15 Weird Superstitions of Historic Sailors

Bananas are a major import, but sailors consider them bad luck.Having bananas on a boat is bad luck.The fruits cause negative effects on catching fish.Bananas negatively affect catching fish.This myth started in the Caribbean during the 1700s. Boats carrying bananas for trade had to sail fast to reach the market before the fruit spoiled.

Fast sailing made fishing hard. Sailors blamed the starchy fruit instead of the boat speed. Boats also often sank because they used cheap, weak materials.

Some superstitions bring both good and bad luck. Consider whistling.Whistling is one such superstition.Whistling might encourage wind while also bringing storms. The superstition may have started with the mutiny on the HMS Bounty.The mutiny on the HMS Bounty used a whistle to signal.The mutiny on the HMS Bounty used a whistle.The HMS Bounty used a whistle to signal.

Not all superstitions involve being on a ship. Eggshells are thought to bring bad luck off boats.Eggshells bring bad luck off boats.This belief says sailors must smash eggshells into small pieces. If left whole, witches will use the shells as boats and summon storms to sink ships.

The superstition became so popular it turned into a poem.

"Oh, never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;"
We poor sailors always smash them up.
Witches come and find them and sail away to sea.
They make a lot of misery for mariners like me.

The albatross is a well-known sign of luck at sea. Sailors believed albatrosses carried the souls of dead crewmen; their appearance meant the spirits protected them.Albatrosses carried the souls of dead crewmen.Thus, the albatross's appearance meant spirits protected the sailors.

However, harming an albatross can bring doom to a ship. One story recounts this in the poem.This incident appears in the poem."The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem shows a sailor killing an albatross that led his ship out of an ice flow. His fatal act curses the ship. Crewmates hang the albatross from his neck and tie him to the mast as penance. But their efforts fail; the crew all die, and the ship sinks, leaving the albatross killer as the only survivor.

One old seafaring superstition states that women are bad luck on a ship.Women are bad luck.They bring storms and cause men to fall for temptation. Sailors believed this so much that one story claims sailors off the coast of England threw over 60 women overboard to change the weather.

Though women might bring disaster, the thinking remained.Carvings of women on ship prows were thought to calm angry seas and ensure a safe trip.Ship carvings of women calmed angry seas and ensured a safe voyage.

Sailors worry about days of the week, especially Fridays. Sailing on Fridays brings bad luck. This belief led to a tall tale claiming the Royal Navy built a ship called the HMS Friday to calm sailors' fears.The Royal Navy built the HMS Friday to calm sailors' fears.The HMS Friday calmed sailors' fears.

However, in 2007, the navy issued a denial.The navy officially denied the story.This addresses the claim that the ship existed and settles the myth.

European sailors likely first encountered tattoos.Sailors first encountered tattoos.They encountered tattoos when they reached the South Pacific.The sailors reached the South Pacific.In the 18th century, sailors reached the South Pacific islands. Certain tattoos offered good luck or protected sailors from misfortune. Pigs and roosters were popular inks because these animals lived in floating crates sailors could grab if the ship sank.

Tattoos of animals also protected crewmen from hunger.

Sailors kept unkempt looks. Working daily on a ship with poor food and limited water for bathing created poor hygiene. One superstition explains why sailors kept long hair and nails: they tried to avoid Neptune's wrath.Sailors avoided Neptune's wrath.Cutting your hair inspires Neptune's anger.

Sailors thought the sea god viewed cutting hair and nails as an offering to the rival goddess Proserpine.

For sailors and pirates, earrings were more than fashion. The jewelry carried a superstition.The jewelry carried the superstition.Sailors believed a pierced ear meant they would not drown. Sailors with pierced ears sometimes died at sea. However, if they returned with a gold or silver earring, the earring could cover funeral costs.

Sailors stuck wax balls on their earrings. They used these to plug their ears when firing cannons to keep their hearing.

Mast stepping involves raising a ship's mast. This practice holds a superstition thought to date back thousands of years. When a mast rises, coins or other lucky charms go under it.Coins or other lucky charms go under the mast.Lucky coins go under the mast.

The superstition remains observed today. The USS Teddy Roosevelt had a plaque and sealed box with lucky items welded to its mast when it was overhauled in 2011.Teddy RooseveltThe USS Teddy Roosevelt had a plaque and sealed box with lucky items welded to its mast when it was overhauled in 2011.

The name "Jonah" can be given to anyone blamed for bad luck on a vessel.Anyone blamed for bad fortune on a vessel is called Jonah.Sailors apply the name to boats if they face hardship at sea. This tradition stems from the Biblical tale.This tradition is based on the Biblical tale.The tale involves Jonah, where sailors threw the prophet overboard to stop God from sending a storm.

Jonah was swallowed by a whale, yet he survived.

Dolphins have long been seen as lucky creatures for sailors.Dolphins are lucky creatures for sailors.Stories from around the world tell how super-intelligent mammals rescued men lost at sea. Sailors thought dolphins signaled good conditions and believed killing a dolphin brought bad luck.

Pelorus Jack signals good sailing.Pelorus Jack, a dolphin seen in 1888, supposedly guides ships through Pelorus Sound in New Zealand. Mark Twain visited him during his world travels because he became famous.

Sailors did not just believe in mermaids.Sailors didn't just believe in mermaids.Sailors thought mermaids brought bad luck in early seafaring. They linked mermaids to Atargatis, the ancient Syrian goddess of fertility.The goddess is Syrian and deals with fertility.This myth dates back over 4,000 years. Roman mythology brought mermaids into the West, showing them like sirens: figures that lure sailors to crash ships and drown. Tales also featured mermen who boarded ships to sink them.

Early seafaring maps showed areas where ships sank, using mermaid pictures to warn sailors away. Explorers like Christopher Columbus and John Smith saw mermaids during their travels, though they actually encountered manatees or dugongs.Explorers encountered manatees or dugongs.

A sailor's first crossing of the equator starts something.A sailor's first crossing of the equator.A ceremony honors a sailor's first equatorial crossing, dating back hundreds of years. Until a seaman passes zero degrees longitude, he is a Pollywog. Crossing the equator earns him the title of Shellback in the Order of Neptune. Line crossing ceremonies feature high-ranking officers dressed as Neptune and talent shows for the crew.

Past equator crossing ceremonies often served as a type of hazing.These ceremonies acted as hazing.Modern celebrations let new crew members bond with veterans during long voyages, which might otherwise feel lonely.

Cats have been on ships for a long time.Ships have brought cats aboard since ancient times. Cats killed mice and pests, saving food and stopping disease spread. Cats also gave comfort and company to sailors far from home.Cats proved useful to crews by killing mice and pests, saving food stores, and preventing disease. Cats also offered comfort and companionship to sailors on long trips.

Felines earned a spot in modern naval history. The cat Blackie sailed on the HMS Prince of Wales.HMS Prince of WalesPrince of WalesIn 1941, the ship took British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to Newfoundland for a meeting with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. Churchill was photographed petting the cat, which was later named for the Prime Minister. The cat survived the ship sinking but was lost in Singapore after rescue.