Mad Maudlin McCrumb Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 I have heard a few really gerat piratical superstitions, and would love to know if anybody knows some others! !)a woman on board would bring storms? 2)whistling on deck would bring bad luck? 3)the earring was worn to improve eyesight? (turns out is based in fact!) 4)killing a bird of prey would bring ill fortune? 5)the stones in cod's ears would be worn to prevent a sailor from drowning? Got any more? I love this stuff! "You have a woman's skin, m'lord! I'll wager that hides never been rubbed with salt and flayed off to make stockin's for a pirates best cabin boy!"
Darkmalkin Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 Women with long hair who unbraid it outside bring storms. This one has something to do with the Flying Dutchman. I can't put me hands on the particular reference right now, tho. (I field-tested this once, back here in the cornfields, tornado alley. The neighbors' garage blew away. Coincidence? Probably. Whatever, they didn't thank me.) The Pyromaniac Pirate
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 The superstition regarding women at sea was that women would bring back luck, which could mean storms or anything. The irony is that it was also believed that bearing the nude body of a woman could calm storms! (go figure!) So how did they resolve this quandry in days of old? Simple! A female figurehead! That is why so many of the early figureheads showed women with their breasts bared! On the gold earring- I have also read that it improved eyesight, but there were a couple of other beliefs associated with them. One was that it could pay a dead sailor's way into the underworld. There is a Celtic god and goddess associated with that myth and another similar one about Neptune if I remember correctly. There was also a very practical reason for the earring. Many sailors did not know how to swim. They figured it was better to die a quick death at sea than a slow one. They wore a gold earring in the hope that if they were washed overboard or the ship went down, that their body would wash ashore. It was generally understood that the earring would pay the fee of the undertaker who was to give the unfortunate sailor a proper Christian burial. One of my favorite superstitions is that you should avoid contact with a red-haired person on the way to a ship to begin a journey. They were believed to bring bad luck to the ship. However, you could avert the ill omen if you spoke to the red-haired person, before they spoke to you!! -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
the Royaliste Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 Only the cook can whistle. Whistling a sign of impending mutiny. Women on ships? some say cuz , well, some were gay. Strongest superstition I know of with ships is coins under yr mast evry time it's stepped. The coinage pays the ferryman o'er the river Styx to transport yer sole after you are drowned at sea. Do I believe that shit? You bet! Ancient copper coin for old fees, new gold coin for inflation under each mast, pair of '06 Indianheads,as that's the Quake date, an' I be a Barbary Coast pirate!
captweaver65 Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 women are bad luck on a ship because they take the attention away from those that run it. and bad things happen when you don't pay attention. Capt Weaver "No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned. A man in jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company. " Dr. Samuel Johnson Capt Weaver's Pirate Perversions
captweaver65 Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 here's some more; It is unlucky to start a cruise on Friday. This is the day Christ was crucified on. Black traveling bags are bad luck for a seaman. Don't start a voyage on the second Monday in August. This is the day sondom & gommrrah was destroyed. A stolen piece of wood mortised into the keel will make a ship sail faster. Pouring wine on the deck will bring good luck on a long voyage. A libation to the gods. Black cats are considered good luck and will bring a sailor home from the sea. Dolphin swimming with the ship are a sign of good luck. Killing one will bring bad luck. It is unlucky to kill a sea gull. They contain the souls of sailors lost at sea. Cutting your hair or nails at sea is bad luck. These were used as offerings to Proserpina, and Neptune will become jealous if these offerings are made while in his kingdom. Church Bells heard at sea mean someone on the ship will die. If the rim of a glass rings stop it quickly or there will be a shipwreck. Never say the word Drowned at sea. Capt Weaver "No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned. A man in jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company. " Dr. Samuel Johnson Capt Weaver's Pirate Perversions
Dorian Lasseter Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 Aye There's a book I'm startin' ta read, "Folklore and the Sea" by Horace Beck, isbn 0-7858-1119-2 Has all kinds o' th' folklore n' superstions o' sailors n' folks what live on the shore as well... Whistling during a calmness was believed to bring up th' wind. Truly, D. Lasseter Captain, The Lucy Propria Virtute Audax --- In Hoc Signo Vinces Ni Feidir An Dubh A Chur Ina Bhan Air "If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me." Deuteronomy 32:41 Envy and its evil twin - It crept in bed with slander - Idiots they gave advice - But Sloth it gave no answer - Anger kills the human soul - With butter tales of Lust - While Pavlov's Dogs keep chewin' - On the legs they never trust... The Seven Deadly Sins http://www.colonialnavy.org
Bilgemunky Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 I seem to recall hearing once that if the metal on the mast started to glow a pale blue, it meant a prosperous voyage. The unfortunate reality, though, was that the blue glow was a precurser to the ship being STRUCK BY LIGHTNING I AM BILGEMUNKY
Dorian Lasseter Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 Aye Ladd, Tha' be St. Elmo's Fire.... and it'd be the tips o' th' masts tha' would show th' blue flame... n' actually, it'd be a goode chance tha' th' ship wouldn't be struck... (iffn' ye want th' scientifics on tha', ask.... I used at work wi' it allot) Goode ol' St. Elmo... Truly, D. Lasseter Captain, The Lucy Propria Virtute Audax --- In Hoc Signo Vinces Ni Feidir An Dubh A Chur Ina Bhan Air "If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me." Deuteronomy 32:41 Envy and its evil twin - It crept in bed with slander - Idiots they gave advice - But Sloth it gave no answer - Anger kills the human soul - With butter tales of Lust - While Pavlov's Dogs keep chewin' - On the legs they never trust... The Seven Deadly Sins http://www.colonialnavy.org
redhand Posted August 1, 2003 Posted August 1, 2003 There's the old weather warning... "Red sky at night, sailors delight.... red sky in the morning sailor take warning" I've noticed this to be true on manu occasions, a red sky in the morning usually forshadows some bad weather. Redhand
Captain Rob Carroll Posted August 2, 2003 Posted August 2, 2003 Many pyrates and other sailors tattooed The Crucifixion on there backs for they thought it would ease or perhaps ward the pain of lashings.
