Eli5 How can one tell where south, north, east or west is without using a compass, looking at a map or already knowing?

Question

Eli5 How can one tell where south, north, east or west is without using a compass, looking at a map or already knowing?

In: Other

Answer 1

So, up above different markers (sun/stars) are used, but FUN FACT, some seafaring civilizations who lived at sea and relied on knowing these directions for every facet of everyday life actually had no words for things like left and right, but would use north/south. They had a better internal sense or cardinal direction than direction related to self. So an example would be like “hey son, can you pass me that book? No, not that one, the north one.”