A gold charm
Pirates were extremely superstitous, and had legends, and believed certain things gave bad luck, and certain things gave good luck.
Good Luck[]
- A figurehead of a naked woman was rumored to calm the sea and open her eyes to safety.
- Dolphins swimming along with the ship were good luck.
- Gold earrings were said to ward off bad luck, gold hoop earrings were more effective.
- Tattoos were met to ward off evil spirits.
- Spitting in the ocean before you sail bring good luck to all.
- Throwing coins in the seas before a voyage went to Neptune and a safe voyage was given in exchange
- Putting a horseshoe on the mast ward off storms
- Cats were lucky, if a cat came up to you on board, it met good luck was coming
- A child being born on board was an awful lot of good luck the term "Son of a Gun" comes from this
- Pouring wine on the deck gives a good voyage
Bad Luck[]
- Taking a woman on-board distracted the crew and brought the ship to peril
- No cutting hair or nails while at sea, it would make Neptune angry and bring bad luck.
- It was bad luck to start a voyage on a Friday.
- Stay away from redheads when starting a voyage.
- If you are a Scottish fisherman, and catch a left boot instead of a fish, you can alot of bad luck.
- Bad luck to name your ship for an engaged woman, it will make your ship jealous.
- It was extremely bad luck to have a priest on your ship.
- It was bad luck to change the name of your ship while at sea.
- Killing a seagull, albatross, or swallow during a voyage was bad luck, for Seabirds were thought to carry the souls of dead sailors.
- Rats leaving a ship.
- To name the boat with a word ending in "a" was bad luck.
Luck of Death[]
- A ship's bell ringing without someone doing it is a sign of someone dying soon.
- Disaster will follow if you step on a boat with your left foot first.
- A stone thrown over a vessel leaving docks means the ship will never return.
- The word "drown" can never be spoken at sea, for it jinxed a crewmate falling overboard and drowning.
- A shark following in the ship met death, manta rays were even more unlucky.
Misc[]
- If a woman sees a robin on Valentine's Day, it means she will marry a sailor, if she sees a sparrow, she will marry a poor man and be very happy. If she sees a goldfinch, she will marry a very rich man.
- A red sunset implies a fantastic day will come, if there is a red sunrise it will indicate storms and such.