The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-04-07
LEGENDS OF THE SEA.
SUPEaSTlTlONS DEAR TO SAILORS
AND FISHERMEN.

The Morse Story Of How the Sen Re.
came Salt-Where Women Are Not
Wanted ut tLaunchinEs-Davy jones'
Locker and the Flying Dutchman.
The English are not an imaginative
people. We accept legends and supersti-
tions rather than originate them. Our
sailors have roamed over the world and
have CLEANED romantic notions from the
dwellers in countries they have visited.
Not many years ago there lived veteran
blucjacket in a Sussex village who held
firmly to his belief in various queer warn
ings, omens and practices and who per-
Suaded his neighbors to share his creduli-
:y. He never allowed any woman to touch
the fishing nets after they were got ready
for the boats. If by chance that prohibi-
tion of his was disobeycd, he insisted that
the female who had laid finger upon the
net should be made to repeat the Lords
prayer over it.
In Sweden, Lapland and the Isle Of
Skye the presence of woman at tho
launching Of new vessel Is supposed to
doom 1t, unless tho Lord prayer is rccited
aloud backward by tho members OF the
crews; SO no doubt my old sailor had picked
up his unfattering theory against wom-
ans influence for good. He cautioned
fishermen never to mention their wives or
sweethearts within hearing of tho boat,
"or she would be offended and sink out of
jealousy
Wien lads spoke of "whistling for a
wind" this ancient mariner sneercd at
their Superstition, strange to say, but
0ScyYpnh thor, that h1Dyu pn1v to ba
obtained by scratching with nail on the
wood of the foremast-a Hamburg belief
this.
The fishermen Of one of our English
seaside villages used to refuse to embark
il by any chance they had seen pig since
morning, and they never dared speak OF
''the shore" within sight Of the sea- as to
do SO was supposed to imply that a place
other than the ocean was their home If
vessel puts out TO sea before clock OH
Friday, no word should be spoken until
a stone with a cross scraped on 1t has been
dropped overheard. Sunday, we are told,
is the luckiest day upon which to start for
the fishing ground.
1t is general belief in Scotland that
If quarrel happen on the coast where
herring Is caught and blood be shed by
violence, the herring then goes right away
from the coast and does not put in an aI-
pearance again until the next season.
1celanders do not allow dogs to be taken
on n fishing expedition, believing that il
they enter tho boats Or touch the tackle
the catch ia bound to be Il poor one.
10 overturn saltcelar Is always un-
lucky, but especially so en- board it being
then suro sign that the ship Is doomed.
A serious peril or accident is foretold by
the loss overheard of mop or a bucket.
In many places the fisher folk forbid any
counting from land of the ships out at
sea, and it is considered II malicious deed,
little short Of murder, for any one to beck
On to u vessel.
There is a legend in the Morse scalds
which explains why the SEQ is salt. The
"bountiful frodi," +" whose mythical reign
was u golden ago indeed, possessed a
qucrn, or hand mill, which ground out
gold and peace, but which would grind
out stores of anything desired by its own
or. Two giant maiGens, ruled over by
Erodi, were the grinders. In an evil day
Il sea rover came upon the scene, slew
Frodi and carried off the quern and tho
two giant maidcns who worked it. When
the sea royer's vessel was right out to sea,
he ordered the maidens to grind salt. At
midnight they asked If they had not
ground enough. The sea rover, angry at
being awakened from his sleep, COM
munded them to grind until morning.
Now, the giant maidens naturally enough
worked very quickly so as they went on
grinding the load Of salt grew SO heavy
that it sunk the ship, and now the sea will
continue salt forever.
"Davy Jones' locker" Is the ancient
sailors name for the bottom Of tho sea-
Many different beliefs have been held as
to the nature of Davy Jones, some regard
ing him as an old norman, Others as an
evil spirit in command over the demons
Of the deep. 49,,
= Authorities state that the name is de.
rived in two ways-from Duffy" who is
ghost believed in by the West Indian is
landers and from the prophet Jonah.
There was onco retired sailor who
earned responsible income by tramping
our coast country and singing or reciting
his wonderful adventures, chief Of which
had been an apparition of Davy Jones
himself which had foretold tho wreck of
the vessel. 10 him Dayy had appeared as
a giant with a skull for head, blue
flames issuing from his eyesockets and
sardonio grin disclosing three rows of
enormous pointed teeth. Other old salts
claim to have seen Davy riding on whale,
and in some parts Ct England the sea SER
pent is supposed to be Dayy's horse.
Few sailors ars able to toll the legend of
tho Flying Dutchman, though they look
out for the phantom ship in oil waters.
1t is the Cape Of Good Hope alone which
the spectral vessel is supposed to haunt,
however, since Mynheer Vanderdecken
swore that ho would double the cape in
the teeth of the tempest ''eyen If he sailed
until the day Of judgment. So Mynheer
must go on sailing, waiting and ever
waiting, until the end Of the world, but
he and his ship arc invisible to men, except
to tho crews of doomed vessels
Any sailor will start gayly on a voyage
If black cat has taken up her abode on
board
Tho ocean is tho dear friend, the sweet
heart, tho pride, of the sailor, though in
spite of the caprices and crueltios Of which
he believes her guilty. Let landlubber
speak against tho blue waves and sea-
faring lifo and see how the fisher will re-
ceive his comments. Tho answer will no
doubt recall the well known song:
Avast! Nor don't thinl, nc milksop so soft
To bo taken by trihes aback,
For they say there's Providence sits mp aloft |
T a.-p =.