Diana Tierney's Blog
Posted by Diana Tierney
Superstition: a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like. (Dictionary.com)
With this definition in mind we can look at why superstitions have such a hold not only on sailors but on society at large. How many times have you avoided walking under a ladder? Or have hesitated when seeing a black cat? How careful are you with mirrors? These are all things that we do whether they are conscious or unconscious based on superstitions that we have been taught.
Our superstitions are a way to cope with circumstances that we can’t understand or are unable to control. Sailors, fisherman and others who face death on a daily basis have traditions or actions that they follow through on to keep them safe. Whether they actually work or not is not the point, it’s the comfort that these acts bring that is significant.
My husband for a long time has been a hockey goalie. In his everyday life he is not superstitious at all, having attained degrees in Law and Biology he is extremely logical. However, that all changes when he puts on his goalie gear, it has to be done in a specific order in a specific amount of time with certain stretches done at certain points of getting ready. Oh and if I disturbed him during this time period I was in trouble. He wasn’t this superstitious when he was deployed. When questioning him about that he couldn’t explain it though some of the common things that the soldiers did was put pictures of their loved ones in their helmets for good luck, put a dog tag on their boot lace (which has a more morbid practical reason behind it as well as a superstitious one) and not walking on or in certain places. In my husband’s case he had his pirate flag and a picture of me and our dogs in a prominent place in his sleeping quarters.
These superstitions that sailors had, no matter how irrational they may seem were comforting to the ones that kept them. In their mind it was a way to ward of the very thing that scared them the most.
Posted by Diana Tierney
There were many women throughout history that sailed as pirates, not just the three that were mentioned in this week’s article (Grace O’Malley, Anne Bonny and Mary Read). In a time when women were supposed to be gentle creatures that took care of the home, these women defied convention. It is said that as a favor before Jack Rackham was hanged, he was allowed to see Anne one last time. She said to him “If you fought like a man you wouldn’t have to die like a dog.” Grace O’Malley was such a good leader that the men in her clan pledged their loyalty to her. She shrewdly negotiated fees from ships for their safe passage, pirated and took part in legitimate trade. When a governor had a personal vendetta against her, trying to stop her by attacking her family and the clans under her control, Grace went straight to the top by seeing Queen Elizabeth.
It is interesting to note that the only intact pirates code that has been found was drawn up by the Bart Robert’s crew. Point 6 in the code states “No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man shall be found seducing one of the latter sex and carried to sea in disguise, he shall suffer death.” ( Angus Konstam, The History of Pirates) Though women were not new to Piracy they were still a deviation from the status quo. When Anne and Mary were on trial for piracy there was what could be considered a media circus surrounding them. Women dressed up as men to go out and be pirates caught societies imagination. Even today we are fascinated by these women for entering and succeeded in what could be considered a man’s world.
Posted by Diana Tierney
The story of Davy Jones is a combination of many different legends that were blended together from various different cultures. This was most likely the latent effect of various cultures clashing during the golden age of piracy. The terms and legend of Jones were made popular in various literature pieces such as Washington Irving’s “Adventures of the black fisherman” and “The adventures of Pereguine Pickle” written in 175 by Tobias Smolett. Since the character Davy Jones has played an important part in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy his popularity has grown tremendously. The legend has taken on new aspects as well such as the story of him cutting out his heart out of grief for the woman that he loved and the sailing of the Flying Dutchman.
Many have begun to relate the tragic love story of Davy Jones and Calypso with the story of Odysseus and Calypso (a daughter of Atlas). In the myth Odysseus has a love affair with Calypso while stranded on the deserted island of Malta. Odysseus is rescued but Calypso is left behind to die of grief.
The Flying Dutchman is another myth of a ghost ship that has been interwoven with the Davy Jones story. The true legend of the Flying Dutchman takes place off the coast of Cape Town. A captain by the name of Van Der Deckon decided to sail his ship after unloading all of his cargo even though his crew begged him not to. He sailed straight into a hurricane; the weather was so horrible that he had to leash himself to the helm to prevent him from being swept over board. In the midst of the storm he called out “God cannot even make me change my mind!” and he swore that he would sail on until he reached the end of the earth. Shortly after he said these words the storm died down and a ghost appeared on the ship. Immediately the crew dropped dead and when the captain tried to shoot this figure his arm withered. The ship went red in color and disappeared. It is said that it still sails the waters as it tries to make it around the Cape of Good Hope.
