Hello, everyone, and welcome to another Mythical Monday. I’m still in a nautical frame of mind. 🙂
Last week, I shared a number of seafaring superstitions. Today, I want to focus on a single belief that spurned an entire urban legend.
Anyone remotely familiar with maritime folklore will tell you it’s considered bad luck to begin a voyage on a Friday. Why? Because bad things happen on a Friday.
Jesus was crucified on Friday, and biblical disasters such as the Great Flood and Adam biting the apple in the Garden of Eden supposedly occurred on a Friday. Whether the latter two are true, the fact remains that Friday is a day to avoid when setting sail.
This belief was so ingrained and so widespread, that in the 19th century the Royal Navy took drastic steps to dispel it by commissioning a ship named the HMS Friday. The ship’s keel was laid on a Friday and she set sail on her maiden voyage on Friday the 13th. If that wasn’t enough, she was commanded by Captain James Friday.
All of this Friday-ism would have certainly proved a point had it worked. Unfortunately for Captain Friday, his crew, and his ship, they were never seen or heard from again. *cue eerie music*
Isn’t that great fodder for an urban legend? As it turns out, the tale of the HMS Friday is precisely that – an impressive story for inspiring goose bumps, but without a shred of truth. False or not, it’s an intriguing snippet of maritime folklore I couldn’t resist sharing. It has all the perfect components of an urban legend with just enough what-if leeway to make you wonder.
To close, I’m sharing a snippet from my upcoming contemporary romance/mystery, TWELFTH SUN. In this scene, my heroine, Reagan Cassidy is having breakfast with the novel’s hero, Dr. Elijah Cross, a twenty-five year old marine archeologist who is brilliant, annoying and good-looking. 🙂 Reagan considers their first encounter humiliating, and is still irritated over what happened. At thirty-five, she’s also thrown by Elijah’s age in contrast to his professional achievements. The scene picks up with them discussing the Twelfth Sun, a 19th century schooner.
~ooOOoo~
“Getting back to the Twelfth Sun,” Elijah continued as if her interruption were of no consequence. “She was built in the 1790’s when Baltimore led the nation in shipbuilding, and came out of Fells Point like most clippers.”
“I thought you said she was a schooner?”
“Pretty much an interchangeable term. The Twelfth Sun was owned by the Wheeler Shipping Company and captained under Samuel Storm. During the war of 1812 she turned privateer and was responsible for single-handedly sinking or capturing ten British vessels. When the war ended, she floundered. The clipper era was on the wane. Changing maritime conditions and economic trends combined to make it almost obsolete.”
Reagan tilted her head. She vaguely recalled her uncle saying something along the same lines. She’d always viewed old sailing ships as poetic, romantic images, but had never taken the time to learn their history.
“Wheeler Shipping fell on hard times and sold to a pair of brothers out of Massachusetts,” Elijah continued. “The Rooks were wealthy, but inexperienced. Samuel Storm stayed on as captain of the Twelfth Sun and continued making cargo runs. In 1836, Chester Rook sent his younger brother Jeremiah along as the shipping company’s onboard representative.”
“The Twelfth Sun sank in 1836.” That much she did know.
Elijah nodded. He eyed her fruit again. “Are you really going to eat that?”
Exasperated, she pushed the plate across the table to him. He grinned broadly and attacked the pieces of cantaloupe, honeydew and pineapple with relish. Munching contentedly, he continued his tale.
“The voyage was doomed from the start. Chester Rook ordered the ship to launch on a Friday in direct opposition to Samuel Storm’s wishes.”
Reagan waited, expecting to learn there’d been a horrible gale or unstable weather conditions.
Elijah simply let the sentence hang.
“So?” she prompted, annoyed by the lapse.
“Friday, Reagan. Anyone familiar with sailing lore knows you never begin a voyage on a Friday. It’s bad luck.”
She bristled. “Ms. Cassidy, please.”
“A little too proper for first names?”
“Just tell me what happened.”
He finished the last of the fruit and drained his coffee. Slumping back in his chair, he folded his arms over his chest and stared at her across the table. The thick black line of his lashes made his eyes intensely blue, as vibrant as cut glass caught in the sun. Dark brown hair curled in long, riotous waves against his collar.
For one unsettling minute, Reagan had the insane desire to lace her fingers through it. Disturbed, she sat straighter and lowered her eyes. She’d always had a weakness for men with tousled, unkempt hair, but so what? Elijah Cross might be good-looking, but he was also a royal pain in the posterior.
~ooOOoo~
I hope you enjoyed my excerpt. TWELFTH SUN doesn’t release until August 5, but I’m getting excited thinking about it! 🙂 And, although my fictional vessel didn’t vanish like the HMS Friday, the mystery of what happened to her is at the heart of the novel.
Do you find old ships fascinating? What about the legends attached to them? Is there a particular ghost ship or legendary vessel that intrigues you?
