Our Flag Means Death: Why It's Bad Luck To Kill A Seagull
The nautical superstition that it's bad luck to kill a seagull is corroborated in Our Flag Means Death episode 8, «We Gull Way Back.» This historical sailor’s belief is depicted in various shows and films but has a notable payoff in creator David Jenkin’s recent pirate-themed comedy. While the series generally respects its historical lore, it does not elaborate on the reason why killing a seagull is unlucky.
Our Flag Means Death revolves around a ship of amateur pirates who are captained by Stede Bonnet, an ex-aristocrat going by the moniker “The Gentleman Pirate” due to his inherent pacifism in the field of pirating. Each pirate has their own quirk; Ewen Bremner’s character Buttons is often seen with a seagull named Karl standing atop his head and is very superstitious. When Karl is killed by a visiting pirate played by Will Arnett in Our Flag Means Death episode 8, Buttons curses him for his ignorance. Arnett’s character is soon confronted by another seagull before a cannonball crushes him. The karmic justice is celebrated by Buttons, but the death isn't a mere coincidence.
Related: Our Flag Means Death: Was Spanish Jackie A Real Person?
The superstition that killing a seabird is unlucky originated because sailors centuries ago viewed how Albatrosses flew swiftly downward to meet low-speed surface winds which then thrust them upward. The technique was considered supernatural and inspired the concept that the wandering souls of dead sailors possessed the birds. The saying “an Albatross around one’s neck” is referenced originally in a 19th-century poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge where a seaman kills an albatross, subsequently bringing death and destruction to his ship. The cursed seaman wears the dead bird around his
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