[Loch-Ruadh] Response to Why did Sailors Wear Earrings

[Jane Sitton]

Thanks for the info, Alaric.  Say, this looks suspiciously like it could be
an article for the Scarlet Letter and/or the Elfsea Scroll....

Madelina

> -----Original Message-----
> From: George & Pamela [mailto:sidhe01 at swbell.net]
> Sent: Sunday, October 06, 2002 9:12 AM
> To: loch-ruadh at ansteorra.org
> Subject: [Loch-Ruadh] Response to Why did Sailors Wear Earrings
>
> Here are the answers that were posted:
>
> #1.  To pay for a Christian burial, should the body wash up
> on shore (though I would think the ears would be among the
> first parts to be nibbled off by fish, sorry for the visual)
>
> #2.  To indicate the sailor was married, and worn on the left
> ear (closer to the heart), as a ring on one's hand could get
> caught in the rigging
>
> #3.  To indicate the sailor had been past (actually around)
> Cape Horn (left ear) or the Cape of Good Hope (right ear)
>
> #4. A similar form of acupuncture/accupressure. When they got
> seasick, a quick pull or rubbing of the earring (and that
> certain spot on the ear) abated the nausea
>
> #5 In antiquity ear-rings were worn for several reasons for
> display (displaying your wealth), for purposes of initiation,
> to show membership in a group, to commemorate an important
> event, to indicate esteem bestowed by peers or by the captain,
> or simply for vanity
>
> #6 in the US Navy however, by tradition, you may wear an
> ear-ring in your left ear if you have survived a disaster at
> sea, although it is seldom seen, possibly due to the
> specifications for the ring....i.e. 'must be 1/4 inch in
> thickness and minimum circumference to enclose the lobe of
> the ear.'.......ouch!
>
> #7 From Baron Daniel of Elfsea,  As a sailor I can tell you
> that it was to keep the evil spirits from entering our ears.
> That is why it was always hoop type earring that jingle. I am
> not kidding, it is still a current sailor tradition that we
> have tried to put through to the modern US Navy.
>
> #8, As a source of ready cash if the sailor was ever
> marooned.  With golden earrings he always had something to
> pay for lodging, food etc.  By wearing his emergency cash in
> the form of an earring , the sailor didn't have to worry
> about losing his money if he had to abandon ship rapidly or
> get the heck out of town fast; no purse to lose.
>
> And the correct answer is.............(actually are)  1, 3,
> 5, 6 and 8.  Earrings were worn for all of these reasons. The
> acupuncture one sounds good but I have never seen any kind of
> documentation concerning this. There may be other reasons I
> haven't come across yet, but these are the main ones.  For
> this response, I am speaking from the perspective of being a
> US Navy veteran and as having been on the civilian or
> merchant marine side (Yeah I once had a Z card and an "A"
> book with the S.I.U. way back in 1973-76).
>
> Current civilian tradition - If you have sailed across the
> equator you may wear a gold hoop in the left ear. If you have
> sailed around the world, wear it in the right ear (many
> merchant seaman who follow the old customs avoid this one
> because of current landsmen cultural stigmas).  If you've
> done both, a hoop in each ear; size determined by the individual.
>
> Oh yeah a "Z" card is an ID Card issued by the Coast Guard.
> It lists. among other things. your name, SS number, ID Number
> (used to anyway) and your ratings such as "Wiper, Oiler.
> Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, etc"   The S.I.U. is Seafarer's
> International Union and an "A" book is someone who has
> experience in their rating and time at sea . Someone who is
> just starting out (such as a wiper) would carry a "B" book
> and so on.  I was an electrician's mate in the Navy and my
> experience there allowed me to start out with an "A" book.
>
>
> Alaric Morgenseg
> Master of the Sea Drake
> Home ported in the Canton of Loch Ruadh