Those ballads in which a ship is carrying someone who has done something wrong and is becalmed until the guilty party is put off the ship ... just found an account by William of Newburgh in which this happens to a badly behaved nobleman, who is of course subsequently drowned when the small boat he's put into is engulfed in the waves. From mid 12th century.
Sorry - of course this is only centuries old, rather than thousands. But I find it fascinating.