Long Live the Albatross
In literature, music, film, art, photography, and lore the Albatross is known for its power, grace, and ability to wreak havoc should it ever be struck down. The initial awe for the Albatross likely came from their ability to fly for prolonged distances, making it a common companion in the skies for sailors to spot. But why is maritime lore and more rife with warnings of killing this bird?
For centuries, life on the water was anything but easy. In order to maintain sanity (and their luck), it was common for sailors to have scores of superstitions to ensure safe passage. In that sense, reverence for an Albatross doesn’t seem too unique. In fact, whistling, women, and redheads were all supposed to be bad luck on the open sea. Albatrosses pure ability to stay alive and thrive in the open ocean may be behind its reverence in maritime lore. Albatrosses can circle the globe in 46 days and are able to drink ocean water by expelling salt out of its finely tuned nostrils. The ability to survive alone is worth respect and regard.
According to lore, Albatrosses are revered because these birds are believed to be the souls of dead sailors. Seeing one flying above your ship, or even near your ship for a prolonged amount of time, was believed to be a symbol of a successful and safe voyage. When sailors came across one, they would offer it food or other gifts for its continued blessing.
What is interesting about the Albatross is its duality in the myth - it is, at the same time, a symbol for hope and a symbol for doom.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in which a ‘Wedding-Guest’ tells of his harrowing journey and the death of an Albatross. In the beginning, the Albatross is a symbol of hope and when the men give it food it even helps guide the ship around a tricky ice field. However, when fog envelops the ship our harried narrator accidentally shoots and kills the Albatross...and the ship becomes trapped and the crew soon grows despondent at the doom that surrounds them (I won’t spoil the whole thing - you have to go read it!)
In a way, it is likely that sailors saw the killing of the Albatross as the killing of another sailor or, in some way, disrupting the natural ways of the ocean. By not respecting a bird capable of so much those who struck it down were punished. Perhaps the lore rose up to guard against the senseless killing of the animals, or, perhaps, sailors really did see something strange and special in the black eyes of the Albatross.
In Hawaiian mythology, birds often play a major role, and, like the Eagles in Lord of the Rings, they are able to intervene and save humans in moments of need. Aaia-nukea-nui-a-Kane, which translates to the Great White Albatross of Kane, is often seen along the shoreline of Hawaiian beaches and treated with reverence and respect.
In Maori culture, although Albatrosses were eaten, they still hold a significant place of reverence to the Maori people. Perhaps like sailors themselves in this way, the Maori viewed Albatrosses as lonely wanderers. There was an acknowledgement that New Zealand was not its home and that the bird often wept for its distant, unknown homeland. Albatross feathers were often donned by respected elders in the tribe and were regarded as a spiritual symbol of peace.
The reverence for this strange, powerful bird that can circle the globe in less than 50 days remains prominent even to modern sensibilities. In Pink Floyd’s Echoes, David Gilmour and Richard Wright sing of the bird:
Overhead the albatross hangs
motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves i
n labyrinths of cold coral caves
The echo of the distant tide
comes willowing across the sand,
For whatever reason, these birds have held a special place in maritime lore...and still continue to.
The above image is of a White-capped Albatross Uploaded by Magnus Manske.It is licensed under This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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