In ancient times, there were wooden sculptures on the bow of the ship, believed to protect the ship and the crew. The sculptures placed in the head basement were looking towards the waves and, according to the belief of the sailors, these sculptures would satisfy the gods in this way. This satisfaction would make the sea voyage safer. We would like to give detailed information about bow sculptures in the history of maritime.

The work of decorating ship bows with wooden sculptures has been a common tradition since ancient times. Until very recently, more elegant wooden sculptures decorated the bow of the ship. This tradition continued until the beginning of the twentieth century when modern shipbuilding techniques became frequent. Bow sculptures, which are only used for decorative purposes today, represented art in shipbuilding in ancient times. How this tradition emerged and how it spread from there is one of the most curious questions. For the answers to these questions, we need to take a journey into the deep history of history. Only when we do this way can we find correct answers to our question.

The secret of the bow sculpture, which has an important place in maritime history, dates back to the first years of maritime history. We find the oldest known examples of wooden bow sculptures that appeared in the form of religious symbols to protect ships and crew in ancient times on Phoenician and Ancient Egyptian ships. According to the old belief, ships were not inanimate beings. It was believed that he found his way to the ships counted as alive. For the ship to find its way, it was necessary to have two eyes that could see everything in the bow. Even today, this belief lies behind a pair of eyes based on the drawing used by the Maltese on classic fishing boats called “luzzu”.

There are also a pair of eyes on the bows of the classic wicker sailing ships which the Chinese call “cung” because of the same belief. The eyes of the God Horos are on the head shoulders of the burgundy to allow the ships to find their way easily on the ancient Egyptian ships. There is also a leaf figure resembling a lotus stem with elegant folds at both ends of the ships. By combining these two applications later, a statue of the bow appeared. This practice spread first to the Eastern Mediterranean and then to Europe by the Egyptians.

The Phoenicians and Egyptians believed that the bow statue placed on the ship would protect the ships and crew. To both protect the ships and increase visibility by the Egyptian sailors, they mounted holy bird figures on the bow sculptures. Unlike the Egyptians, the Phoenician sailors used bow sculptures with horse head motifs to make their ships fast and agile. To strengthen their enemies, Greek sailors would put the pig head statue on their ships. The wooden statue used by Roman warships was the captain relief representing the navy's combat capability. With the increase of spurs used effectively against enemy ships, bow decorations have lost their former importance. Eye spur designs placed on both sides of the ship came to the fore.

Viking sailboats used the snake figure widely in Northern Europe. On the other hand, some Scandinavian ships;

• Dolphins,

• Dragon,

• They were carrying the bull's head.

The grotesque bow carvings on the Viking ships are handled in detail and aesthetically embroidered on the wide curvature of the rail. The common purpose of these motifs was to make the ship feel its strength to the other side and to ensure that the forces or spirits that protect the enemy ship move away from that ship. Besides, the swan figures, which are thought to add maneuverability and agility to the ships since the 13th century, also began to appear on the bows.

In medieval times, it was believed that nymphs lived in bow sculptures in the Dutch, Belgian and German communities. According to the Dutch sailors, these fairies were the forces to protect their ships from hitting the rocks, the crew from disease and dangerous winds. They were also taking the souls of the sailors, whose ships somehow sank, to the land of the dead. If there were sailors whose ships were not guarded by a nymph, these seafarers' spirits would be cursed, and their spirits would stray in the seas forever. Seriously, this situation draws attention to a sad end.

With the emergence of elegant galleons, using bow sculptures has become common in shipping. During the sailing age, there was a statue on the bow of each ship. Some sailors even believed that sailing without a bow statue brought bad luck. In the 17th century, there were widespread lion head figures on the warships of the countries. More detailed figures are included in the Navy's powerful and ranked ships. In 1610, on the bow of the British Navy, Prince Royal, there was a statue reflecting the fact that St. George killed a dragon. At a time coinciding with the same years, there were remarkable religious figures in the bow of the Spanish armada.

Bow sculptures were given great importance by sailors. Sailors respected these sculptures. Because these wooden sculptures were in the status of mysterious objects possessing the spirit of the ship. These sculptures also had many symbolic meanings. For example, a lion motif roaring to increase the morale of the people was built in the bow of Mahmudiye Galleon, which was built after the navy burned in Navarin and was once the biggest warship in the world. Based on this symbol, it was accepted by the public that the ship was an invincible structure, and this ship became the protagonist of many mysterious events.

