Doldrums
Created | Updated Apr 26, 2002
In ancient times, ships crossing a certain part of the Pacific Ocean, somewhere near the equator, would become stranded on an island in this region after drifting for days with no winds to power their sails. The island was inhabited by a population of dolls, who would welcome the sailors with a great feast. The ceremony would begin with the beating of drums, and the sailors soon became entranced and fell into a deep melancholy, losing the desire to do anything but sit there. Occasionally, a strong willed sailor would manage to resist the spell of the dolls' drums and made it home to tell the tale. Hence the common phrase, 'in the doldrums' can be taken to mean that one is depressed and unmotivated.
