary of the day on which Judas Iscariot hanged himself. Another omen was that if the cargo being brought on board heeled the ship to steerboard, or starboard, storms would blow; but if it heeled to ladeboard (see lade, to) then the voyage would be successful.

Flowers carried on board ship were thought by some seamen to be destined to form a wreath, either for a death on board or for the loss of the ship with all its company. This belief used to be very strongly held among the crews of submarines. Priests, because of their black dress and their office of burying the dead, were unlucky to have as passengers on board, as were women, it being held that the sea grew angry at the sight of a woman. This superstition was also strongly held by fishermen, and up to the end of the 19th century, in the Firth of Forth, a fisherman would refuse to go to sea if a bare-footed woman crossed his path while on his way to his boat. Yet many seamen used to believe that gales and high winds would subside if a naked woman appeared before them. It was for this reason that so many ships' figureheads showed a woman with a naked breast.

In Kuwait, Alan Villiers reported (Geographical Magazine, 20 (1948), 350
, see R. Bowen , ‘Maritime Superstitions of the Arabs’, American Neptune, 15 (1955), 5)
, it was believed that if a barren woman leapt over the keel of a new boat before the planking was high enough to stop her, she would conceive a male child. However, if she did succeed in jumping over it, one of the carpenters working on the boat would die, or the captain would die during the vessel's maiden voyage. Guards were therefore posted to prevent any woman approaching the vessel. A similar superstition was prevalent among fishermen in western Europe where a woman was not allowed to step over their nets or gear.

When the art of tattooing became popular a pig and a rooster tattooed onto a sailor's feet were said to prevent him from drowning by showing him the way ashore.

Phantom ships, such as the Flying Dutchman, were the source of many sailors' superstitions, one of them being that anyone sighting such a ship would be struck blind, or die, or his ship would be wrecked. St Elmo's Fire was also the source of a similar superstition: if the light of the fire fell upon a man's face, he would die within 24 hours, and few of the older seamen would dare to look directly at the phenomenon when it appeared. Possibly the two superstitions were connected in some way. However, St Elmo's Fire was also held to be a heaven-sent warning either of an approaching storm, so that a ship's crew could prepare themselves, or that the worst of a storm had passed.

Some superstitions defy analysis. To some seamen the loss overboard of a bucket or a mop is an omen of misfortune, to others it is unlucky to repair a flag on a ship's quarterdeck or to hand a flag to a sailor between the rungs of a ladder. Black travelling bags bring misfortune, and to hear bells at sea is a sign of forthcoming death. It is also considered unlucky to wear a sailor's dress of someone who has died at sea while the voyage is in progress; though once it is over no calamity will follow.

A very well-known superstition, which existed among many sailors up to the beginning of the 20th century, was that the possession of the caul of a new-born child was a sure prevention against death by drowning. Advertisements by sailors in newspapers for a caul were not uncommon, and the price offered was occasionally as much as £30.

On the Isle of Man, and among some other seafaring communities, possession of the feather of a wren was supposed to be a safeguard against death by shipwreck. The origin of this belief came from the tale of a beautiful mermaid who lured seamen to their death by singing to them in a voice so sweet that they had to follow. A knight errant, in a desire to save the seamen, discovered a means of counteracting these siren charms but was foiled by the mermaid changing herself into a wren. As a penance for thus circumventing her just deserts, she was condemned to appear as a wren on New Year's Day every year. This legend unhappily led to a brisk demand among sailors for a wren's tail or wing feather, and a considerable slaughter of these attractive small birds followed, particularly on New Year's Day, as the feather of a bird killed on that day was especially valued. The efficacy of the feather lasted for only one year, so the slaughter became annual.

Another, equally well-known, seaman's superstition is that to whistle in a calm will bring a wind, but to whistle on board when the wind is blowing is to bring a gale. Another belief is that a wind can also be brought by throwing the head of an old broom overboard in the direction from which the wind is desired.

See also mother carey's chickens; moon-lore.