oncern for safety, or religious beliefs.

One superstition held by mariners from the West Indies pertained to swine. These sailors respected pigs because they were the representative animal for the Great Earth Goddess, who controlled the winds. These mariners believed that saying the word ‘pig’ out loud would bring strong winds; therefore, they never spoke the word and instead referred to the animal by nicknames such as ‘curly-tail’ or ‘turf-rooter’. In addition, they believed that killing a pig onboard ship would create a full scale storm.

Contrary to West Indian sailor belief, European sailor tradition considered pigs – along with roosters – to be good luck. This belief originated from when pigs and roosters were stored on ships in wooden crates. If a ship sank, some of these crates would float, catch a current, and eventually wash ashore, often making these animals the sole survivors of the shipwreck. Therefore, tattooing a pig on a sailor’s left foot or calf and a rooster on the right was said to prevent that sailor from drowning.

oncern for safety, or religious beliefs.

While black cats are considered by many a bad omen, one nautical superstition maintains that they actually provide good luck for mariners. Sailor wives often kept black cats as pets in order to invoke protection for their husbands at sea, and it was common for sailors themselves to keep one onboard ship during voyages. Some sailors believed cats could begin storms by using magic stored in their tails, so it was always prudent to keep onboard cats well-fed and happy. Other sailors believed they could determine the weather by observing the way their ship’s cat cleaned itself. If the cat licked its fur against the grain, a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed, rain was soon to follow; and if it was playful, the wind would soon blow.

ons. As always, feel free to share some you know as well!

Historically, sailors have been a superstitious sort, although this might be due to being at the mercy of an unpredictable sea. The origins of these nautical fears have largely disappeared with time but many stem from personal experience, concern for safety, or religious beliefs.

One superstition maintains that it is bad luck to harm or kill an Albatross since many sailors believed these long-distance fliers carried the souls of sailors lost at sea. This misunderstanding partly derived from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In fact, accounts from famous mariners such as James Cook report that sailors regularly killed and ate Albatross in addition to catching and releasing them for sport.

You can find Coleridge’s poem here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173253