• DarkCloud@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Turns out things won’t go well for the albatross (it will get shot). The saying, “to wear an albatross around one’s neck” is an indication of having been cursed. It comes from a 227 year old poem. From Wikipedia:

    In the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, an albatross follows a ship setting out to sea, which is considered a sign of good luck. However, the titular mariner shoots the albatross with a crossbow, an act that will curse the ship and cause it to suffer terrible mishaps. Unable to speak due to lack of water, the ship’s crew let the mariner know through their glances that they blame him for their plight and they tie the bird around his neck as a sign of his guilt. From this arose the image of an albatross around the neck as metaphor for a burden that is difficult to escape.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatross_(metaphor)