The fishermen of the Mediterranean painted eyes to the bow of their boats. Usual motifs for
figureheads are heads of animals, mythologic motifs, figures of saints and personages, women,
arms and escutcheons, which are fitted at the bow of a sailing ship below the bowsprit.
The figurehead of a sailing ship is loved and honoured by the crew. She is seen as a symbol of
the vessel giving the ship a soul. Often there is a relationsship between the figurehead and the
name of a sailing ship.
It is a superstition by seamen that a figurehead watches the route of a sailing ship and preserves
the ship from bad weather and wreckage. Sometimes the figurehead was the patron of the sailing ship
and influenced the success of a voyage. The damage or destruction of a figurehead is interpreted
as a bad omen.
Figureheads are the finery of a sailing ship, and therefore we often
take photos of them.