Capt. William T. Popples Posted August 3, 2003 Posted August 3, 2003 I heard somewheres that a sailor should put a pickle in his pocket on his birthday for good luck. Not sure why...but I've heard it several times. "...Aye, lets have a few glasses-O-rum...that'll put us in the mood..." -from Tresure Island ( Radio program with Orson Wells )
Darkmalkin Posted August 3, 2003 Posted August 3, 2003 And the inevitable response is: "Is that a pickle in yer pocket or are ye just glad ta see me, HAR The Pyromaniac Pirate
the Royaliste Posted August 3, 2003 Posted August 3, 2003 Ain't a pickle,ain't a cucumber, An I'm always glad ta see ya'll!!
Capt. William T. Popples Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 Sweet? Dill? Kosher? Gherkin? Spicey? Does it really matter..... "...Aye, lets have a few glasses-O-rum...that'll put us in the mood..." -from Tresure Island ( Radio program with Orson Wells )
Mad Maudlin McCrumb Posted August 4, 2003 Author Posted August 4, 2003 I think yer all pickled... Don't start a voyage on the second Monday in August. This is the day sondom & gommrrah was destroyed. Gee.. think I'll have a party.. think that's comin' up pretty quick thar... "You have a woman's skin, m'lord! I'll wager that hides never been rubbed with salt and flayed off to make stockin's for a pirates best cabin boy!"
the Royaliste Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 HMMMMM! Methinks them must be a lotta merchant superstitions, as the biblical stuff wouldn't matter as we be talkin' pyrates. Ya know? The 'rape, pillage, plunder' kinda folk!
BlackDianae Posted August 8, 2003 Posted August 8, 2003 Here's some more superstitions that have been around the Horn and back: It's considered lucky: 1. for Sailors to have tattoos. 2. to hurle old shoes after a vessel leaving the harbor. 3. to touch the collar of a sailor. 4. for a child bo be born on the ship. 5. to have children on board. It's considered unlucky; 1. for a bottle not to smash when launching a new ship. 2. to change the name of a ship. 3. to meet someone with red hair, a clergyman, or a cross-eyed person on the way to the harbor. 4. to sail on a green boat. 5. to step aboard using the left foot first. 6. to see rats leaving a ship. 7. to have a dead person aboard. 8. to cross an area of sea where a wreck has occurred. 9. to lose a bucket at sea. And that's just a sampling!
CaptCat Posted August 13, 2003 Posted August 13, 2003 "Black cats are considered good luck and will bring a sailor home from the sea." This one's easy for my crew! Black Cat, Captain of theMatriarch Test everything. Hold fast to what is good. -Saint Paul's first letter to Thessalonika 5:21
LadyAtropos Posted August 14, 2003 Posted August 14, 2003 In the book, The Hungry Ocean (wot takes place on a modern sword-fishing boat) she mentions 'tis bad luck to say the word "pig" on board a ship, to paint the decks blue or to put the hatch covers on up-side down. There was a funny part where a crewmember said to her (she is the captain of a ship) that she should paint her next ship blue and name it "Thirteen Whistling Pigs", seein' as a woman on board is supposed to be breakin' the rules, anyway... LA
the Royaliste Posted August 14, 2003 Posted August 14, 2003 Hardy-har,har! Good one. I see by ye'r avatar you're a Hornblower fan,shipshape.
LadyAtropos Posted August 19, 2003 Posted August 19, 2003 Hardy-har,har! Good one. I see by ye'r avatar you're a Hornblower fan,shipshape Arr, indeed, 'tis how I found this here board, by a link posted by Rumba Rue. Just got back from an HH gatherin', an' dependin' on if an' when pics get posted online, may be changin' me avatar to a pic o' meself as Lady Barbara...arr, don't be fooled by lacy appearances
the Royaliste Posted August 19, 2003 Posted August 19, 2003 :) Bloody 'eck! 'Tis been a while since this seadog's been fooled! We'll be lookin' for the pictures, to be sure.
LadyAtropos Posted August 20, 2003 Posted August 20, 2003 Arr, drats, me computer, steamin' hulk o' plastic an' metal wot it is, won't let me upload the Lady B pic as me avatar. Maybe sometime soon I can get 'em up...sorry fer the increasin' off-topicness o' me posts in this thread! Back to the superstitions... I heard somewhere that if ye kill a sailor a-sea, he will haunt ye 'til he gets his retribution. I 'eard a story about wreckers, or blokes wot stand ashore with lanterns to fool incomin' ships into thinkin' they were lighthouses and runnin' aground, then plunder 'em. The story went that the spirits o' the crew of a wrecked ship came ashore an' killed all but one o' a gang o' wreckers...can't remember any details, though. Interestin' ghost stories from ships, eh? LA
Mad Woman Cheryl Posted August 20, 2003 Posted August 20, 2003 Pickles in pockets....hmmmmmm Mad Woman Cheryl By Odin's mighty spear, I hereby snap and go berzerk!!!"
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