Continuation of my previous message.
The fact is that traditionally, sculptures on the taffrail conveyed a specific message; they featured specific characters and depicted a specific story, alluding to the ship's name. Each ship had its own unique story depicted on the taffrail, related to its name.
The reason is simple: in those years, ships were built in series and were almost indistinguishable in appearance, and the overwhelming majority of people, especially sailors, were illiterate.
Example: The ship "Pegasus." The sculptures on the taffrail depict the birth of Pegasus from the blood of the unfortunate Gorgon Medusa. The Gorgon is on the right, Perseus, who cut off the Gorgon's head, is on the left. Pegasus strikes an underground spring in the mountains with his hoof. On the left and right are masks of tragedy and comedy, as Pegasus was a patron of the arts.
Another example. The ship "Atalanta." Atalanta is reclining in the center, holding a golden apple in her hand. There is a ribbon on his arm with the inscription "you won".
On the left is Hippomenes scattering golden apples; on the right is Aphrodite plucking these apples from the apple tree for Hippomenes.
The quartos depict the palaces of Zeus and the lions driven from them—everything just as in the legend. In those days, the legends and myths of Ancient Greece and Rome were enormously popular, and anyone could easily recognize a particular myth in the sculptures.

And so it was for many years. Any illiterate sailor or foreigner who didn't know English, seeing the sculpture in the center of the taffrail, depicting a muscular hero with a sword, riding a winged Pegasus, would exclaim: "Oh! Why, that's the ship Bellerophon!" Because he knew that the only one who could ride Pegasus was Bellerophon.
This is how people recognized their ships by the significant events depicted on the taffrail.
Example: The ship "Fly." Here, the fly signifies flight, not an insect. The ship seems to fly, possessing lightness and speed. The main winds are allegorically depicted on the taffrail in the center, and the gods on the sides. The figurehead depicts Mercury, the god of flight.
