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You are here: Home / Culture / Why Is an Albatross Considered Lucky But an Albatross Around the Neck Is Unlucky For Sailors?

Why Is an Albatross Considered Lucky But an Albatross Around the Neck Is Unlucky For Sailors?

May 8, 2020 by Karen Hill

Traditionally, sailors on a ship considered seeing an albatross to be a sign of good luck.

why is an albatross good luck for sailors

Probably this came from early days of navigation, when sailors mistakenly thought the bird sighting meant that land was near.

Little did they know that an albatross can live for years on the sea without setting foot on land. It lives over the open ocean, even sleeping in flight.

The bad-luck “albatross around the neck” comes directly from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” published in 1798, which is about a young sailor on a ship who shoots an albatross.

The sailor is forced by shipmates to wear the dead bird around his neck.

The bird’s death brings terrible luck: the winds stop, the ship is stuck, and the crew runs out of water.

But wait, that’s just the beginning.

Along comes a ghost ship that kills all the sailors, leaving the one, albatross-laden man alone and dying.

Finally, the lone sailor begins to pray, the albatross falls off his neck and into the sea, and he’s rescued.

But at great cost, for his penance, he must tell his story to anyone who will listen for the rest of his life.

Related Facts

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  • How Did the Albatross Get its Name and What is an Albatross or Double Eagle Golf Score?
  • What Does the Rhyme "Red Sky At Morning, Sailors Take Warning, Red Sky At Night, Sailors' Delight" Mean?
  • How Long is a Giraffe's Neck and How Many Vertebrae Does a Giraffe Have in its Neck?
  • Why Is the Number 13 Considered Unlucky?
  • Why Is "Three on a Match" Considered Unlucky?

Filed Under: Culture

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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