Alfred Bulltop Stormalong
Encyclopedia
Captain Alfred Bulltop Stormalong was an American folk hero
and the subject of numerous nautical-themed tall tale
s originating in Massachusetts
. Stormalong was said to be a sailor and a giant
, some 30 feet (9.1 m) tall; he was the master of a huge clipper ship known in various sources as either the Courser
or the Tuscarora
, a ship so tall that it had hinged masts to avoid catching on the moon.
that Stan Hugill
, in his Sea Shanties of the Seven Seas, traces back to African-American folk songs of the 1830s and '40s. Bearing names like "Mister Stormalong", "Way Stormalong John", and "Yankee John, Stormalong", these sailors' work songs generally featured praise for a deceased seaman and for his benevolent son. A typical lyric went:
The tall tales about Stormalong first appeared in the 1930 book Here's Audacity! by Frank Shay. More tales appeared in the 1933 pamphlet Old Stormalong Yarns by C.E. Brown.
and moved to Boston
, where he signed aboard the first ship that would take him at the age of twelve. It was said that he was responsible for the tradition of referring to seamen as "able-bodied" by signing his name on his first shipboard employment contract as "Stormalong, A.B."
He had a lifelong rivalry with a Kraken
, a huge sea monster from Norse myth; in fact, the Kraken escaped from him in their first encounter, causing a dejected Stormalong to abandon the sea life for life as a farmer somewhere in the Midwest. Some sources say he had a ship so large that a stable of Arabian horses were aboard for his crew to get from one end of the ship to the other. Among other things, the ship was said to have drilled the course of the Panama Canal
by slamming into the Panamanian coast, and to have gotten stuck in the English Channel
, which required the crew to grease the ship's hull with soap. The soap combined with the scraping of the hull against the Gray Cliffs of Dover
turned them bright white.
As Stormalong grew older, he eventually encountered the Kraken again, this time successfully drawing the beast into a whirlpool from which it never escaped.
Stormalong's death is not universally attested by all sources, but one ending to his life is as follows: After Stormalong angered a steamboat
captain by dumping water down the boat's funnel in an attempt to put out what he thought was a dangerous fire on the boat, the steamboat Captain challenged Stormalong to a transatlantic race. The aged Stormalong won the race by several miles, but the stress of handling the wheel through the difficult Atlantic crossing killed him. Stormalong was buried at sea, and Davy Jones himself opened his famous locker
to accept Stormalong's body.
Another ending to his life is as follows: While Stormalong was on his Caribbean
adventures, he passed by Florida
, seeing that there was a tremendous hurricane that tore through his ship. Ships sailing nearby were being tossed around by the heavy waves. Stormalong went overboard and piled as many boats as he could onto his ship. The storm was still running.
When the storm finally wound down, the sailors were dropped back off at Florida. After that, he went back on board, unfurling the sails of his ship, seeing if they could be repaired. A great wind, the last blow of the hurricane, hit the sails, lifting Stormalong and his ship into the sky.
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
and the subject of numerous nautical-themed tall tale
Tall tale
A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some such stories are exaggerations of actual events, for example fish stories such as, "that fish was so big, why I tell ya', it nearly sank the boat when I pulled it in!" Other tall tales are completely...
s originating in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Stormalong was said to be a sailor and a giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
, some 30 feet (9.1 m) tall; he was the master of a huge clipper ship known in various sources as either the Courser
Courser
The Coursers are a group of birds which together with the pratincoles make up the family Glareolidae. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards...
or the Tuscarora
Tuscarora
-Native American:*Tuscarora people**Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation *Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people*Tuscarora War, fought in North Carolina during the autumn of 1711 until 11 February 1715-Places:...
, a ship so tall that it had hinged masts to avoid catching on the moon.
Origin
The name of Stormalong first appeared in a cycle of sea shantiesSea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
that Stan Hugill
Stan Hugill
Stan Hugill was a folk music performer, artist and sea music historian, known as the "Last Working Shantyman" and described as the "20th Century guardian of the tradition".-Biography:...
, in his Sea Shanties of the Seven Seas, traces back to African-American folk songs of the 1830s and '40s. Bearing names like "Mister Stormalong", "Way Stormalong John", and "Yankee John, Stormalong", these sailors' work songs generally featured praise for a deceased seaman and for his benevolent son. A typical lyric went:
- Ol' Stormy he is dead and gone,
- To me way you Storm-a-long!
- Ol' Stormy he is dead and gone,
- Ay! Ay! Ay! Mister Storm-a-long!
The tall tales about Stormalong first appeared in the 1930 book Here's Audacity! by Frank Shay. More tales appeared in the 1933 pamphlet Old Stormalong Yarns by C.E. Brown.
The legend
New England was where he was beached as a baby, already two fathoms (12 ft) tall. According to one telling, he outgrew Cape CodCape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
and moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where he signed aboard the first ship that would take him at the age of twelve. It was said that he was responsible for the tradition of referring to seamen as "able-bodied" by signing his name on his first shipboard employment contract as "Stormalong, A.B."
He had a lifelong rivalry with a Kraken
Kraken
Kraken are legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.In modern German, Krake means octopus but can also refer to the legendary Kraken...
, a huge sea monster from Norse myth; in fact, the Kraken escaped from him in their first encounter, causing a dejected Stormalong to abandon the sea life for life as a farmer somewhere in the Midwest. Some sources say he had a ship so large that a stable of Arabian horses were aboard for his crew to get from one end of the ship to the other. Among other things, the ship was said to have drilled the course of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
by slamming into the Panamanian coast, and to have gotten stuck in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, which required the crew to grease the ship's hull with soap. The soap combined with the scraping of the hull against the Gray Cliffs of Dover
White cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to , owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint...
turned them bright white.
As Stormalong grew older, he eventually encountered the Kraken again, this time successfully drawing the beast into a whirlpool from which it never escaped.
Stormalong's death is not universally attested by all sources, but one ending to his life is as follows: After Stormalong angered a steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
captain by dumping water down the boat's funnel in an attempt to put out what he thought was a dangerous fire on the boat, the steamboat Captain challenged Stormalong to a transatlantic race. The aged Stormalong won the race by several miles, but the stress of handling the wheel through the difficult Atlantic crossing killed him. Stormalong was buried at sea, and Davy Jones himself opened his famous locker
Davy Jones' Locker
Davy Jones's Locker is an idiom for the bottom of the sea: the state of death among drowned sailors. It is used as an euphemism for death at sea ....
to accept Stormalong's body.
Another ending to his life is as follows: While Stormalong was on his Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
adventures, he passed by Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, seeing that there was a tremendous hurricane that tore through his ship. Ships sailing nearby were being tossed around by the heavy waves. Stormalong went overboard and piled as many boats as he could onto his ship. The storm was still running.
When the storm finally wound down, the sailors were dropped back off at Florida. After that, he went back on board, unfurling the sails of his ship, seeing if they could be repaired. A great wind, the last blow of the hurricane, hit the sails, lifting Stormalong and his ship into the sky.
External links
- One retelling of the Stormalong story
- Sea Shanties of the Seven Seas, by Stan Hugill