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Pedro |
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COMSUBBBS Posts: 2974 Location: Liverpool, England | Subject: Whistling For Wind & Other Superstitions Many mariners’ beliefs concerned the weather. Sometimes a horse shoe was nailed upside down to the mast to avert storms and shipwrecks and it was inverted to stop the luck running out of the horse shoe. Nelson is said to have had one on the mainmast of HMS Victory. In more recent times some German U-boats adopted the practice of having horseshoes welded to their conning towers to provide them with good luck on their patrols. Seamen were particularly anxious about squalls. It would certainly bring bad luck not to follow the advice of the old ditty: When the rain’s before the wind Strike your tops’ls, reef your main When the wind’s before the rain Shake ‘em out and go again Among early American sailors felines were thought to be creatures of ill omen: should cats frolic aboard this was a sure sign of a storm; if they washed behind their ears this would bring rain, and if one was seen climbing the rigging the ship was doomed! So it must be deduced that their prowess at keeping down the ships vermin levels far outweighed their reptutation as bad omens. The appearance of a waterspout, often accompanied by flashes of lightning and a sulphurous smell, generated terror aboard ship. Sailors knew the wind which blew in sudden gusts in their vicinity was sufficient to capsize smaller vessels carrying a large spread of sail. One remedy against such disaster that was popular with the mariners who sailed with Columbus was to hold a knife with a black handle in one hand and, reading the Gospel of St. John, cut the air with the knife afore the waterspout. The phenomenon of St Elmo’s fire, which goes by many names, has long been seen as an omen at sea. St Elmo was the patron saint of Mediterranean sailors. He died at sea during a storm, and in his last moments he promised the crew he would return and show himself in some form if they were destined to survive the storm. Soon after he died a strange light appeared at the masthead. Sailors read various interpretations into the configuration of St Elmo’s fire. One light is a warning of a storm. Two lights are a sign that the storm centre has passed, but three lights portend a gale of overwhelming proportions. If the lights go up the mast, good weather is expected, but if they go down things will get worse. It is dangerous to attempt to touch the light, or even go near it, and if it shines like a halo around a man’s head his speedy death is certain. Columbus gave cheer to his disgruntled crew on the voyage to America by pointing to St Elmo’s fire at the masthead and predicting an early end to their perils. The caul, the thin membrane covering the heads of some new-born babies, has long been held by old salts as a bringer of good luck. It was also believed to guard against drowning and shipwreck. As long as the person born with the caul kept it with him, the life-saving powers would protect him. If it was sold, they would pass to the buyer. In February 1813 an advertisement in The Times offered a caul for sale for 12 guineas. It was not unusual to see them sold in this way. Another paper announced the sale of a caul in this way “having been afloat with its late owner forty years, through the periods of a seaman’s life always bringing him to a safe harbour where he died at last in his own bed, at his place of birth.” Having paid handsomely for them, sailors would often sew them into their canvas trousers. One old tar with a caul secreted on his person in this way was told his amulet was a “vulgar error”. He replied, “A vulgar error saving me from Davy Jones is as good as any other.” Admiral Smyth in his classic book of nautical terms published in 1867 observes that a caul was sought as eagerly by ancient Roman lawyers as by modern voyagers. The lawyers apparently believed it would guarantee they would be eloquent and successful in all their cases. Generally, whistling was discouraged in ships. When becalmed, scratching a backstay and whistling softly might entice a useful breeze, but it was to be avoided if the weather was threatening to get dirty again; it could annoy St Anthony, the patron saint of wind, and a strong blow would come on. In the Royal Navy whistling was banned at sea, as it could be confused with orders given by the bosun’s call or whistle. There was one exception to this, however, which had nothing to do with the wind or good luck. When making the boiled pudding known as duff, the ship’s cook was traditionally made to whistle so that he could not surreptitiously eat the raisins destined for the popular treat. Pedro  Edited by Pedro 2011-06-11 9:24 AM | ||
| whalen |
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Great Sage of the Sea Posts: 606 Location: Citrus County FL | |||
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| Palm Bay Ken |
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Great Sage of the Sea Posts: 539 Location: Palm Bay, Florida | |||
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