The ninth shaft symbolizes the impending danger. But why is the ninth rampart considered the biggest threat, and not the third, not the eighth? Is there really such a pattern that the ninth wave is the largest? And from which one in this case, to start the countdown?
Indeed, all waves at sea are different, their size can fluctuate greatly. As for the ninth ridge - it is worth talking about it separately.
Observations and beliefs
During a storm, or even a small disturbance, the same waves do not occur. Not only their height and strength, but also speed can be different. Waves can collide and merge into a single one, before the appearance of which there will be a period of calm and small strokes of water. But it will not be exactly the ninth shaft. In a row, a large wave among smaller ones can be absolutely any.
An interesting fact: the Romans considered tenth as the most dangerous wave. But the Greeks said that fear should be the third in a row from the previous major wave.
It is the ninth wave that is considered to be the most terrible - it is a European tradition. To understand it, it is worth recalling some basics of numerology. After all, one must not forget about the superstition of sailors.
So, the number 9 symbolizes the maximum, the peak of the development of the event. After all, there goes a dozen, which consists of one and zero, and therefore, suggests a new countdown. Exactly 9 is the most “powerful” number in the framework of numerological traditions, and this aspect can be associated with the concept of the ninth shaft, which we are considering.
Ninth shaft in literature and art
The most active topic of the ninth wave began to unfold in Russian literature in the 18-19 centuries. This symbol is mentioned in the work "Eugene Onegin" A.S. Pushkin, you can also find him in the works of Derzhavin, Polezhaev, Aksakov and other artists. After that, this symbol was forgotten for some time, but it was soon revived and began to be actively used again. After all, the revolution began, and it was in this way that it was easiest to convey what was happening - both around and in the hearts of people.
Ninth shaft as a symbol in colloquial speech
From literature, the image of the ninth shaft migrated into everyday speech. Although some researchers believe that people mentioned this phrase and much earlier than the 18-19 centuries, both in the reading and in the illiterate environment. However, in any case, the phrase symbolized a terrible rock hanging over a person, some imminent danger, or a force that is difficult to resist.
You can call a storm a man’s life that has gone the wrong way, already begun a series of bad events, which could end with a fatal blow - the very ninth rampart, after which it will be impossible to return to normal.
What waves are really dangerous for sailors?
No allegorical image appears just like that. And therefore, it is worth considering which waves can actually carry a fatal threat to sailors, and which of them can be that fateful ninth rampart, even if not the ninth, but any other in a row.
It can be the so-called wave-destroyers.Their height reaches 25-30 meters, but this is not a tsunami. The ridges are solitary, and the causes of their appearance are still poorly understood.
So, the phenomenon can be generated by the focused energy of the currents that exist in the oceans, as well as other complex anomalies. For a long time, such phenomena were considered fiction, but today such phenomena are recorded by satellites, and therefore exist.
In addition, tsunamis can be a devastating rampart. These waves are generated by underwater earthquakes, large landslides and other similar natural phenomena. The third option is already described when it comes to summing several waves during a normal storm.
Thus, the destructive power of the ninth shaft is for the most part an allegorical expression. In fact, the largest wave during a storm can be any wave in a row; there is no strict periodicity in this regard.
