Jul 5, 2007

Superstitions

Superstition: a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like. (Dictionary.com)

With this definition in mind we can look at why superstitions have such a hold not only on sailors but on society at large. How many times have you avoided walking under a ladder? Or have hesitated when seeing a black cat? How careful are you with mirrors? These are all things that we do whether they are conscious or unconscious based on superstitions that we have been taught.

Our superstitions are a way to cope with circumstances that we can’t understand or are unable to control. Sailors, fisherman and others who face death on a daily basis have traditions or actions that they follow through on to keep them safe. Whether they actually work or not is not the point, it’s the comfort that these acts bring that is significant.

My husband for a long time has been a hockey goalie. In his everyday life he is not superstitious at all, having attained degrees in Law and Biology he is extremely logical. However, that all changes when he puts on his goalie gear, it has to be done in a specific order in a specific amount of time with certain stretches done at certain points of getting ready. Oh and if I disturbed him during this time period I was in trouble. He wasn’t this superstitious when he was deployed. When questioning him about that he couldn’t explain it though some of the common things that the soldiers did was put pictures of their loved ones in their helmets for good luck, put a dog tag on their boot lace (which has a more morbid practical reason behind it as well as a superstitious one) and not walking on or in certain places. In my husband’s case he had his pirate flag and a picture of me and our dogs in a prominent place in his sleeping quarters.

These superstitions that sailors had, no matter how irrational they may seem were comforting to the ones that kept them. In their mind it was a way to ward of the very thing that scared them the most.