In the mundane historical reference to Sinbad and the "Seven Seas," which seven seas was he referring to?

fosse4

The "seven" seas are generally regarded as the oceans of the world namely Arctic, Antarctic, North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Aug 19 03, 2:23 PM

Gnomon

When Sindbad sailed the seven seas, the people who told the stories did not have a knowledge of the whole of the world, so it would not have been those particular seven. I think the seven seas was just a general term, since story tellers like to put things in sevens. Aug 20 03, 2:21 AM

sailingnanc

Here is the correct answer: The phrase was popularized by Rudyard Kipling who used it as the title of a volume of poems first published in 1896. Kipling himself said the term might be regarded as referring to the seven oceans (named above) even though it was a very old figurative name for all the waters of the world. It follows then, that the notion of an “Old Salt” is one who “has survived the Seven Seas” was coined to describe just such a sailor: One who sailed with the East India Company for more than a few voyages. So, to settle this debate, I put forth that The Seven Seas are, and always have been, 1. The South China Sea 2. The Celebes Sea 3. The Timor Sea 4. The Banda Sea 5. The Flores Sea 6. The Java Sea 7. The Sulu Sea Any old salt who had “sailed the Seven Seas” proved he had been on the old “Clipper Ship” tea route from, China to England, which was the longest trade route under sail and which took the Clippers through any or all of those Seven Seas. http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-7733,00.html Aug 24 08, 12:43 PM