From the Pen of Mae Clair 
Mae, I love your posts, they are always so interesting, so full of great information – bits that are lovely to snack on. I had never heard that about the HMS Friday – it’s never been found? Any of it? Recently, I just found out there is this billionaire in Australia who is building a replica of the Titanic for passages across the Atlantic again. I guess there are loads of folk that are willing to pay millions to ride the maiden voyage. Crazy, eh? Can you imagine if anything happened to THAT ship?
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Hi, Cd, I bet there will be news coverage aplenty when the replica of the Titanic sets sail. I bet it will be amazing, although I have a feeling they’ll probably steer clear of any seas with icebergs. Oy! I loved this great tidbit. Thanks for sharing!
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Ooh! I can’t WAIT to escape into the pages of your book! Old Ships? I love them. Especially ghost ships… I’m still wondering what happened to the Mary Celeste. But then again, maybe it’s far more fun to keep our seafaring mysteries mysterious…
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I agree with that one, Debbie! There are so many ghost ship legends that give me shivers. I love old ships too. which is why i couldn’t resist using one in a novel. The Twelfth Sun itself doesn’t factor hugely into the novel, but it’s what motivates the characters if that makes sense, LOL.
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I’d never known about the anti-Friday thing — I learn so much from visiting your blog! I love the excerpt. I’m excited for this one to release. It will be a perfect August read, I just know it. 🙂
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Thanks, Donna! It’s set in a seaside coastal mansion during early summer, so the August release works pretty well. I know I’m in beach-mode then and gobble up novels with seaside settings during the summer. Hopefully, other readers will think the same way about TWELFTH SUN 🙂
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Love the hint of mystery and the history you researched. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. I will be your first customer, Mae!
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Oh, and I do love old ships. I love the Ghost Hunters episode from a few years back where they did an investigation on the Queen Mary. Spooky!
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Oooh, I bet that was a good one! I’ve seen a couple history/mystery shows that delve into old ships and the legends attached. Always worth a goose bump and good for muse-fodder!
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YAY! Thanks, Jessi. Wait until you see the riddles. Did I mention there were riddles? LOL!
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Fun way to work the Friday lore into your story, Mae. This book sounds so fun.
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Thanks, Stanalei. I had a blast writing it. Between the eccentric supporting characters, riddles, and the age-issue between Elijah and Reagan, I had a lot of fun with it!
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Love the excerpt an I can’t wait! I’ve never really thought too much about any ships except Titanic of course, after seeing the movie. I think it’s my intense fear of the ocean that leads me far away from the subject LOL. That was a great legend though. One that could go in so many eerie directions!
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An intense fear of the ocean? That sounds like me who can’t imagine camping and hiking like you do because of my intense fear of bears, LOL.
I loved the legend of the HMS Friday, but then urban legends in general attract me. It always amazes me how and why they develop and then spread.
And so glad you enjoyed the excerpt. I’m excited about the release!
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Mae – You are such a tease when you give me ‘just a bit of your writing.’ You know that’s how you hooked me with six sentence Sunday.
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LOL! I do remember that, Sheri. Hopefully, you’ll find TWELFTH SUN intriguing. I’ve neglected doing Sunday snippets for it – – mostly because that’s become my day to write! 🙂
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Love it, and I’m already fond of Elijah. Age is just a number. I hope Reagan goes for it. 🙂
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Well, truth is I couldn’t resist Elijah either 🙂 He was a fun, sexy and endearing character to write. Even Reagan has to succumb to his charm eventually!
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Of course I’m late to the party!! I always read your blog post on my phone via email in the mornings, and of course with the rush of the day, I completely forget to comment.
What I enjoy about your blog the most is learning so many different things from you. You certainly do your research! I have certainly learned more about myths and legends than I ever knew about before.
Ms. Jessi Gage is going to have a bit of competition on her hands…. because I will try my best to be your first costumer!! Ha!! I absolutely can’t wait for this one… and I totally agree with Emma, age ain’t nothin’ but a number 🙂 I’m quite fond of Elijah myself!!
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Hi, Loni! I don’t mind late:) and I completely understand how easy it is to get sidetracked in the rush of the day. It’s nice to know my blog is part of your early morning reading and that I keep you informed and entertained.. YAY!
I can’t wait for everyone to meet Elijah and Reagan (and an eclectic set of secondary characters as well). I love how supportive everyone is! As soon as TWELFTH SUN is available, I’ll be shouting it out everywhere, LOL.
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Coming from a landlocked part of the world, I’d never heard of the Friday superstition… but I have been to a “Friday Harbour.” I wonder if that place name is a coincidence?
And I love your excerpt! The dichotomy of sharing her plate of food but insisting that he address her formally is great!
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Oooh, Friday Harbour! What a cool name. My writer’s muse just kicked into gear dreaming up possibilities. Isn’t it amazing how easy it is for writers to get sidetracked, LOL.
So glad you enjoyed the excerpt. These two were a lot of fun to write!
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