Why'd they do this?

Question

I heard a myth that it used to be BAD luck for a woman to be aboard a ship. So why'd they put women figures at the bow of the ship for GOOD luck?

Answer 1

women on that time were suppressed and looked at as a sex objects. There place was at home cooking for dozen children. But they put the statue on a ship for their long journey ahead. they had to satisfy their sexual desires somehow...

You are talking about a time when priests put women down because it was said in Bible that women are inferior to men. They were hanged as witches or burned alive if they went against authority.

Answer 2

Well, think about it - BAD luck for a woman to be "aboard" a ship. Women figures were not aboard the ship but on the outside. However, you ask a very good question. I think it's brilliant you've asked. I don't know the answer though.

Answer 3

The masthead (the figure on the front of the ship) indicated the ship WAS a woman. It was bad for any OTHER women to be aboard the ship.

Answer 4

All old maritime cultures believed in exorcising evil spirits from the sea by placing various symbols and figures on a ship's bow. Descending from old beliefs and traditions, prow carving became a genuine branch of art.

The 19th century, the golden period of sailing ships, saw the height of bow decoration. It was in this period, that skilled carvers gilded or coloured figureheads. Most figureheads found in maritime museums and in private collections around the world belong to this period. Their popularity is seen in the range of elaboration - there are good craftsmen's products and marvellous pieces of folk art but also fine masterpieces of the highest artistic value.

The figureheads on rich large ships often represented the owners or captains, characters from maritime mythology or female figures - personifications of various historic events or natural phenomena. They often symbolised the name of the ship. Sometimes they were carved in the form of a stem or a weapon, or another object, which in some way represented the ship's owner, or name or purpose of the ship.

It is well known that the crew took very good care of the figurehead, even protecting it against bad weather. A damaged figurehead would bring bad luck to the entire crew. The same would be expected if the figurehead should be used as firewood.

On the Slovene coast, only seven figureheads are preserved. They are a testament to a fine carving tradition. Six are exhibited in the Sergej Masera Maritime Museum of Piran.

Medusa
photo Dušan Podgornik
The most valuable figurehead in the museum is a gilded female torso (90 x 60 x 45 centimetres). Similar female torsos were quite frequent, especially in the 19th century. A figurehead of Medusa adorned Corriere d'Egitto, a sailing ship owned by captain Nasario Zetto from Koper. It is believed to be from the beginning of the 19th century. It represents a woman with shoulder-length hair and terrifying eyes, whose neck is guarded by two coiled snakes. Her large breasts are covered by a softly falling tunic. It is her facial expression and gilded body that are impressive.

Sea horse
photo Peter Čerče
The most sizeable figurehead (110 x 146 x 58 centimetres) exhibited in the Maritime Museum in Piran is a sea horse, painted dark green and brown, also from a 19th century sailing ship from Koper. It was donated to the Museum of Koper by Mr Antonio Fonda - Savio from Trieste, Italy, and was part of the Koper collection until 1959. The figure is a mythological creature with a horse like head and mane, whose back resembles that of a sea horse. This type of figurehead is quite frequent and can be found in maritime museums around Europe.

Head of curly hair
photo Dušan Podgornik
Another interesting figurehead represents a head of curly hair (52 x 35 x 35 centimetres), and is a remarkable piece of carving. In its time it probably adorned a trabaccolo, as there is a similar head from an old Venetian trabaccolo, found in the Venetian maritime museum. Unfortunately the Curly Head kept in Piran is severely damaged, having served as a chopping block after being removed from the ship.

Sea monster
photo Dušan Podgornik
The other figureheads in the museum are smaller, representing a sea monster, a female figure (perhaps St Mary, the protector of seamen) and a Nereid.

Answer 5

the figurehead is usually that of one of the goddesses, persephone is popular because if i remember right she is Neptune's' daughter. as to women bring bad luck, it has to do with hygiene, men thought that women were unclean and carried disease as well they thought that if a woman was brought on board it would anger the gods and sink the ship. sailors are a very superstitious lot even today.

Answer 6

1. it's not bad luck.
2. it's figure. maybe for a goddess of the water, of something..maybe a mermaid.

maybe it's to remind peeps that women shouldn't board ships.

Answer 7

I never heard that, but I'd be a b**** on a ship if I had to stay on the freaking thing too long, so I guess I'd be 'bad luck'.

Answer 8

I think the figurehead was meant to scare away any evil spirits they might sail into...actual live women on board were considered bad luck because of their periods...the sailors thought it was bad blood and there was no good way to wash on those boats.

Answer 9

They referred to their ships as women and those statues represented the ship. They didn't let other women on because the ship would get jealous.

Answer 10

the figures on the front was of-godesses-for protection--real woaman os ships--hmmm--well the sail sailors--would kill each other to breed with the woman