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“Believe only half of what you see and nothing of what you hear” - Edgar Allan Poe.
The U.S. Navy is a melting pot of beliefs and practices that reflect the experiences of Sailors across generations. Superstitions, which have been adopted and passed down throughout the Navy’s history, have served as an important means of understanding the dangers and uncertainties of life at sea.
Some of the best remembered superstitions involve fantastical sea creatures and can even be found in popular culture today. The fearsome kraken, a cephalopod-like sea monster said to drag entire ships into the depths of the ocean, likely originated from sightings of large real-life creatures such as whales and giant squid before their existence was widely known. In this way, creatures such as the kraken were invented to fill gaps in knowledge and understanding. The kraken also symbolized the unpredictable and treacherous nature of sailing, and while some believed them to exist, opportunistic leaders who were often better educated, quickly discovered they could use such ignorance and fear to their advantage to keep Sailors in line. They promoted the idea that the kraken was drawn to reckless behavior such as drunkenness, irreverence for customs and rituals, and even whistling. Anyone in violation of these rules would be subject to the power and fury of the beast.
Even living creatures have their place in superstition. The albatross, a large seabird with wings stretching as wide as eleven feet, is said to embody the souls of lost sailors, serving as a guide to those transiting the oceans. According to legend, Sailors who harm the watchful protector are doomed with a curse, as it was considered a mortal sin to disrespect the memories of those lost at sea. The mere sight of a healthy albatross brought promise of safe passage and fair winds while the death or disappearance of the bird portended disaster.
Beyond creatures real and imagined, Sailors turned to the environment for omens and signs. “Red sky in the morning, Sailors take warning; red sky at night, Sailors’ delight,” is a saying that has echoed through generations, serving as a predictor of weather as well as a cautionary device. A red sunrise was thought to indicate the coming of a terrible storm, and bring hardship and peril. Some crews even had rituals to ward off the bad luck of a red sunrise by carrying charms and remaining silent for long periods. Still today, the sight of a red morning sky can be enough to inspire tighter hugs and longer goodbyes before getting underway.
Other beliefs had less obvious origins. The presence of a redhead on board a sea-going vessel was for centuries considered a bad omen in Navy lore. Sailors saw red hair as an undesirable trait as it tended to accompany fiery attitudes and unpredictable behaviors analogizing it to the unruly nature of the ocean and possibly even drawing the parallel between it and a red sky morning. In some cases, captains would enforce the rule of having any redheaded crew members be the first to speak when the crew came aboard. Others, desperate to avoid disaster, would deny them a place altogether.
Superstition-based discrimination wasn’t just reserved for hair color or gender, certain names were thought to determine safe passage or not. Those named Jonah were believed to bring misfortune at sea, as the Biblical Jonah brought storms upon his ship until he was cast overboard. Jonahs unlucky enough to be drawn to a seafaring life, or forced into one for lack of options, would find crews most inhospitable. Sailors would go as far as avoiding eye contact with the “cursed” sailor for fear of drawing one on themselves. When misfortune happened to befall a crew and a Jonah was aboard, they were often the first to be blamed and were dealt with accordingly.
In a tradition rooted in centuries of lore and deeply-held superstition, certain days of the week were associated with fortune, good and bad. Friday was known among seafarers as a day cursed by ill fate. Legends tell of ships that left port on a Friday only to disappear without a trace. Some say the belief is tied to Christianity, and that Friday was known as the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified, marking it as a day of reverence for his sacrifice and not for taking to sea for personal profit. This superstition is so engrained in the mariner psyche that modern captains will often schedule their ships’ departures around Fridays rather than risk offending the spirits of the deep.
Sometimes, the entity central to a superstition is a fictional character that serves as a persona to represent a group of people with similar characteristics. The story of the infamous pirate, Davey Jones, has long haunted Sailors as he is not only a character but a personification of the sea’s dark side and the cost of underestimating its power. Davey Jones is often imagined as a sinister figure embodying the terror of drowning and despair. Stories about Davey Jones describe how he prowls the ocean in search of sailors who neglect the traditions and superstitions meant to protect them.
As society broadens its understanding of the world and science unravels the mysteries of yore, many of the tales that informed behaviors and decision making in the past are relegated to lighthearted entertainment in their retelling.
Superstitions and traditions color the rich history of seafaring and are responsible for the culture of storytelling that’s existed in the Navy since its inception. Far more than mere folklore, these stories are reflective of times and places, wants and needs, fears and dreams. They pay homage to the countless sailors who lost their lives to the deep. Superstitions represent mankind’s inherent mistrust of the unknown, the unwillingness to accept the unexplained, and the pursuit of knowledge to help better understand the world. Regardless of their accuracy, every superstition contains some profound truth about humanity, the world, and the mysteries of the deep.
| Date Taken: | 10.28.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2024 08:01 |
| Story ID: | 488490 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Myths of the Deep, by Hector Rodriguez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
