Ancient Mariner
Preserved but no longer current.
The story in Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner (first published in the Lyrical Ballads, 1798) is founded partly on a dream told by the author's friend, Cruickshank, and partly on passages in various books that he had read. Wordsworth told him the story of the privateer George Shel- vocke who, while rounding Cape Horn in the Speedwell, in 1720, shot a black albatross.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Ancient Mariner” mean?
The story in Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner (first published in the Lyrical Ballads, 1798) is founded partly on a dream told by the author's friend, Cruickshank, and partly on passages in various books that he had read. Wordsworth told him the story of the privateer George Shel- vocke who, while rounding Cape Horn in the Speedwell, in 1720, shot a black albatross.
Is “Ancient Mariner” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.