sea witches The sailing trade in Britain has been steeped for centuries in folklore, including belief in sea witches, who allegedly have the power to control a man’s fate out on the waves. Sea witches are said to lurk up and down the coast, ready to curse ships and cause them to wreck upon the rocks or founder in a storm. Some sea witches are phantoms, the ghosts of dead witches (see ghosts, Hauntings And Witchcraft). According to legend, Sir Francis Drake sold his soul to the Devil in order to become a skilled seaman and admiral. The Devil sent Drake phantom sea witches, who helped him raise a storm at sea and defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588 (see storm raising). The witches are still said to haunt the land near where the battle took place: Devil’s Point, which overlooks Devonport.
SOURCE:
The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca – written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 1989, 1999, 2008 by Visionary Living, Inc.