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Sailing across the vast ocean can be perilous. While the experience of cruising on calm waters with the wind in your favor is thrilling, more often than not, sailors encounter rough weather or unfavorable winds. And sometimes, storms can arise without warning, turning the tranquil sea into a tumultuous, dangerous force.
Throughout the ages, countless sailors have tragically perished in the unpredictable and treacherous seas. Even today, there's no way to completely guarantee safety when navigating the open ocean. Now, imagine how hazardous sailing was centuries ago—whether 100, 500, or even 1,000 years ago!
Given the inherent risks and the lack of other coping mechanisms, sailors have long turned to superstitions to ease their fears. While these superstitions may seem strange—like the idea that the number 13 is unlucky or that black cats are more ominous than other cats—they tend to captivate people's beliefs once they take root.
In the maritime world, superstitions have become even more entrenched due to the inherent dangers of sailing. Even with modern technology at their fingertips, sailors continue to observe ancient customs and myths, hoping for good fortune. In this article, we will explore the true stories behind ten of these intriguing and unique superstitions.
10. A Red Sky at Night
You've likely heard this old adage before, or at least a version of it: 'Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.' This saying suggests that a red sky to the west at sunset is a sign of good fortune for sailors, while a red sky to the east at sunrise is a bad omen.
This saying has been around for centuries. A variation of it even appears in William Shakespeare’s narrative poem 'Venus and Adonis.' The Bible also mentions a similar notion, though not in the context of sailing. Interestingly, this superstition is actually grounded in science, which makes you wonder if sailors of yesteryear truly understood the phenomenon.
When light passes through particles in the atmosphere, it creates colors. The more particles it encounters, the redder it appears. Blue light scatters more easily than the reds, oranges, and yellows. Red hues in the sky signal a high-pressure system approaching.
High-pressure systems are favorable for sailors, as they often bring calm weather and gentle winds. Since air currents generally move from west to east, the direction of the red skies is key. Thus, a 'red sky at night' indicates a high-pressure system will arrive from the west, bringing pleasant weather in the coming days. Meanwhile, a 'red sky in the morning' suggests that a high-pressure system has already passed, and storms from low-pressure systems may follow soon after.
9. The Name Game
One rule that every sailor agrees on is that a ship’s name should never be altered. For centuries, it has been believed that renaming a ship invites bad luck and disaster. This isn’t a mere superstition but a deeply ingrained tradition among sailors worldwide.
In ancient times, sailors believed that all ships' names were recorded in a mystical book called the 'Ledger of the Deep,' overseen by Poseidon, the Ancient Greek god of the sea (or Neptune, if you prefer the Roman counterpart). This book kept track of every vessel and its crew, ensuring their safety as they sailed across the oceans and returned home.
Changing a ship’s name was seen as an act of disrespect towards Poseidon. Why tempt fate and anger the god of the sea? Captains who were forced to rename their vessels for legal or social reasons had to go through a lengthy and complex ritual to appease Poseidon. After all, navigating the seas has always been a complex and unpredictable journey.
The tradition of never changing a ship’s name has been respected for centuries. Robert Louis Stevenson captured this custom in the 1880s in *Treasure Island*, where he wrote, 'What a ship was christened, so let her stay.' This belief was also documented by sailors during the 'Golden Age of Sail' in the 16th century, and historians believe it dates back even further into ancient times.
8. Albatross Antics
Though the open ocean is sparsely populated with birds, one species is often spotted: the albatross. Sailors of old were fascinated by the bird’s graceful flight patterns and its effortless gliding through the air. This led them to believe that albatrosses were physical manifestations of wandering spirits, long lost to the world.
Over time, this belief evolved into a full-fledged legend: each albatross was thought to be the ghost of a deceased sailor. Spotting one was considered a sign of good fortune, as these spirits were believed to be guardians, ensuring the safe journey of the ship and its crew.
This belief explains why sailors refrained from harming albatrosses whenever they landed on their ships. But this tradition is not only born from superstition—literature played a role as well. In 1834, poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge immortalized the albatross custom in his famous poem *The Rime of the Ancient Mariner*.
In the poem, Coleridge tells the story of a mariner who shoots and kills an albatross while at sea. Soon after, the ship runs out of fresh water and becomes stranded on a barren patch of land. The crew is attacked, and nearly everyone perishes in the disaster. Sailors have long believed that Coleridge’s poem was inspired by a real-life event in 1719, when a sailor killed an albatross before his ship faced a series of unfortunate events. And thus, the moral was clear: never kill an albatross on the open ocean.
7. Listen Up!
It's a familiar pirate trope that they wore gold hoop earrings. The golden hoop is as iconic to a pirate’s look as the eye patch and peg leg. But, surprisingly, pirates did indeed wear these gold earrings often, and there was a specific reason behind it, or at least, that's what the pirates believed at the time.
