The Idols of Sailors
The National Museum of Royal Navy, Portsmouth
As a storyteller working in heritage interpretation, it’s my job to find where the stories are in a place. Sometimes this can take a lot of research and other times the stories are right there, gifted to you on plate. The figureheads gallery at The National Museum of Royal Navy, down at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, is a storyteller’s gift.
Some of you may remember that I was there over the Easter holidays telling stories for their ‘Sounds Of The Sea’ events. I had a fabulous day sharing tales of Trowies, mermaids, and Stargazey pie with lots of lovely families in The Victory Gallery, but in the gallery above me were far more stories.
During a break between sessions I popped upstairs to take a look and imagine my utter delight when I discovered Greek myths galore in the form of figureheads.
So what are figureheads? They are usually wooden as they were once on old wooden ships and they are the mascot, if you like, of the ship. Some of the figureheads in the gallery at Portsmouth include Apollo, Belleraphon, Minerva, Neptune and Calliope and the majority date from the 1800s.
Bellerophon’s story is one I tell during star gazing season and is a tale of a hero who defeats a chimera. It’s an epic story and a true hero’s journey. You can listen to me telling a version of it on Season 3 episode 2 of the podcast which I’ve linked to below.
HMS Bellerophon was also known as the ‘Billy Ruffian’, and had an outstanding record as a war ship in the Napoleonic Wars. The deck was also the scene of Napoleon’s surrender to Captain Maitland after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815.
Apollo is of course the god of archery, music and dance as well as being a sun god. The Apollo in the gallery came from a ship called the HMS Apollo, built in 1805 and one that also saw the Napoleonic Wars. As a god of Olympia, Apollo was no stranger to conflict, and as the god of light, perhaps he led the way for the sailors on board.
Minerva served as a figurehead on the HMS Minerva, built in 1820 and she spent a lot of her time in Portsmouth, used more often as a workshop than a war ship. Fitting for a goddess who is not only seen as a goddess of war but also one of arts and trade.
Neptune, a the chief sea god who needs no introduction, served his time on the bow of the HMS Grampus from 1810 to 1897. And Calliope, chief muse and guardian of epic poetry and harmony, served on the Brig Sloop, HMS Calliope, a ship in the same class as Darwin’s famous HMS Beagle.
So you see, you don’ t have to go far in this gallery stories of the sea faring folk and the gods and goddesses that adorned their ships, leading the way to many a victory.
Below is a short tour of the Figurehead Gallery and the stars of myth and story that you can find there.
For more information and to plan your visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, visit the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard here.
One to listen to, one to watch and one to read:
Listen - The Story of Bellerophon & The Chimera
Watch -
Read - Fiction meets Innovation: Jules Verne’s underwater dream versus early Submarine design
Absolutely love this, my paternal grandfather went to sea at 13, he was the boy on a Thames Barge, sailing from Southampton to Poole and Channel Islands but also around the Solent. I relish your vision of stars and stories all around us 🧡