The legend of the crossroads

Crossroads' homeport of Memphis, Tennessee is located on a bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi river. This region of rich delta farmland was the birthplace of the delta blues and pioneering blues man Robert Johnson, who wrote Crossroads Blues.
The legend of the crossroads and its connection to Johnson's life begins in African folklore. According to what I’ve been able to find out, Esu, a go-between for humans & God, was believed to be the guardian of the crossroads and could be met there to appeal to God on one's behalf. This didn’t sit well with the missionaries, who taught the Africans that pagan gods were not the true God and therefore were evil, the devil. So the crossroads became a place of black magic where deals could still be made, but were now made with the devil.
These superstitions traveled to the American delta with African slaves and the crossroads became the place to meet the devil and trade your soul for fame, talent or whatever you desired more than life itself. The crossroads at the intersection of highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale Mississippi is the legendary location of Robert Johnson's deal with the devil. Johnson is supposed to have met or conjured the devil there at midnight and asked him to tune his guitar. This gave Johnson his amazing and unique talent but cost him his soul. In his song Crossroads Blues Johnson tells the story of his return to the crossroads to try to reclaim his soul.
The crossroads has now become more of a metaphor for a turning point in life’s journey than a deal with the devil. We haven’t sold our souls for our sailing adventure, but we have reached a turning point in our lives and we need all the roadside guardians we can get. Naming our boat Crossroads was also a way to take a little bit of Memphis and the delta with us.