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Is it less wonderful that, in moments of great danger and fear, this dolphin was a symbol of joy and good fortune for the sailors on the ship?

It's pretty magical to me to think that a dolphin, just doing dolphin things and playing in the wake of a giant wooden sea vessel, was enough to see those sailors through life-and-death situations.

Little reminders of good in the world, regardless of whether the reminders themselves are aware of it, can really change things for the better for a whole lot of people.

Happily, nothing in that article really contradicted the Wikipedia page (or at least my reading of it). I took “guided” to be a kind of romanticized “swam alongside,” not that the ships were using the dolphin as literal navigational aid. The article actually confirms the behavior.

On the other hand, it makes the move to protect him more commendable. It wasn't just out of self-interest.

Never read about the true incident after watching a "historical movie". :-)