Dies Infaustus

I was already aware of an old superstition regarding the ‘unluckiness’ of Fridays, particularly in the maritime industry.

It was once common for sailors to believe that voyages should never begin on a Friday, and should this superstition be ignored, the belief was that the voyage would be cursed with bad luck throughout its duration.

This superstition was so common that in one maritime book from the 19th Century, Friday was given the unofficial Latin name, “Dies Infaustus”, or “unlucky day”.

Ignore At Your Own Peril

What I wasn’t aware of – until I chanced upon it while reading about maritime superstitions – was an early Urban Legend that exploited this dire fear of Fridays.

According to the Legend, the Royal Navy, incensed that sailors considered Friday to be such an unlucky day, decided to categorically prove that a ‘Friday’ vessel would be no more unlucky than any other ship.

To do this they commissioned a ship to be built – it’s keel was laid on a Friday, it was named HMS Friday, it’s launch took place on a Friday, and it departed on its maiden voyage on a Friday. In one version, the Royal Navy even went so far as to put a Captain James Friday in charge of the ship for its maiden voyage.

As you might expect of such a Legend, HMS Friday set sail on its maiden voyage… and was never seen again…

Mysteries of the Deep?

Of course, tales of mysterious events at sea were common for the time in which this superstition would have been at its height, and it should come as no surprise that a tale would be spun to ‘prove’ the truth of the unlucky Friday superstition.

Thankfully, this Urban Legend can be laid to rest at the bottom of the ocean, since the Royal Navy has no record of a ship ever being commissioned with the name of HMS Friday.

Having said which, a true believer would probably argue that all the records of the vessel’s existence would have been destroyed by the Royal Navy to hide the scandal…

Further reading:

• HMS Friday, Wikipedia
• Naval Friday 13th myth unfounded, BBC News

I was leaning against the counter in my kitchen the other day, chomping away at an apple [1], and I got to thinking about apples in folklore and belief.

It may not look like it on the surface, but at its core [2] this is a very big topic. If you think about it, apples have featured in one way or another in a vast body of religion, mythology, superstition, fables and folk wisdom.

I won’t try to tackle all of this in one post, that would be madness. However, over the next little while I hope to put a few articles up on ulblog exploring the interesting world of the apple.

But for now, let’s start with one of the stories that takes place at the beginning of everything.

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Footnotes:

1.	It was a Pink Lady, in case you’re interested. Pink Ladies have a very tart flavour and are one of my favourite apple varieties.
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2.	Aha ahahahah, bad apple pun intended! …Sorry.
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Scissors aren’t just damn convenient things for shower scenes in slasher movies – they’re also the subject of many superstitions and folkloric beliefs.

Here’s a few with which to sharpen your superstitious edges:

Scissors became an important object in household magic in much the same way keys and horseshoes did. They were thought to borrow from the power of the blacksmith – often considered to be a powerful individual in folkloric belief – and were prized items at a time when much craftsmanship went into manufacturing a pair.

And there you have it. Next time you pick up a pair of scissors, you might want to spare a thought for the fact that once they were considered to be items of considerable magical influence.

Do you know of any superstitions or household rituals relating to scissors? Share them with us via the submit a superstition link!

Footnotes:

1.	Anyone stuck in a relationship with me had better hope I don’t start believing this one, since I’m as clumsy as all hell [2].
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2.	eg: “<clatter> Aha! … Oh, I’m sorry, that’s just me being clum-<clatter> Aha! …” and so on.
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The Goddess Dances By Moonlight

Imagine, for a moment, what it would have been like for the first sentient humans to look up at the night sky and to see the moon charting its way across the heavens. It must have been one of the great mysteries of existence, worthy of secrets and rituals, and later to become an object of worship and suspicion.

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