No one sails west
An old saying in Dercia is that no one sails west, it's a saying that sadly is born out of loss and death as throughout times many adventures have tried to find what lurks beyond the western horizon but these adventures have never returned home so time went by fewer brave souls tried to make the journey west and at some point, the saying "No one sails west" became widespread and entered common usage.
It's not known what happens to those that venture out west as no one has returned and no wreckage has ever washed ashore, so if anyone not familiar with the saying, typically those living far from the coast, not having contact with the people along the coast, most of these coastal people would simply just say that as soon as the ships lost the sight of land they would vanish from the surface of the earth never to be seen again.
Some believe that the reason no one returns from the west is that the gods will strike anyone that they see as trying to leave Mirateia down, but most just view these as religious fanatics and don't give them much attention.
The most logical reason that most seem to accept is that the ships simple become victims to storms in the open sea and sink and the reason the gods don't save them is that they simply can't, that they might be too far from where the main attention of the gods are so instead they simply vanish into the sea.
Shipwreck on schooner Raketa in Loksa, Estonia (July 2022) by Sillerkiil
Variations & Mutation
Another version of the saying although much less common is "No one sails beyond the sight of land" meaning that all sailors will never sail so far out from the coast that they were to lose sight of land.
Cultural Reception
Most people in the western half of Mirateia know some version of the saying, it's mostly known along the coastal regions although it's not uncommon for that inland to have heard it as well.
Related Ethnicities
Related Organizations
Comments