This week on King’s Talk, we dive into ten of the strangest, saltiest, and most enduring maritime superstitions, from cursed bananas and topless figureheads to tattoos as protection and the ghostly lights that sailors feared most. So whether you're a sailor, a land lover, or just afraid of foggy lights and folklore, this one’s for you.

• Sources:

• Tall Ship Providence Foundation – Women on Ships: https://tallshipprovidence.org/women-bad-luck/

• Lloyd’s Register Heritage & Education Centre – Women, Ships, and the Sea: https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/whats-on/stories/women-ships-and-the-sea-the-dangers-of-custom-and-superstition

• NZ Maritime Museum – 20 Sailing Superstitions: https://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/collections/top-20-sailing-superstitions

• Hubbard’s Marina – Why Are Bananas Bad Luck on Boats?: https://www.hubbardsmarina.com/bananas-bad-luck-on-a-boat/

• NOAA – What causes red sky at night?: https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/weather-atmosphere/red-sky-at-night

• Carl Linnaeus – Systema Naturae (18th century taxonomy reference)

• Wikipedia – Line-crossing ceremony: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-crossing_ceremony

• Military.com – Unofficial U.S. Navy Certificates: https://www.military.com/history/2021/10/07/5-of-rarest-unofficial-us-navy-certificates.html

• USN for Life – Golden Shellback History: https://usnforlife.com/blogs/usnforlife-blog/what-it-means-to-be-a-golden-shellback

• Emerging Civil War – Shellbacks and Polliwogs: https://emergingcivilwar.com/2022/07/25/shellbacks-polliwogs-and-crossing-the-equator-amid-civil-war/

• National Ocean Service – Bioluminescence in the ocean: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/biolum.html

• Maritime tattoo traditions compiled from various naval folklore archives

• Next episode: Public Enemies: The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde