Natural phenomena like wind, current, tide, and so forth have mainly influenced the fate of sailors since the dawn of time until the invention of steamships in the nineteenth century. Even while violent storms and rough waves were among the biggest dangers to ancient mariners, ships could not cruise in calm weather when, as the saying goes, not even a leaf moved. The sailor used superstitions he was aware of one day to beg for a storm to pass, but on a quiet day he would use them again to summon the wind. In connection with numerous natural events, seafarers from all over the world embraced a wide range of superstitions. But few of them actually have a cause. These beliefs were largely superseded by science and experience as steam engines were initiated aboard ships in the nineteenth century, but to some extent they still remain in some cultures as a reminder of the past.

Fletcher S. Basset's 1885 book "Legends and Superstitions of the Sea and of Sailors" contains enormous material on this topic that spans numerous civilizations. This post will heavily include quotes from this book.

Natural occurrences like hurricanes, tornadoes, and others that pose a hazard to ships in several locations across the world are imprinted in the collective memory as a huge serpent or dragon that endangers the lives of seafarers. These stories must have originated as a result of the fact that a tornado at sea resembles a big serpent from a distance and some sailors have compared these tornadoes to dragons.

According to the written transmissions of Arab scholar Al-Masudi (896– 956) there were large snakes in the Atlantic Ocean. Some claimed that they were rooted in the sea and that a terrible storm would be coming after them.

Some believed that they were large black snakes that travelled from the desert to the sea and lived for five hundred years. According to the Moroccan scholar Abu Abbas (1129-1204) they could only be killed by clouds and rain.

To overcome these tornadoes, Christian sailors performed a ritual involving some religious elements: two sailors would beat their swords against each other in the form of a cross, believing that the tornado would move away from the ship.

                                                                             

                                                                                                                Rituals against the tornado

Since Romans Some European sailors believed that the ninth or the tenth wave was the most dangerous and fatal.

When the rough seas began, they would say prayers by counting the waves. In one of his works, the famous Roman poet and writer Ovidius predicted that the ninth or tenth wave (fluctus de cumannus) would be much larger than the others. While sailing from Italy to Malta in 1645, the Greek clergyman Leo Allatius had noticed that the experienced captain of the ship making incomprehensible signs on the forecastle. He approached him and inquired what he was doing, the old captain answered with a cheerful countenance “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 By so many waves by which the ship is tossed none but the ninth can sink it ‘’.  English and Scottish sailors also believed that the ninth wave was the most dangerous.

Two blue light beams that flickered at peak sharp points, like the serene mast of a sailing ship, were known as St. Elmo's light from the time of the ancient mariners.

Ancient pagan sailors believed that these blue lights were the sign of the mythological twin gods of Castor and Pollux, that had descended on the ship to protect the sailors in the case of a severe storm.

Due to the prevalence of the Christian religion later on, these blue lights came to be connected with St.Elmo, a third-century saint and sailor.

                                                                   

                                                                                                                  St. Elmo's light on the masts

St. Elmo was the patron saint of sailors and anyone who experienced gastrointestinal problems as he was martyred by having his intestines disemboweled. The mystery of St. Elmo's light was solved only in 1879 by the British scientist William Crookes. Due to the excessive friction caused by the storm, additional electron charge is generated at specific points in the clouds, forming strong electric fields that transmitted to land. This supercharged field tends to turn into plasma, and the sharp points like the masts on a sailing ship pull electrons out of the atoms, leaving behind the charged ions that make up St.Elmo’s light.

Tidal currents were also interpreted differently by ancient sailors. Al-Masudi conveys to us the beliefs of the Arab sailors on this subject. According to them, the tidal event was caused by rising waters as a result of the moon warming the seas. According to the Italian scientist Brunetto Latini (1220-1294), it was the breathing of the continents that led to the tidal events. Ancient sailors had some diverse superstitions about the tidal events. One of these beliefs was that people would only die on the ebb of the tide. Those who waited at the bedside watched the tides, hoping that if the patient didn't die at the rise of the tide, he would survive until the next ebb.

It was believed that if the crescent of the new moon was facing towards the sea, a storm would ensue. Storm and rain forecasts were made in many different cultures based on the direction indicated by the crescent. If the moon did not appear on the fourth day after the storm began, it meant that the storm would continue. French and Italian sailors believed that the moon itself dispels the clouds. Even today, some sailors and fishermen believe the storm will pass once the moon rises.

It might be possible to write a sizable book about the superstitions of ancient seafarers, especially those relating to wind and storms, which are so many and diverse. Sakina was the name given to the angel that oversaw the winds in early Arabic mythology. The name Odin was given to the wind deity who controlled all winds and storms in Northern European mythology.

Sailors believed that the guiding winds before the storm were the souls of the ladies Odin and his helpers were chasing. Greek mythology connected the gods Boreas and Aiolos with winds, and many other languages have terms for wind derived from these names.

The ancient sailors did not welcome priests and other clergy on board. Because the ship would be especially targeted by demons and would thus be subjected to violent storms. It was believed that women would bring bad luck on board a ship, and to some extent, this concept still exists in some cultures.

                                                                                 

                                                                                                                  A figurehead nuda corpore

As they believed in witches and their capacity to wreak havoc by creating relentless storms, seafarers of the time considered women as possible witches. When the storm broke out, it was believed that if the woman showed herself naked (nuda corpore) to the sea, the storm would calm down. As a result, it was customary to have a carved wood (figurehead) statue on the front masts of sailing ships. Talented artists were paid handsomely for this work, and the quality of these sculptures revealed the shipowner's power and prestige.

The interesting thing is that ship captains and shipowners purchased wind from witches and sorcerers who were thought to have the power to create storms. In the calm weather that lasts for days, the ship was unable to make substantial way, resulting in financial loss. The sorcerer would sell a special handkerchief with which she had thrown three knots, to the captain in return for some money. According to this belief, when the ship had been in calm seas for an extended period of time, a light breeze began to blow when the first knot of the handkerchief was undone, and when it was the turn of the second knot, the wind blew a little harder. The untying of the third knot meant almost a cruel tempest, and it was probably needed when the ship tried to escape from the pirates.

                                                                                          

                                                                                                                  Bessie Millie, the windseller lady

In 1814, an elderly woman pictured above, Bessie Millie, who lived on Pomona, one of the Orkney islands of Scotland, made a name for herself selling winds to sailors for a very modest fee.

French sailors had a fascinating tradition that certain shipmates had the power to control the winds through the possession of a ring, worn on the little finger of the right hand. However, the possessor must be careful not to spend more than three months on a single voyage, nor must he remain on shore more than three days. Otherwise his life would be forfeited.

The presence of some animals on board was considered unlucky as well. Cats were not generally welcome on board because they were thought to be associated with the devil. Cats were even thought to carry storms on their tails. The rabbit was not acceptable because it was thought to be linked to the moon with its ability to see at night. If Sicilian sailors heard cat meowing while counting rosaries and praying, they would interpret it as a bad omen. If the cat was thrown into the sea, it would definitely cause a storm. Just because of this belief, after long days of calm weather, even without any light breeze, some sailors would throw cats into the sea. However, according to another cat superstition in Newcastle, England, seafarers whose wives kept black cats in their homes would always return home safe. German sailors, on the other hand, did not consider cats as sinisters, saying, "Only rain and mice will attend to the funeral of the one who is hostile to cats."