The most famous fictional sailors

Odysseus and his journey

It is very likely that Odysseus is, in principle, one of the first sailors who became the hero of a literary work. In his famous poem The Odyssey, Homer told the legendary story of a no less legendary hero.

Even after almost two millennia, the journey of Odysseus remains synonymous with hardship and adversity. Let us briefly recall the synopsis: Odysseus was the king of Ithaca, a small island in the Ionian Sea. After the victory over Troy, the team led by Odysseus headed home to Ithaca, but the God of the Seas - Poseidon - stood between the hero and the house ...

Scientists believe that Homer was not a storyteller and very often borrowed someone's life path, combining the fates of real people and his heroes. Recent excavations in Ithaca have revealed to the world the remains of the royal palace of the 8th century BC. The existence of Odysseus does not confirm this, but who knows, probably a similar story really happened two millennia ago.

Captain and crew of the Flying Dutchman

Everyone seems to know about the Flying Dutchman. But nevertheless, we will give a brief digression into history for those who are not in the know. According to one version, the captain of this ship was Barend Fokesh, who made a deal with the devil in order to speed up his journey. Then followed what usually follows in stories about transactions with otherworldly entities ...

According to another version of the legend, Van der Decken was the captain. In this story, the captain was extremely angry at the winds that prevented the ship from rounding the Cape of Good Hope. In the heat of anger, der Decken shouted: “I will go around this cape! And even if it takes forever.” Well, the spirits of the sea heard the captain. Now the “Flying Dutchman” is doomed to wander near the Cape of Good Hope until the end of centuries.

There are countless versions of this story, but they all have one thing in common - an elusive veil of real sea romance. This legend was especially popular in the period from the 17th to the 20th century. Rumor has it that the cursed ship was seen even in 1942!

Sinbad the Sailor

Another fairy-tale character is one of the heroes of the Thousand and One Nights cycle of fairy tales. It was Sinbad, probably before the appearance of the films of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, that was the embodiment of sea romance and a real sailor-adventurer.

The original story tells about the rich merchant Sinbad, who was on seven fabulous voyages that opened the way to wealth for him. The hero is probably an illustrative example of a real sailor. Sometimes he thinks about leaving the sea and settling in a quiet and comfortable house, but as soon as one difficult adventure ends, Sinbad immediately sets off on the next voyage. 

Captain Nemo

The calendar says 1866. A mysterious sea monster allegedly attacks ships and merchant ships. A team of brave travelers sets off in search of a certain "narwhal", which, according to the crowd, is the cause of shipwrecks. What was the surprise of the team when she learns that the "narwhal" is a futuristic submarine "Nautilus" under the command of Captain Nemo. 

Classics of the genre - "Twenty thousand leagues under the sea" by Jules Verne. Interestingly, 20 thousand leagues does not indicate the depth of the circle of the Nemo apparatus, but the path traveled. In the book, the characters will visit the remains of Atlantis, walk along the seabed and reach the South Pole. But readers will only learn the true identity of the mysterious captain in Verne's next book, The Mysterious Island. 

The image of the captain is multifaceted and difficult. It cannot be called unambiguously bad or good. On the other hand, this is a strong, strong-willed, tough towards his enemies, but not without compassion for people, a real, enthusiastic scientist, explorer of the deep sea.

Sailor Popeye

Who doesn't know the sailor Popeye? This is already a legendary painted sailor, which is invisibly associated with the hypertrophied image of a real sailor. All this guy needs is a can of spinach. Just one can is enough for the task of “moving mountains” to be completed in the shortest possible time.

Yes, this character is not so close to viewers from the post-Soviet space, but the character is definitely more than funny. The comic book and cartoon of the same name also feature Olive Oyl (Papai's object of sighing) and the sailor's rival, Bluto. 

Jack Sparrow... Captain Jack Sparrow!

In the new millennium, this character has taken the place of the most popular fictional sailor. The captain of the Black Pearl is not the luckiest pirate, but the devilishly charming Jack differs from other movie pirates and sailors not only in his eccentric habits. 

Captain Sparrow shows miracles of ingenuity, brute but appropriate strength, and also embodies the romance of the sea. Yes, the image is hypertrophied, it cannot be called historical, but we love Jack Sparrow not for this! In fact, many yachtsmen are much more like Jack Sparrow than they seem - at least in that we, like Jack, equally appreciate delicious rum and poetry.

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24.12.2022