Seafaring Lore and Legend

This book chronicles only a small selection of the vast body of seafaring
legend and lore that lies behind many of the traditions that people
have followed ever since they first chose to go down to the sea in ships.
By ?seafaring legend? I mean those traditional tales of the sea often regarded
by some as history (but which may or may not be true); and by ?seafaring lore? I
mean the knowledge people have accumulated as a result of their long and painfully
acquired experience of the sea. This book discusses some of these legends?both the
better known and the less familiar?that have grown up around this most hazardous
of livelihoods and explains a number of the ancient myths that lie behind the beliefs
and practices of the modern-day sailor.