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#sailors superstition
ltwilliammowett · 1 year
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This is a so-called Ci Corc. - a cork sea dog from Wales, 19th century
This small cork animal was made of bar remains, as was often found in a Victorian pub. A sailor who was about to embark on a long voyage would make himself a little dog like this to distract himself from the fact of the voyage and to make a little lucky charm. Cork floats and was therefore considered a good luck charm against drowning and a good luck charm for a safe journey home.
If they saw a Sailor tinkering in the pub, it was a sign for the others to give him a farewell drink and wish him good luck. When the men came back, these little charms were given to a child to play with, because the luck was now used up and a new one had to be made for the next trip.
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thefrillypirate · 2 years
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New superstition unlocked: don't fucking do divination for your ship before transit because everything will go horribly wrong and you will pass off the sea for trying to get around her
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clove-pinks · 10 days
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I was reading Utmost Gallantry by Kevin D. McCranie and came across an intriguing line. When Captain Isaac Hull of USS Constitution was fleeing a British squadron in 1812, he passed within gunshot range of a British frigate, but the enemy held her fire. Hull later wrote that the frigate "did not fire on us, perhaps for fear of becalming her as the wind was light."
I immediately remembered that Frederick Marryat wrote something very similar about a ship's guns somehow stopping the wind, and found it in The King's Own: "wind lulled by the percussion of the air from the report of the guns."
This was apparently a genuine sailors' superstition!
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Action at Sea: an English and a French Frigate Engaging by Robert Dodd c. 1802 (ArtUK).
I searched Google Books for more references and found one in a late 18th century dispatch to the Admiralty quoted in Memoir of Robert, Earl Nugent: "their guns had so lulled the wind as to leave us little prospect of getting nearer to them."
I can see how, in an era long before smokeless powder, it might seem like firing large guns made the wind die down as the combatants were enveloped in clouds of smoke.
@ltwilliammowett have you heard this one?
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70th · 3 months
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the people of district 4 being a deeply superstitious bunch…. everything has meaning: the skies, the tides, the seabirds, the fish
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cipher-zoo · 1 year
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Buggy accidentally shot an Albatross as a kid/teen and the bad luck still haunts him.
(honestly I wish there were more sailor superstitions in One Piece)
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tintinology · 1 year
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I think it would have been fun to see a more superstitious Haddock in the comics
I feel like there would have been so much potential for comedy there
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lockree · 1 year
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ma'am, if you're trying to escape your past on a transatlantic steamship that starts its voyage on a thursday in the year of our good lord 1899 and the cabin number next to your own room ends with a 13, then i have some bad news for you -
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sesamie · 1 year
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Heyyo, do you have a source for these sailor superstitions?
Iv been working on a story about a sailor and would love to get more info on differt such superstitions since the book festures the paranatural and otherworldly forces
oh just wikipedia and aotearoa's maritime museum website and random other articles and things i looked up online!! i'm no researcher i can't say for certain any of this is credible it's just my own looking up stuff about my interests shsjfhsjs
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marryat92 · 1 year
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In a few minutes Marshall returned to the surgeon, who, tired with clambering over the rocks, was sitting down to rest himself a little. “Well, Marshall, I hope you have not hurt what I gave into your charge.”
“Hurt ‘em! — why, sir, a’ter what you told me, I’d as soon have hurt a cat.”
“What, you are superstitious on that point, as seamen generally are.”
“Super-what, Mr Macallan? I only knows, that they who ill-treats a cat, comes worst off. I’ve proof positive of that since I have been in the service. I could spin you a yarn.”
— Frederick Marryat, The King's Own
Embroidered cushion cover made by a sailor of HMS Chester (1915) depicting the ship's cat, NMM collection
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uamariner · 22 days
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Sailors' Superstitions
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crispy-armpit · 10 months
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✧ 𝖒𝖞 𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖑 ✧
ʏᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇ ꜱᴇᴀ ɢᴏᴅ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ
𓇼˚₊‧꒰ა 🫧 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚𓇼
⭒ 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: 10 dollars on a dare leads you to break one superstition that changes your life forever. you begin to learn secrets tied to your family and upbringing, at the cost of your freedom. who is this mysterious Anshumat, and why does he want you?
⭒ 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵: 𝘨𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺, violence, implied stalking, kidnapping, choking, reader gets called a bride once
⭒ 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 1,418
⭒ a/n: yan sea god was inspired by an Indonesian myth called Nyi Roro Kidul! it's a really interesting legend if you want to learn more abt it ^^ also.... man tits...... meow..
