History Main / SuperstitiousSailors

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'': In the cartoon "Mutiny Ain't Nice", Popeye's crew believes that having a female aboard is bad luck, and he tries to hide Olive from them when she accidentally stows away.

Sailors have long had a reputation for being extremely superstitious, likely due to the mercurial nature of the sea: When you're completely surrounded by empty ocean, with the ship as your only source of supply and shelter, a single bad circumstance can easily turn catastrophic. This unease would have been especially prevalent during the [[WoodenShipsAndIronMen Age of Sail]], when trans-oceanic voyages became increasingly common as a need to connect far-flung colonial territories, but could still last for weeks and months on end. As a result, any practices thought to bring good luck and/or avoid misfortune would find easy acceptance. Bringing a woman on deck can be considered terrible luck, as well as throwing rocks at seagulls, watching the land as you leave port, or any manner of other things.

** Gibbs notes at the beginning of the first film that a woman, "even a miniature one," is bad luck when young Elizabeth is on the ship. Throughout the series, he frequently tells stories about sailor superstitions and lore, though the world of ''Pirates'' being what it is, these usually serve to make him MrExposition.
** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'': When Jack grudgingly allows Anamaria on the ship (after promising that after the mission is over he'll give it to her in payment for the ship he stole and sunk), Gibbs reminds Jack that it's bad luck to have a woman on board. Jack points out that trying to leave her behind would be far worse.

Sailors have long had a reputation for being extremely superstitious, likely due to the mercurial nature of the sea: When you're completely surrounded by empty ocean, with the ship as your only source of supply and shelter, a single bad circumstance can easily turn catastrophic. As a result, any practices thought to bring good luck and/or avoid misfortune would find easy acceptance. Bringing a woman on deck can be considered terrible luck, as well as throwing rocks at seagulls, watching the land as you leave port, or any manner of other things.

* In ''Series/GilligansIsland'', the Skipper's superstitiousness is a running trait, often putting him into conflict with [[AgentScully the Professor.]] The show varies with regard to whether what he's worried about is actually real.

Sailors have a reputation as being extremely superstitious, likely as a result of the mercurial nature of the sea. Bringing a woman on deck can be considered terrible luck, as well as throwing rocks at seagulls, watching the land as you leave port, or any manner of other things.

* ''Film/MasterAndCommander'': Mr. Hollom, an unpopular and overly hesitant officer, is labelled as a "Jonah" - someone who is believed to be bad luck - by the ships crew. The ''Acheron'', the ship they are pursuing, keeps getting the drop on them, usually on Hollom's watch. Other mishaps also occur while he is around, and when the ship is becalmed, the crew's hostility toward him begins bubbling to the surface to the point that he picks up and cannonball and [[DrivenToSuicide throws himself overboard]]. And then at his memorial service, the wind picks up again.

** Except there is a difference between being observant and superstitious. "Red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning" is mistakenly thought of as superstition, and was even listed as one on this page. However, there is reason to take it as genuine insight. [[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-there-scientific-valid/ Scientific American]] and [[https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/meteorology-climatology/item/is-the-old-adage-red-sky-at-night-sailors-delight-red-sky-in-morning-sailors-warning-true-or-is-it-just-an-old-wives-tale/ The Library of Congress]] weigh in.[[/folder]]

* ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'': Dr. Honeydew puts together a plan to scare the pirates on account of his scientific fact about pirates being superstitious.

* ''Film/MasterAndCommander'': An unpopular and borderline incompetent officer is labelled as a "jonah" by the ships crew - someone who is believed to be bad luck - when the ship is becalmed. This eventually drives him to suicide.