Tag Archives: bad luck

It is bad luck for women to be on a boat.

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 20
Occupation: Commercial Fisherman/ Student
Residence: Homer, Alaska
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: English

Women are not allowed on board on commercial fishing boats

The most common superstition is that women are bad luck on commercial fishing boats.  “It is bad luck to have any women on board unless she is a really good cook.” My informant stated that is really the only reason to break the rule. My informant stated that one time a fisherman’s girlfriend was on board for a trip and one of the fisherman sustained a broken ankle; the woman was blamed for this incident. My informant was told about this as the captain brought his wife aboard once, and the boat actually hit the sand, the captain’s wife was soon blamed for this.

My informant stated that this superstition basically spread throughout lineage and cannot really explain the cause of this superstition. He also stated that his boss cannot focus when his wife is onboard, and thus he compares it to bringing your wife to work everyday. This is interestingly only on commercial fishing boats. Another incident where this folklore became prevalent was on the television show, The Deadliest Catch. There was a story about how there was a problem with some of on-site women producers being on the commercial fishing boat.

My analysis of this would be that sailors and fisherman call their boats a “she” or “her,” thus the only woman that should be in their life while they are at sea, should be their boat.

Suitcases are not allowed on commercial fishing boats.

Nationality: Caucasian- American
Age: 20
Occupation: Commercial Fisherman/ Student
Residence: Homer, Alaska/ Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2012
Primary Language: English

Fisherman are not allowed to bring suitcases on board. They must bring their property in duffelbags or drybags. If a greenhorn brings a suitcase they must leave it on dock.

My informant has witnessed a greenhorn bring a suit-case and had to leave it at the dock and the greenhorn had to put his items in a trashbag and bring it on. Another example would be The Deadliest Catch filming crew. They brought their cameras and film equipment in cases, the crew reacted negatively thus they had to put their belongings within trash-bags.

When I asked my informant if he had any ideas why this was such a serious rule and why suitcases brought bad luck. He stated that he did not know why, he said that his father told him this superstition and his captain’s father told him this superstition also. This is a superstition based on lineage as everyone fisherman spreads this to greenhorns and fathers to sons. My informant stated that he does not want to be the reason that his boat does not do well or a horrible accident happens. Thus he follows this superstition and only takes his things in duffelbags.

This is an interesting superstition, my belief is that the reasoning it brings bad luck is that a suitcase is more so for a white-color man, whereas fisherman are blue-color men. Thus by separating the two worlds, fisherman will not have bad luck as they follow the culture by not bringing a suitcase.

Suitcases are considered bad luck just like women are. H explained that his father told him this and

Love Potion

Nationality: American
Age: 70s
Residence: NC
Performance Date: 2001
Primary Language: English

On the plantations of North Carolina, slaves were used to do the hard labor in the fields and tend to the crops.  According to my informant, my friend’s grandfather, they were treated poorly and lived very hard lives.  He told us the tale of a particular slave that got revenge on his master.  As my informant relayed the story, the master killed the slave’s wife.  The husband, knowing he couldn’t seek outright revenge on his master, decided to go to a conjure woman who cooked up a spell for him.  The spell was put on the grapevine so that when the master drank the wine, he became very ill.

The master suffered greatly and eventually died from the illness.  Unlike Tom Dooley, for example, the slave was patient and got his vengeance.  He knew that he couldn’t be blamed for his master taking ill, but if he killed his master, he would be hunted and hung for the murder.  This piece of folklore goes hand in hand with the old saying, “revenge is a dish best served cold.”  There is no historical reference or facts to bolster this story, but it could have been created to serve as a tale of justice for the slaves–a tale they told for hope or motivation to continue enduring such hardships.

Collards & Cabbage

Nationality: American
Age: 70s
Residence: NC
Performance Date: 2000
Primary Language: English

My friend’s grandfather would come over to our house every New Year’s Day for a celebration dinner.  Every year, he would always bring collards and cabbage to dinner and everyone would eat more than their fair share.  I remember thinking this was strange because I wasn’t the only one who didn’t particularly care for them, yet everyone ate a large helping at dinner.  I finally asked my friend’s grandfather why he only brought collards and cabbage to dinner on New Years Day and he explained to me that if you eat collards and cabbage on New Years Day, it would bring you money throughout the year.

Of course, I was skeptical at first.  However, one year I decided to give it a try and eat some collards and cabbage at New Years dinner.  I didn’t come into a large sum of money, but I did have fairly good financial success throughout the year.  I’ve eaten them every New Years Day since then and I haven’t had any dire financial trouble yet.  I never asked my informant where she heard this piece of folklore from, but my entire family still makes collards and cabbage on New Years Day in hopes of good fortune in the upcoming year.

Be Careful How You Garden

Nationality: American
Age: 70s
Residence: NC
Performance Date: 2000
Primary Language: English

My informant for this story was my friend’s grandfather.  My friend’s grandfather grew up in a rural area where they did a lot of farming.  He continued to have a large garden into her later years and always helped my mother plant and tend to ours every year.  My friend’s grandfather always insisted that you could not plant potatoes and okra together.  Again, as with most pieces of folklore, their importance and weight is from the traditions and history that they represent rather than a scientific reasoning to explain their existence.

Later in my life, I heard that there actually may be a reason for not planting potatoes and okra near each other.  The reason had something to do with  how legumes give off nitrogen in the ground and other plants take up.  This could possibly result in too much nitrogen for either the potatoes or the okra.   I don’t recall the details of the explanation, but my mother still doesn’t plant potatoes and okra next to each other.  I think it is a way she pays homage to her father and grandfather.