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KING NEPTUNE -
CROSSING THE LINE from... |
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"Crossing the Line" is nearly as old as seafaring itself; Our
modern practice is believed to have evolved from Viking rituals, executed
upon crossing the 30th parallel, a tradition that they passed on to the
Anglo-Saxons and Normans in Britain.
Early "Crossing the Line" had a fairly serious purpose,
however: they were designed to test the novices in the crew to see whether
they could endure their first cruise at sea. Ceremonies in the seventeenth
century were particularly rough. Today, "Crossing the Line" no
longer has such serious undertones, although some of the novice/veteran
dichotomy persists in the titles given to those who have and have not been
initiated by the rites: those who have crossed the equator are termed
"shellbacks" (often called "trusty shellbacks") and
those who have not are called "pollywogs" (also rendered
"polliwog"). These "slimy" pollywogs (or "wogs"
for short) must endure the entire ceremony at the hands of the shellbacks
before being accepted into their number.
What does a "Crossing the Line" ceremony entail?
Traditionally, the night before King Neptune (the most senior shellback)
sends a messenger informing the Captain that he intends to board the ship
the following day, and summoning a list of slimy wogs to appear before
him. The actual ceremony revolves around the pretext of
"preparing" the wogs for their audience before King Neptune.
This "preparation" involves any number of disgusting, dirty and
deprecating actions. This may include crawling through garbage, eating
coloured food, allowing the "Royal Doctor" to squirt
foul-tasting liquids into one's mouth, and kissing the "Royal
Baby" (the fattest chief on board) on the belly.
The penultimate ritual is a "shaving" by the Royal Barber
with a huge wooden "razor," after which one is dunked in a tub
of water (often dyed a hideous colour) to "cleanse" oneself for
the final meeting with King Neptune. At this meeting, King Neptune appears
with his entire retinue, Queen Amphitrite, and Davy Jones and officially
proclaims the wogs to be trusty shellbacks. After the trial, the new
shellbacks receive elaborate certificates testifying to their safe
passage, along with a wallet-sized card to prove the fact on future
crossings.
Where do these colourful characters come from? Neptune is the Roman god
of the sea, who originated as the god of fresh water but later became
associated with the Greek sea god Poseidon. Poseidon was one of three sons
of Kronos: Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon were said to have cast lots for the
three kingdoms of heaven, underworld, and sea. Neptune generally appears
with a trident (a three-pronged spear) and his consort, Queen Amphitrite.
Davy Jones has a number of stories concerning his origins. The most common
tale is that he is the evil spirit of the sea, whose name came from a
corruption of " Duppy Jonah," duppy being the West Indies name
for "spirit" or "ghost" and Jonah being the Old
Testament prophet who was thrown into the sea.
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