1. Atlantis
This lost city, engulfed under water, would have existed in the west of the African continent.
Plato, the famous philosopher, was the first to speak about it.
According to him, a civilization very in advance of its time lived there.
The city would have been engulfed under water following earthquakes and floods. This fascinating story has inspired many films and books.
2. The sea monsters
According to legends, the sea is full of sea monsters that have decimated entire crews.
More reasonably, we can conclude that these sea monsters were inspired by real creatures.
For example, the fearsome Kraken that swallowed many boats would actually be a giant squid.
3. The Flying Dutchman
This legend comes from the story of a Dutch warship caught in a storm. Its captain abandons his crew and prefers to take refuge in his cabin. When a halo of light appears, the captain points his gun and shoots in his direction.
Then we hear: "Since it pleases thee so much to torment the sailors, thou shalt torment them, for thou shalt be the evil spirit of the sea. Your ship will bring misfortune to those who see it. ».
Since then, many crews claim to have seen the ghost of this ship during storms.
This legend can be found in the Pirate of the Caribbean saga, where the Flying Dutchman appears, in a different version of the original legend.
4. On Fridays
Any sailor who believes in legends will never put his boat out to sea on a Friday. Why not?
This superstition actually comes from religion:
Friday is a day on which many calamities took place, such as the crucifixion of Jesus Christ or the temptation of Adam to Eve.
5. The broken champagne bottle against the boat
Previously, human blood from a victim sacrificed for the occasion was used. This has been replaced by wine, which is less cruel. In the tradition, the boat is baptized to protect it from storms, sea monsters and other damages. Nowadays, a bottle of champagne is thrown against the bow of the ship.
Good to know: in order to be sure that the bottle breaks at the first blow (very bad omen if this does not happen), it is slightly sawed off and thrown so that it breaks.
