Sailing in the lap of the Gods

Beyond GPS: divine assistance, suitable rites and a belt and braces multitheistic approach

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There was a time when religion was an important part of seafaring. I am not referring to the colonial unpleasantnesses perpetrated by conquistadors on the inhabitants of the New World, but to the use of divine intervention in navigation. At a time when various nasty nations may be preparing to convert the GPS satellites used by electronic chart providers into streaks of blazing slag in the night sky, this could be due for a revival. The answer is to Know your Gods.

Classical antiquity is a good kicking-off point. The wily Odysseus had a plan to zip home from Troy to Ithaca, a mere charterboat hop across the Aegean. He had, however, offended various gods, not least Poseidon, who controlled large amounts of weather and all oceanography; so it took Captain O 10 years to negotiate a complicated obstacle course and get back to Penelope. The modern navigator may find that pouring a dose of retsina into the sea to refresh the deity might not hurt, though it might not do much good either.