Long ago, pirates were convinced that gold jewelry could cure many sea-related ailments, such as scurvy, seasickness, and even blindness. Some claimed that the gold had magical properties that kept pirates from falling overboard and meeting their doom.
Pirates weren’t the only ones who thought gold had mystical healing abilities. During the Middle Ages, medical practitioners across Europe believed in gold's magical powers. They would recommend gold to treat various diseases, from leprosy to heart conditions, and even prescribed drinking liquid gold to slow down the aging process. Vanity, it seems, has always been with us.
Of course, we now know that gold doesn't have any such powers. Even back then, people were starting to catch on to that fact. By the early 18th century, the use of gold for medicinal purposes was fading. However, pirates still kept their gold earrings for a much more practical reason: funeral expenses.
If a sailor passed away at sea, the gold taken from their earring was often used to cover funeral costs. Some pirates even had their hometowns engraved on their earrings, so that if tragedy struck, their remains could be sent back to their families for closure.
6. The Caul of a Newborn
Here’s a rather unusual superstition, a bit gross and rare, too! If you’ve never heard of the term ‘caul,’ here’s a quick lesson: Sometimes, newborns are born with part of the birth membrane, called a ‘caul,’ covering their face. Not all babies are born with this membrane, and there's nothing wrong with those who aren't. Doctors simply remove it, and the baby is then returned to their mother.
But sailors of the past held the caul in incredibly high esteem. They believed that any baby born with a caul over their face would have guaranteed good luck for life. As a result, cauls became highly sought-after good luck charms in various seaports, prized by sailors for their supposed magical properties. Strange, huh?
Sailors were convinced that having a caul aboard their ship meant it would be protected from storms and shipwrecks. According to legend, no sailor had ever drowned while a caul was on board. Cauls became so important that captains would place ads in seaside newspapers seeking them out.
The origins of this custom remain somewhat mysterious. Beyond the idea that babies born with cauls were said to bring good luck, it's unclear how this belief translated to sailors. Perhaps it stems from their inherently superstitious nature! Regardless of how it made its way into maritime folklore, the custom has persisted for centuries. Historians have found advertisements for cauls in seaside newspapers dating back to the mid-1600s.
5. Got a Loaf?
Surprisingly, there are numerous seafaring superstitions linked to baked bread. Who would have thought? For instance, English sailors believed that bread baked on Good Friday was especially lucky. As the day approached, sailors flocked to bakeries to buy loaves for their upcoming voyages.
That bread was thought to ensure a safe journey across the sea. To double down on their luck, sailors would throw pieces of the bread into the sea as their ships departed. According to legend, this ritual was said to bring favorable weather for the voyage ahead. One can imagine the seagulls around each port city being quite pleased with this tradition.
The English, along with their French rivals, also had a peculiar belief about upside-down bread on board ships. This superstition actually began on land. In medieval France, bakers were reportedly forced to bake bread for executioners. As a form of protest, these bakers allegedly baked the bread with ‘hatred’ directed at those who carried out executions. Not all the loaves made it to the executioners, however.
In French bakeries, bakers would often flip loaves of bread upside down, a practice linked to executions. The reason was simple: customers could identify which loaves were associated with bad luck. Over time, this peculiar habit found its way to the sea. English sailors in the 16th century came to believe that bread turned upside down on a ship could result in shipwrecks and disastrous outcomes.
4. No Women, No Gingers
Apologies to women—and to redheads, regardless of gender. History dictated that women were forbidden from boarding ships once they had set sail. Their presence on merchant vessels and warships was thought to bring misfortune. The belief was that their mere existence could provoke storms and anger the seas.
Additionally, women were considered such a disruption to sailors that it was said their presence led to poor navigational decisions and miscalculations regarding the weather. Considering how isolated sailors must have been after months at sea, one could almost see a plausible connection. Still, it’s irrational to blame shipwrecks on women, isn’t it?
The irony becomes more apparent when considering the long history of naming ships after women. In ancient times, all vessels were dedicated to goddesses. In later eras, female figureheads adorned the bows of ships, believed to bring smooth seas and calm winds. So how did the same sailors who revered female figures up front come to believe that real women aboard would only lead to disaster? That was the belief for centuries.
Women weren't the only ones considered bad luck on the ocean. There was also a strange superstition surrounding redheaded individuals, who were believed to be unsuitable for sailing. Sometimes, those with red hair were outright prohibited from boarding ships, while sailors familiar with this myth would avoid getting too close to them once on board.
If a sailor encountered a redheaded person—whether on the ship or in port before departure—the sailor had to speak first before the redhead could utter a word. By doing so, it was believed the sailor could neutralize the bad luck that red hair supposedly carried. But here’s a thought: How did they handle Irish sailors, then?