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will you venture down this path?
growing up, you would stay over at your grandmother's house every summer. her beautiful seaside cottage made the perfect accommodation for a family getaway. throughout your childhood, the superstitious old woman restricted you from doing specific things. rules like never whistling at night, don't open an umbrella indoors, etc.
you'd eventually found out that these were just scare tactics for children to make them listen. but there was one rule that your grandmother seemed to fear the most, a rule that never made sense... never wear white to the local beach. and when questioning her about the rule, she'd tell you the same story every time.
"long ago...
a cruel serpent god who once ruled these waters would rise from the ocean and into the islands, devouring innocent villagers and destroying temples along its path.
the gods and humans were furious at its actions. fed up with the destruction and death, they prepared a plan to thwart the serpent; a binding curse.
the serpent was cursed to spend its days rotting in a hidden island, where it was accompanied by its servants. it was also tasked with granting blessings to sailors passing through the rocky tides, where it weighed the sins of each individual to seal their fates.
but over the decades... the serpent grew bored and lonely. through a loophole, the serpent found a way to abduct humans. you see.. the serpent loves the colour white and pearls. so much so, it would use its voice, so alluring, to lure the poor victims who happened to wear such things. and once in the water, the serpent would drag the human to its temple where they would become its slave.. or worse...
its spouse."
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here you are today, telling the same tale in front of your young niece and nephew. "well, that's one way to get bitches." your nephew, Keona laughs. a scoffing Kehlani adds on, "nah, who would want to marry an overgrown slimy snake?"
"hey now, take that shit to grandma. she just assigned me to be your storyteller," you shrugged. "and this story has a real reasoning behind it, ok?"
"what? sexy sea snake destroying villages?"
"no, it's so that little rascals like you..." you drill both your index fingers onto their foreheads, "are easier to find if you ever get lost at sea."
how did i end up here...
facepalming yourself, you sigh. you were disappointed in yourself. how'd you let those little punks reel you in a dare? where was the self-respect? the dignity? seriously, breaking your grandmother's number 1 rule for what? 10 dollars?
you walk along the shore while wearing a flowy white shirt and neck encased in one of your mother's pearl necklaces. the dare was simple: successfully walk down the shoreline without chickening out and boom— an extra 10 dollars into your wallet.
you'd prove to the twins that you weren't scared of a little bedtime story. buuut just in case you did happen to go missing (for reasons that are totally not hungry sea serpent related), you brought essentials in a bag, left a letter for your family, and are currently being watched by the twins.
laughing at yourself for the paranoia, you nearly reach the edge of the walk until you hear a feminine wail from between the hidden rocks. is someone hurt? the sound was coming from beyond your finishing point so it wouldn't hurt to check, right?
signalling the twins to come over, you bend down to their heights, "listen, it sounds like someone's in trouble past those rocks. so I want you both to go grab the first aid kit and call Officer Holden over, 'kay?" they nod and scamper off into town.
approaching the rocks, you peek in to find a naked... mermaid?! observing her, you notice the torn skin on her iridescent tail and warily walk over to her. "uh... hey? hola? salve? hallo? i'm ah— good human! no... nooooo bad.."
you notice the air seems to smell... sweeter?
the woman looks up at you from the sand with pleading eyes, "please— please help me! my name is Coralie, my master, he—"
"woah, it's ok! you're safe, help is coming. uh, your master? did he do this to you? are you an underwater criminal?!"
a distant melodious voice interrupts you. Coralie's previously pained face now warps into a sinister grin as her wound disappears. she crawls towards you as your vision fogs up and your knees buckle to the soft sand. the song lulls you into a deep sleep, your body now being pulled into the shallow waters.
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you awake to the bright rays of sunshine and lungs filling in with fresh air. but the next in your line of sight knocked all the air out of your body again.
the luminous, barely-clothed body of an unknown man sat above you. his 9'7 self relaxed on the marble throne, with 2 pairs of eyes fixated on you. what the fuck is that?
you gawk at him, "holy mother of god..."
i'm not dreaming, am i?
his gaze shifts into amusement, "wrong. we gods do not have mothers. we were created."
"you're a... a god?"
"is it not obvious enough from my appearance? would you like to see another version of me?" the towering deity begins to warp into a feminine body as if it was melting and moulding itself. "is this preferable?" her new voice is flirtatious, genuinely curious.
then, she tries to warp into a third body. the transformation looks more painful than the one prior, it barely shifts halfway into a gruesome beast before returning back to its first body. he huffs while grasping his golden collar, "this... is not my original form. I have been cursed, long ago, to never set foot on human lands. this island is both my kingdom and prison."
you shakily stand up the marble floor, now noticing Coralie standing beside the throne with a pair of legs. slowly processing his words, you piece together the clues from his story and your memories of the abduction. this couldn't be...
