The Caul: History's Strangest Protective Charm

Less than one in every 80,000 babies is born with a caul. These children, “born with a veil,” were considered either very lucky, or very evil. For centuries, the caul was seen as a powerful object, with all sorts of superstitious properties. Just as a baby “floated” in the amniotic sac, carrying a caul would protect the “caulbearer” from drowning. The caul was so valuable that people had it baptized and blessed, and even left instructions in their wills about their cauls. 

While some claimed the caul was a sign of evil, for centuries people believed the caul granted fame and fortune to whoever possessed it.

The name “caul” may come from the way the sac draped over a baby’s head at birth, which looked like a monk’s cowl. The newborn baby might look like it was wearing a hood and cloak, similar to religious garb. One superstition claimed that a child born with the caul was destined for the monastery—or, according to folklore in Austria, a boy who carried his caul would become an archbishop. 

A baby born with a caul was often said to wear a shirt or a veil, or sometimes a helmet. There were literally dozens of different terms to describe "en-caul" birth, and the caul had just as many alleged magical properties.

Between 1470 and the 1630s, France’s army nearly quadrupled in size. Spain’s army grew even faster, going from 20,000 troops to 300,000. In the same period, guns replaced swords and warfare became deadlier. No wonder soldiers wanted protection against the horrors of war. 

The caul was believed to have all sorts of powers for soldiers: carrying a caul could reportedly protect a soldier from harm or cause the enemy to withdraw from the battlefield. In Germany, if a conscripted soldier carried a caul, it would help him return home sooner.

Shipwrecks were terrifying to sailors and merchants. Even Leonardo Da Vinci was horrified by the wrecked ships in the Mediterranean. He wrote, “Alas! How many ships have foundered there! How many vessels have been broken upon these rocks!” A sudden storm or an unusually shallow rock could mean death for hundreds of sailors aboard a doomed ship.

But the caul promised protection against drowning—perhaps because of the item's history. Babies in the womb could live in the amniotic sac without drowning, of course, so a caul-bearer could not drown. By the 19th century, sailors were willing to pay very high prices for the protection of a caul.

Those born with the caul were considered immune from drowning. In one story, a baby born with the caul was so powerful "that when his mother tried to bathe him he sat on the surface of the water, and if forced down, came up again like a cork.” Sailors were willing to pay big money for that kind of protection.

Cauls were advertised in British newspapers all the way until World War I. One ad, posted in the Bristol Times and Mirror in 1874, appealed specifically to sailors. “TO SEA CAPTAINS: For sale, a Child’s Caul in perfect condition. £5.” Cauls reached their highest price in the late 18th century, as Britain’s Royal Navy, led by Lord Nelson, waged great sea battles with the French.

The caul’s good luck powers were seemingly endless. A lawyer who carried a caul would win every case. One Roman author reported that midwives would steal cauls to sell to lawyers, who believed the caul would improve their chances during trials. 

The caul’s power over words could also silence enemies. In the 12th century, one man was arrested while carrying a caul. He claimed “this had been given to him by a certain woman for the purpose of turning away and stopping up the mouths of those who tried to speak against him."