3. Never Whistle at Sea!
The saying “whistle while you work” definitely applies to land-based activities. On a ship, however, whistling was considered a surefire way to tempt fate. Sailors believed that by whistling, they were summoning the ocean gods to create storms. Whistling while at sea was thought to invite fierce winds and heavy rain.
In some seafaring communities, the sound of whistling was even thought to attract the Devil himself! Sailors were expected to work in silence—or at least while chanting, calling out, or singing work songs. Though repetitive, a song like “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” was believed to be a much less dangerous way to pass time than whistling. However, that song’s never-ending refrain might tempt one's patience in its own way, but that’s another matter entirely.
Interestingly, there’s actually a sensible explanation behind the no-whistling superstition. Throughout history, ships were typically packed with crew members. Depending on the journey, men would sleep in shifts while others worked on deck. At all times, there were lookouts stationed in the crow’s nest or elsewhere, even during the night, while the rest of the crew rested below deck.
If something were to happen on deck, or if a storm suddenly brewed, it was crucial for the captain to be able to use whistling to communicate quickly. After all, nothing wakes up drowsy sailors like the sharp sound of a whistle followed by a command. That’s why no crew member, however lowly, should whistle while working—unless they wanted to disrupt the captain’s ability to give life-saving orders.
2. The Cat’s Got Your Boat
Sailors were constantly trying to avoid a long list of misfortunes, from women to witches, redheads, and albatrosses, to (some) red skies. But there was one thing sailors truly welcomed aboard: cats! Cats were believed to bring good luck to ships at sea, and they had a very practical role as well.
For centuries, wooden ships, prone to leaks and filled with cargo, were prime targets for rat infestations in the lower decks. Having a cat (or a few) aboard helped keep the rodent population in check. As sailors grew fond of their feline companions—who were, more importantly, excellent rat hunters—cats became treasured members of the crew.
Over time, the behavior of cats became woven into the fabric of sailing lore. If a cat approached a sailor and lingered around him for a few moments, it was considered a sign of good luck for the man. However, if the cat turned its back on the sailor, it was interpreted as a warning of impending misfortune. To tip the odds in their favor, sailors throughout history made sure to pamper the onboard cats with plenty of food. After all, well-fed cats were less likely to turn their backs on anyone.
Some cat superstitions, however, went completely off the deep end. Over the centuries, sailors came to believe that cats possessed nearly magical abilities. Some thought felines had the power to control the weather, while others believed that a ship’s cat going overboard would result in bad luck for the next nine years.
Other myths revolved around the unpredictable quirks of cat behavior. For example, if a cat sneezed while at sea, it was seen as a sign that rain was on the way. Any playful or frisky behavior from a cat was thought to herald a windy day, and if a cat licked its fur for an extended period, sailors believed it was a warning that hailstorms were imminent.
These superstitions may seem outlandish, but today, veterinarians wonder if sailors might have been onto something. After all, cats have exceptional eyesight and hearing, with senses that far surpass those of humans. Additionally, their highly sensitive inner ears can detect changes in wind and atmospheric pressure.
Because of these heightened senses, vets believe that cats are able to predict weather patterns better than many other animals. Sailors who spent days observing the behavior of their feline companions at sea might have noticed subtle changes, picking up on the cues that indicated what weather was approaching.
1. Cracked Eggshells
If you thought sailors didn’t want women aboard their vessels, you can probably imagine how desperately they tried to avoid witches. One of the oldest sailing superstitions revolves around witchcraft, with captains and their crews taking great pains to steer clear of it while at sea.
This superstition traces back to the first century AD, when Pliny the Elder mentioned how sailors were already breaking eggshells on ships to fend off witches. Given how steeped in superstition the ancient world was, it’s not surprising. But what’s fascinating is how this particular custom endured for centuries.
By the Middle Ages, it was believed that witches could navigate the high seas in nothing more than a hollowed-out eggshell. Granted, these must have been very small witches. Still, the idea of witches freely roaming the world’s waters horrified sailors and land dwellers alike. As a result, sailors began smashing discarded eggshells into tiny pieces on board. The logic was that if there were no eggshell fragments left, witches wouldn’t be able to use them as boats to board the ship and curse it.
Remarkably, this practice persisted into the early 20th century! While sailors of the modern era likely didn’t still believe witches were sailing the seas in eggshells, the tradition of breaking eggshells on board remained commonplace.
In 1936, the Scottish poet Elizabeth Fleming wrote a poem highlighting the importance of breaking eggshells into small pieces while on board: “Oh, never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup; Think of us poor sailor-men and always smash them up, For witches come and find them and sail away to sea, And make a lot of misery for mariners like me.”