Davy Jones’ legend is an example of what can happen with stories and traditions from various cultures interacting with each other, the blend together to take on a new life. Davy Jones originally has legend aspects that stem from Northern Europe, India and even the Caribbean. As we can also see that over time folktales gain in substance. Every generation adds a little something to them. The Flying Dutchman was never associated with the Davy Jones myth until now. Most likely for generations to come Davy Jones will be associated with the ghost ship that couldn’t make it around the Cape of Good Hope and with the tragic character, Calypso, of Greek Mythology. This is a good thing for the Davy Jones myth, it adds complexity to the already rich legend.
Posted by Diana Tierney
It has been theorized that Sea Monsters are a way to explain the unexplainable events experienced on the ocean, snakes that are miles long, seals that looked human and other such beasts that scared unknowing sailors. There are so many creatures in the ocean, it’s no wonder that when people started to explore the waters they did what they could to explain what they saw. For many people what was once a myth became tangible through evidence of recorded sightings. My favorite part of Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest is when the pirate named Ragetti says “It’s a mythological Creature I can calls it what I wants.”
It seems that in our current age we have lost a bit of that mystery that we held in days past. We know everything now. Why the sun rises, the real reason the plains flood and we have discovered most of the interesting things on this planet. For the most part the mystery is gone. In our generation we have a tendency to be know-it-alls. We know everything there is to know about this planet so therefore there is no need to entertain fanciful ideas such as Sea Serpents, Mermaids and Kraken. It can all be explained away with science and reason.
What if for a moment we don’t try to explain these creatures away? What if we entertain the idea that there is just a little bit of magic left in this world? We haven’t discovered everything, there are still some things left in this world that we can’t explain. It’s entertaining the mythology like the ones of these creatures that allows us to take comfort in the mysteries of the universe. For at least a little while we can forget about what we “know” and take enjoyment in the unknown and through this feel some connection to our ancestors.
Posted by Diana Tierney
No pirate has captured our imagination more than Blackbeard. It can be easily said that he was the inspiration for much of American pirate literature. Why do we like him so much and further more why have pirates held a prominent place in our imaginations?
Perhaps the answer to why pirates capture our imagination lies in the answer to the question: what does it mean to be a pirate? The lifestyle of a pirate was that of freedom and self enjoyment. They thwarted the system to live how they wanted granted it was as Captain Bart Roberts said “Tis a short and merry life!” it was still a life where they had freedom from an oppressive system that was enforced by the officers that were in charge on government ships. The Captain only held absolute power during a time of battle, all other times the ship only went where the men chose to go and the position of the Captain was one that was chosen by the other sailors. For all intensive purposes a pirate vessel was a small democracy. These men may have been cutthroat murderers but they were able to keep an egalitarian system in operation on their ship.
As far as Blackbeard is concerned he fits the pirate stereotype: flamboyant and deadly. He had a style about him in both battle and life form the weapons and clothing that he wore to the rope that he burned from under his hat. It’s the pirate’s style that separates them from common thieves and it’s this very style that causes us to romanticize them. Even Jack Rackham became a legend based on his style even though he was not a very successful pirate. However, Blackbeard is a household name because he didn’t just have style, he was also successful.
Americans love a good success story. We also love the “outlaw hero” the guy who breaks all of the rules but saves the day in the end. The true pirates weren’t heroes but they have all of the other characteristics; they break the law, fight an oppressive system and “sail” away the victor. In our way of romanticizing them we turn these pirates into heroes, even though they have just pillaged a whole town, murdered some people and broke God knows how many other laws, in our minds they are heroes.
Whether we feel that Blackbeard was a classic outlaw hero or just a glorified thief that had a little style, it is undeniable that this pirate has certainly commandeered our imagination and is the inspiration for current popularized fictional pirates.
