There be monsters... Sailing in the old days was no easy affair. Sailing was long, the food was bad, discipline could be tough, and the seas treacherous. Sailing could be very dangerous and sailors were at the mercy of the elements. There were the doldrums (where one may be stuck for weeks), pirates or enemy naval vessels, rocks (that could scuttle the ships), storms, disease, and many more trials and tribulations.
It should come as no surprise then that sailors had many myths, legends, and lores about the sea, sailing, and good and bad omens. Here are some of those myths.
Meow - Kitty Cats And Feline Luck
While in many cultures around the world, black cats were considered unlucky, the British and Irish sailors thought that adopting a black "ship's cat" was good luck. The kitties were given a good deal of care on the vessels and they would be one of the few signs of life on the ships other and the other male sailors.
- Black Ship Cats: Good Luck For the Sailors
This made sense as the felines would chase and kill rats and mice on the ships. Rodent stowaways were always a problem on the ships and they would eat the valuable food supply, spread disease on the narrow confines of the ship, and they would gnaw on the ropes.
- Benefit: Cats Reduced The Mice and Rats On The Ship
Sailors have had a long relationship with kitties. It is believed they were first domesticated in ancient Egypt because they helped control the rodents. They are believed to have spread from Egypt through the shipping lanes to medieval northern Europe. Even the Vikings continued with this practice.
- Throwing A Cat Overboard: Bad Luck With a Storm Or 9 Years Bad Luck
Cats were belied to have miraculous powers and could protect the ships from dangerous weather. Some believed that they could start a storm with magic stored in their tails and if they were thrown overboard they could summon a terrible storm. If the ship survived the storm it would be cursed with nine years of bad luck.
Davy Jones and Kraken
Davy Jones was a popular character in sailor's lore, while Davy Jones' Locker was an idiom for the bottom of the sea (death by drowning). It was also used as a euphemism for death and burial at sea.
No one knows the origin of the name, but one of the theories is that there was an actual David Jones and that he was a pirate in the Indian Ocean in the 1630s (if one would like to learn about pirates, there are numerous pirate tours in the USA).
Another idea is he was a pub owner who would kidnap sailors and dumped them onto a passing ship. Or that Davy Jones is another name for Satan (or "Devil Jonah" from the biblical Jonah).
Kraken on the other hand were legendary sea monsters of the depths. This legend could have come from sightings of giant squid. It was first described at the turn of the 18th century and was believed to live off the coast of Norway that would attack ships and devour the crew. The name is also from a Norwegian word.
Other Myths and Lores Of Sailors
According to the New Zealand Maritime Museum, some of the sailors' myths included:
- No Farwell: A Sailor Could Not Call Out To His Wife Or Wave Goodbye Once He Had Stepped Out of the Door For The Ship
- Boat Re-Naming: It Was Bad Luck To Change The Name of a Boat, If One Had To, It Should Be De-Named Properly and Officially Re-Christened
- Tattoos: It Was Thought That Tattoos Of A Rooster and a Pig On the Sailors' Foot Would Prevent Them From Drowning And Show them The Way To The Shore
- Blood: For Good Luck, At The Start of The Fishing Season There Should Be Some Blood Shed First in a Fight or Accident
- Hat Overboard: If One Lost The Hat Overboard, It Was an Omen It Would Be A Long Trip
- Egg Shells: To Prevent Witches Coming On Board in The Egg Shells, They Had To Be Broken Into Tiny Pieces (duh)
- Scruffy Sailors: It Was Bad Luck To Trim Nails, Cut Hair, or Shave The Beard While At Sea
- Women: Bad Luck For Distracting Crew Which Would Anger The Sea Causing Dangerous Conditions, However, Naked Women Calmed The Sea (Convenient)
- Red-Heads: Also Bad Luck - To Mitigate, Start the Conversation First
One myth of today is that pirates had the "pirate accent" - that accent is an exaggerated accent from Cornwall and popularized in an early movie.