As for the title, it wasn't just the old saying, but one of the meanings behind it. Part of the reason (north-western European) sailors thought women were such bad luck was that they were so ignorant and knew so little about sea custom that they might whistle up a storm. So rather than teaching women coming on a ship the way they would a man, they just tried to keep them off and were sullen to them when they had to have them there.
And the thought was that women would do this by accident. I think sometimes raising a storm does some good.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-11-20 07:26 pm (UTC)And the thought was that women would do this by accident. I think sometimes raising a storm does some good.