Sailors & Vessel names.

[Mintox]

Why did it use to be unlucky for women to be sailors but the ironic thing is vessles are always refered to as She? Surely they would just be double unlucky if a women served on board a vessel that is refered to as she - as in shes a good ship??

[Quizmonster]

The use of 'she' for a ship is at least as old as the 14th century in 'modern' English and it was the same in Roman times. This may have been because their ships were dedicated often to goddesses, who were possibly the first figureheads carved on ships' prows. Even before that, in the language of the ancient Babylonians, 'boat' was a feminine word, just as it was in Biblical Hebrew. That means Noah's 'ark' was a feminine word, as boat is today in Italian and Arabic. ( The French - typically! - have masculine ships and the Germans have neuter ones.) The answer to why ships are called 'she' is, therefore, a combination of language-development and history.

The "no women aboard" rule is just one of many shared by seamen around the world. (Another is that you mustn't whistle, as that'll bring down winds upon your vessel.) The sea was simply generally seen as a man's world, just as sewing and child-rearing was seen as a woman's one.

[Mintox]

Thanks Quizmonster - You are either super clever or just fast at using Google - I think its most likely the first :P Thanks again i can sleep easy at night now :D

[Quizmonster]

The former of your suppositions is correct, Mintox!

[Quizmonster]

That was a joke, by the way, and I thank you for your kind comment. Cheers, M.