Ship's Figureheads Carving

The Kalmar Nyckel (Key of Kalmar), Dutch-built
ship that carried Swedish settlers to America in1638.

Today, the word figurehead is more often heard in a metaphorical context, referring to a person in a position of power who has no real authority. But back in the day of galleons and frigates sailing on the high seas in the 16th to 19th centuries, one would find beautifully carved wooden sculptures attached to the prows of ships. These sentinels were used to help identify the ships and help non-literate people know the ship's name, but there is also much lore involving ship's figureheads.

Photo taken by Carla at Mystic Seaport.
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The destiny of a ship was once thought to be so closely bound up with that of her carved figurehead that one could not sink without the other. They were used as religious symbols to protect the ship, and to express the sailors’ belief that the ship was a living thing. There was also the belief that a ship needed to find its own way, and could only do this if it had eyes. To sail in a ship without a figurehead was considered highly dangerous as the figurehead was thought to be the embodiment of the ship's soul. It was thought to ward off evil spirits as the ship bounded through the sea and protect the crew and passengers from traveling maladies. If someone painted the figurehead black it was considered bad luck. Figureheads as such died out with the military sailing ship, primarily due to their weight, except for smaller ships of the royal navy.

Types of figureheads: Lions were the favorite figurehead for most nations in the 17th century and later on British military ships. Some chose other designs such as St. George slaying the dragon. In the 18th century many designs were representations of the name of the ship, such as a guillotine and often classical or mythological figures such as mermaids, goddesses, and even literary characters.

In my novella, Carving a Future in Colonial Courtships (Barbour/2012), I tell the story of a ship's figurehead carver who is working as a journeyman and on his way to become a master carver. He is commissioned to carve the heroine in the story. The research that I did in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia and in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut was fascinating. I so enjoyed looking at the beautiful carvings and learning about the process. At Mystic Seaport I was able to interview a few interpreters at the ship carver's shop. I did further research with a famous figurehead carver, Martin Jeffery, from Australia.

Ship carver's shop, Mystic Seaport, CT

Figureheads from Mystic Seaport
Photos taken by Carla