Page 151 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

Knots at Sea 141

[10]. Knots also featured in the art of sailors, expressing a reinforcement of
their cultural identity. This outburst of creativity resulted in artistic elab-
orations of splices and fancy knots. These developments are perhaps best
documented by the aforementioned monumental works. As Sailors' Knots laid
the basis for future knotting manuals it is worthwhile to pause and consider
this development's origin.
We may assume that the genesis of nomenclature must have been due
to the intensified exposure to rope problems, and its obvious function to im-
prove communication. As personal observations show that even for intensive
(professional) rope users the tying of a knot is often an anonymous act, we
cannot assume that Mariners developed an oral nomenclature discerning all
their specialised rope problems and their even more sophisticated solutions.
As a rule they have no names for the specific knots they use. It is difficult
to determine the exact state of affairs as far as the common sailor of bygone,
days was concerned. Romantically inclined traditionalists say they were peo-
ple taking pride in knowing much about knots, but official sources reject this
assertion [1, p. 4251.

`Splicing' is fastening two Ends of a Rope together, with uncommon
Slight, to execute which requires no ordinary Skill: as I can venture
to say not one Seaman in twenty can perform it.
A Naval Repository, 1762.

The earliest mention of knots and rope work as tools of the sailor oc-
curred in the first half of the 17th century [27], [19]. Initially these naval
sources merely gave some names, but were not illustrated at all. Manuals
with illustrations occurred a century later [2], but still showed no knotted
structures. The latter began to turn up in the flurry of seamanship manuals,
headed by William Falconer, a short time later [8], [16], [22]. By the beginning
of the 1800s seamanship literature was abundant, well-illustrated and knot-
ted structures were documented by relatively consistent nomenclature all over
North Western Europe. Showing that the Occidental seafaring community
was sufficiently tightknit to accept the introduction of international standard
words.
The presentation of knots in the maritime literature represents a signif-
icant change. It is noteworthy that nomenclature appeared in print around
A.D. 1625. Why the lack of incentive before, it may be asked? Until then
rope-working techniques had been passed on as `natural' skills as part of a
trade, not as formal theoretic knowledge. Obviously knots entered books for
the benefit of people who had access to the literature, i.e. those who could
(or had to) read them. The main objective did not seem to be an attempt at