It has long been believed that a woman on a ship brings misfortune. Whether this is true or not is difficult to say. But here's a historical fact. There were women in two Russian polar expeditions. On the motor-sailing ship "Hercules" V. A. Rusanov was his fiancee, Juliette Jean, a Frenchwoman. On the schooner "Saint Anna" GL. Brusilova - Yerminiya Zhdanko, daughter of a famous general. Both expeditions set sail in the summer of 1912 and both disappeared forever in the ice of the Arctic.
How to whistle the wind
You can name other marine beliefs. God forbid, the sailor will dream of a fish or an obscure human figure in the fog will appear to him, "gray death". Both, it was believed, threatened imminent misfortune. The deceased on the ship also did not bode well. Therefore, the deceased sailor should be given back to the sea as soon as possible.
As you know, whistling on a ship is strictly prohibited. And yet, many sailors in the era of the sailing fleet believed that sometimes a tailwind can be caused by a whistle, so to speak, "whistle" it. Another remedy could have been used - brushing the mast. But at the same time, the sailors were afraid to take needles and repair the sails in the calm, so as not to "sew" the desired wind.
And for a long time, spells were entrenched in sailors, supposedly capable of causing the wind. If the helmsman pronounced them, looking longingly at the sagging sails, he did it in a gentle, pleading tone. When it became clear that nothing was changing, spells were powerless, then it was possible to demand the appearance of the desired wind.
Albatross wings
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However, one should be careful not to overdo it. Otherwise, instead of the desired fresh breeze, a real storm could break out.
Otherwise it could not have happened after such, for example, a demand (and it used to sound): “Wind, heavenly dog! Finally, they sank so that the masts trembled and bent! But such irreverent words to the wind could only be spoken by the most impatient and unrestrained sailor.
Yes, in the age of sailing ships sailors were completely dependent on the strength and direction of the wind, they knew its capricious nature well. A lot has accumulated on this score. Seagulls fly around the ship - it is clear, this is bad weather, the yay creaks at the top of the mast, gaff - a favorable wind will blow. But the tremor of the ship's cables, on the contrary, was considered a sign of imminent calm. By the sound of the waves rolling over the deck, they judged when the storm would end.
In ancient times, an obligatory ritual before going to sea was a sacrifice, which was performed in the stern of the ship, on the poop. It was believed that this could appease the god of the winds. It happened that even people were sacrificed. Later, exclusively marine animals became the victims. Even later, they began to nail albatross wings or shark fins to the bowsprit.
Lucky coin
And here is another type of "sacrifice", which was practiced on high-speed sailing ships, more than a hundred years ago, transported to Europe cargo from Australia and Chile. The captains of these wonderful ships, barely leaving the sea, threw overboard their uniform caps, as a gift to the sea god Neptune.
It should be noted that among the seasoned captains there were real sea wolves, madly brave and unusually lucky. It seemed that they were insured against all troubles, any disasters. According to legends, such captains sold their souls to the devil. And this, they said, was easy to verify: there was no shadow on the deck on sunny days.
Beliefs and spells began from the moment the ship was laid. It was believed that the fate of the ship could be happy if at least a few stolen boards were used to build it. A gold coin was laid under the base of the main mast, of course, also for luck. The fire that suddenly appeared on the slipway (even if it was a spark) was regarded as a very bad omen, and it was better to start construction from the beginning.
When the finished hull of the ship was launched, a conspiracy was pronounced: "God, protect this ship from severe storms, waves and troubles, including those that occur by the evil will of man."
Only after taking into account all these beliefs, shipbuilders of past centuries gained confidence that the ship they built would be reliable and sail for a long time.
Ship brownie
The strange name of Klabautermann was almost unknown in the Russian navy. This is a mysterious creature, a relative of the ground brownie - a kind, but somewhat malicious spirit of the ship. Although no one saw Klabautermann, his appearance was well known. A sort of bearded gnome with gray hair and a fiery red face. It was also known that Klabautermann lives under an anchor winch, a spire. During a storm it climbs onto the mast.
The nasal figures that adorned the stems of sailing ships appeared several thousand years ago, that is, at a time when extraordinary and even supernatural abilities were attributed to animals. The Phoenicians placed wooden figures in the form of horse heads on their ships. Echoes of this tradition are visible in the fact that a couple of centuries ago a nailed horseshoe could be seen on the mainmast of sailing ships.
The ships of the ancient Greeks were decorated with images of dolphin heads. These intelligent animals have always been favorites of sailors. There was even a belief according to which the souls of the dead sailors migrate to dolphins.
Nasal figures became especially widespread when the Great Geographical Discoveries and circumnavigation of the world began. These were enterprises with great risk, and the sailors wanted to protect themselves with the help of higher powers. The Spaniards called their ships by the names of Catholic saints and placed their sculptural images on the stems. In the English navy, figures in the form of women with flowing hair, dressed in pretty dresses or half-naked, were popular. For example, the famous cutty sark clipper was decorated with the figure of the famous witch Manny, sung by the English poet Robert Burns.
Lights on the masts
Sometimes mysterious lights appeared on the tops of the masts - a good sign of Saint Elmo, the patron saint of sailors. However, he was not the only one among the saints - the protectors of seafarers. You can also name Nicholas and Brandan, Clemens and Gertrude of Brabant.
The latter, according to the Christian myth, saved Holland from a terrible sea monster. Therefore, the Brabant sailors, before going to sea, always organized merry feasts in honor of their protector.
The most revered in the marine environment has always been St. The fact that since the Middle Ages churches and cathedrals named after Nicholas of Mirliki were built in many coastal cities about the respect with which sailors treated this saint.
Since ancient times, he was considered the patron saint of Russian sailors. In St. Petersburg, donations were also used to build the Church of St. Nicholas, which still exists today. Unofficially, it is called that: Nikola Morskoy.
The famous legend about the "Flying Dutchman", a mysterious ship wandering across the sea without a crew on board, is closely connected with beliefs. They say that the legend is based on a real case when one of the captains ruined his crew with blasphemous words and extravagance, and turned the ship into an eternal wanderer.
And the most amazing thing is that the sailors, according to them, met the "flying Dutchman" at sea - a ship, rushing in full sail. He disappeared from sight as suddenly as he appeared. However, there could be nothing mystical here. Some ships after the wreck, in fact, remained afloat. For example, the English sailing ship "Fanny Walston", abandoned by the crew during a shipwreck, was later seen in the Atlantic more than forty times!
Gennady Chernenko. Magazine "Secrets of the XX century" № 34 2010