"you are.. you're the sea serpent god! I can't believe grandma was right— shit, shit shit—"
he smirks at your panic, "correct. I am Anshumat; shapeshifter deity of the raging tides, granter of safe travels—"
"murderer and enslaver." you complete.
Anshumat roars, "correct again! you're on a strike, dear y/n. though trust me, my servants are treated well."
"..how do you know my name?"
"oh you poor thing, granny never told you? I know everything about you— a name is barely anything."
"told me what?"
"she used to be my cupbearer. until she escaped with that bastard traitor. isn't that right, Coralie?"
she nods, "yes, master."
"please sir, let me leave. my family— they'll search for me! I have a cat at home! I haven't even finished my favourite show.. so please..." you try to list more life goals.
he chuckled, "oh you are so amusing. and why would I do that? we've barely just been engaged, dear."
"what do you mean engaged?"
"I've been watching you since you took your first breath on earth, y/n. so imagine my surprise— to see you wrapped up in my favourite colour, like a pretty bride. you're my sacrifice."
fear tingles your spine, "wait, that was just a dare! i didn't really mean it!"
"doesn't matter. you will be my pearl."
"no! I have a family, a partner—"
"i said... it doesn't fucking matter." he slams his fist against the throne arm, "and you'll be seeing the head of that twat soon enough."
you don't give him a glance before you're turning your back and run down the staircase of the grand temple. careful not to trip, you focus on the flight of stairs, painfully aware of the loud footsteps approaching behind you. it doesn't take a second for Anshumat to pull on the collar of your shirt and slam you onto the staircase.
he sits atop you, lower region heavily grinding against your stomach. "get off me! don't you have hundreds of other options?! why me?!" you scream.
his bedazzled skin blocks your view of the sun, furious eyes glowing under his shadow, and sharp teeth bared into a snarl. "you do not get to leave me again. you will stay, and worship me. this island will be our eternal paradise."
large hands pressing against your throat, you struggle before darkness begins to cloud your vision.
"this time, you will live."
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ltwilliammowett · 2 months
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Davy Jones's Locker, by William Lionel Wyllie (1851–1931)
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When they first found Drey Grizzly initially referred to Drey as it and while I know it’s because in-character they wouldn’t know who or even what they were seeing was I now headcanon he/it Drey supremacy.
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clove-pinks · 2 years
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I saw the captain, who was accounted an experienced and skillful mariner, standing at the bow, while he muttered and pointed at something with his finger. I approached, and inquired what he was doing. The old man, with a cheerful countenance, answered, "I am breaking the force of a fatal wave, and am making the sign of the cross, and saying the prayers proper for the occasion." I said "Do you, then, know, amongst all these waves, which is the fatal one?"
"Yes," he said, "by so many waves by which the ship is tossed, none but the ninth can sink it."
— Fletcher Bassett, Sea Phantoms: or, Legends and superstitions of the sea and of sailors in all lands and at all times.
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allaboutrings · 1 year
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A Sailor’s Superstition Ring -- 18k Gold with Diamonds and Enamel
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immediatebreakfast · 9 months
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There are no wolves in England.
Modernity, and its need for land killed their home, and in consequence killed them too.
The people of Transylvania live with their legends at their front door, covering their necks with rosaries, and prayers. Closing windows, and hanging flowers. Less another life gets taken by that Evil Being whose eyes now point beyond their borders. A young english man was the last victim, who knows if his visage now walks in those forests, waiting for an unsuspecting traveler like he was.
There was something Inhuman aboard on the Demeter. It killed the crew, and pushed the captain to the edge of humanity, yet he held his head high, and made himself deserving of honor among the sailors of Whitby in death. All proud of the captain who completed his duty to the end.
"It almost seems as though the captain had been seized with some kind of mania before he had got well into blue water, and that this had developed persistently throughout the voyage."
A huge, unknown dog jumps from the tragedy of the Demeter, and hides in the shadows. Because it couldn't be anything else than a dog, there are no wild canines in England.
The log of the captain doesn't mention a dog. However, it is weirdly filled with superstitions.
Something, a horrible unknown beast is killing the poor dogs. We must do something! What if it gets the poor dog that left the Demeter in such a hurry, it might get hurt!
Even the oldest people in Whitby laugh at their legends. Only constructed to bring in tourists who are curious about them.
They could be true! Says an old sailor, but we don't need those anymore. There is no need to put rosaries on our necks, nor lock our doors.
After all there are no wolves in England.
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