These motifs and sculptures had an important function for the illiterate sailors to understand the ship's identity at that time. Apart from their names, the symbols carried by ship, namely bow sculptures, provided the ship to be easily recognized even from afar. Naked female figures were considered important because the gender of the ships was considered female. These sculptures often included women who covered one or both breasts with their hands. Under normal conditions, having women onboard ships was considered unlucky, but having women as a bow statue had another purpose. Since ancient times, it was believed that the devotion of a young girl to the gods would prevent negative climatic events. The gods were delighted with the young girl devoted to them. In fact, according to an incident described as the constant of legends, the King of Mycenae Agamemnon sacrificed his own daughter in order to please Artemis and comfortably reach Troy. In the 18th century, naked female figures were popular, but besides these figures; Mythological characters such as dragons, snakes and mermaids have also taken their place in bow sculptures. The French preferred to use figures that represent victory, fame, and glory. The British liked to use the lion figure. Later on, the bows of the ship were decorated with large and magnificent sculptures that were identified from mythological and classical figures and represent the name of the ship. In the beginning, the bow sculptures were either mounted on the bow or carved into the head basing part. As a result of the development of the head vault in the 16th and 17th centuries, the sculptures were placed under the bolt.

Large and flashy figures were used on warships to show the strength and wealth of the countries. These figures, which found shades in weight, were sometimes placed on both sides of the bolt in twins. These sculptures also had a serious cost aspect. The ship decoration costs of the galleon built-in 1637 were so high that this amounted to 1/6 of the total cost of the ship. This stands out as a very serious cost item for a ship.

After a time, the balance problems of the ships started to appear with the increasing weight of bow sculptures. Until the 19th century, the sculptures were made of elm trees. Karaağaç is a hard and heavy material. In the following periods, these sculptures were made of oak wood due to their durability. The size of the bow sculptures has been reduced since it was understood that the large statues carved out of large and solid wood in the 18th century and placed at the end of the heading significantly increased the ship's ability to navigate. Large statues were replaced by sculptures in the form of a bust. Later, lighter trees were started to be used. Light trees such as pine and teak have been used frequently. Besides, these trees are resistant to drying and the attacks of bedbugs. These trees do not rot easily and become long-lived.

After the French Revolution, the figures exhibited in the bow of the ships differed. Some of the remarkable figures also represented important moments. For example, the figure in the form of the guillotine has attracted a lot of attention. Ships with a human skeleton figure, ships with a corpse figure, and the statue of King George 3 on the bow of the Royal Sovereign ship, the flagship, are some of these. The symbolic meaning of King George's being on the bow can be interpreted as going to war at the head of the king's army. Since the king's being at the head of the navy will add strength to the army's power, the use of this figure has been appropriate to emanate enemy ships. In this period, these and similar figures were frequently used on ships. The bow statue owned by a ship was kept onboard during the lifetime of that ship. If the ship was out of service, its bow would never be fitted to another ship. For this reason, old bow sculptures were hung on the buildings as a decorative object. A bow statue in the form of a Turkish sailor of a ship called Sultan was placed in the entrance of the building, which was built in 1913 under the name of Turk’s Head. This sculpture, though not original, was made by being inspired by the wooden sculpture, adhering to its original. The original of the work was torn apart due to a strong wind in the storm. The work that was copied considering the wooden sculpture still adorns the entrance of the building.

Technological developments in the maritime field in the 19th century have replaced the wooden sailboats in ships. Steamships and ships with a steel hull replaced wooden ships. This means that bow decorations are gradually becoming a thing of the past. The reason for the end of this tradition can be stated as the absence of the burial on new model ships. The symbolic use of bow sculptures on large warships continued until the late 19th century. For small ships, this practice continued until the end of the First World War. The last ship with the symbol of the Royal Navy in Britain is from 1923. At this date, the symbol was removed. From this date onwards, decorated medallions and shield-shaped plaques have appeared on the ships. Wooden sculptures on the bows of ships and adorning them are not present today. Today, these sculptures are exhibited in museums or on the façades of historical buildings. Bow sculptures have had significant meanings from past to present. They have become an indispensable element for shipping. Bow processing still continues in private boat designs. Since this art has a lot of meaning, they are an important witness in reflecting the past of the ships. The periods when bow sculptures were used are now over, but the mythological features required for the ships are still desired to be found on the ships. So much so that mysterious events about how important naval battles were won are still being described among seafarers. This is the general information about bow sculptures in maritime history.