Films about pirates often show both reality and myths that appeared a long time ago and are already considered true.
Pirates have long been a part of popular culture. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the novel Treasure Island, which is still popular today, even before television existed. And Johnny Depp, who played Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, sparked interest in piracy at the time. But writer Rebecca Simon debunks myths of piracy in the 17th and 18th centuries, showing the truth even more shocking. The Daily Mail writes about it.
Pirates did not force prisoners to walk on the boardwalk
The most popular method of torture and execution, as it turns out, was invented by Stevenson in 1883 for the novel “Treasure Island”.
The magnificent scene was so loved by the writers that every movie about pirates now has a “walk on the woods” in the literal sense of the word.
Pirates executed by “dragging under the spine”
But this method of execution and torture was not only popular with pirates. It has been used since ancient Greece. It is even sung in the popular slum (sailor song) Drunken sailor (from English – “Drunken sailor”). The punished person was literally dragged down the spine on a rope several times. And if he did not drown, he was cut off by the shells that grew to the bottom of the ship, so that after that he could die from blood poisoning. And because not all pirates could swim, those punished often drowned.
The pirates did not bury the treasure
At least not as massively as you might think after watching famous movies about pirates. Treasures, gold and jewellery, were of far less interest to pirates than food, fresh water, ropes, sails, and tools.
The pirates first of all bought supplies and preferred to get rid of the treasures, they bought the same supplies on them.
Pirate Democracy
Interestingly, even in those days there was a kind of democracy on pirate ships. The crew voted on everything from penalties to where the ship should go next, and the captain was unable to override their decision. The crew had the right to dine with the captain, to enter his cabin at any time, and even to curse him. If they don’t like the way you treat them, they can vote to replace him.
All the loot was divided by rank, and each was paid into the compensation fund for the wounded. Rebecca states in her book that it’s more like a small town council in Sweden than an unbridled pirate life.
The Origin of the “Jolly Roger”
As for the nickname “Jolly Roger” for the pirate flag, some say it comes from the French le joli rouge (originally red), others say Old Roger is the devil’s nickname. But the pirates could not get along with the banal “Jolly Roger”. Each of them created their own flag.
Popular symbols were skull, skeleton, heart, spear, hourglass, sword. For example, in 1721, the flag of Bartholomew Roberts (aka Black Bart) depicted a pirate and a skeleton with darts holding an hourglass.
Pirates didn’t just rob ships
They also attacked coastal towns and villages, looted monasteries and took hostages. 15-16. Hayreddin Barbarossa, a Muslim pirate operating in the Mediterranean at the turn of the century, plundered Tunisia, Algeria, the island of Menorca and the coast of Spain. And Captain Henry Morgan successfully robbed cities in Cuba. Moreover, he captured Panama after a nine-day pass through the jungle.
Mexican actor Sergio Calderon, star of Pirates of the Caribbean, has died. She played Captain Villanueva in the third part of the series.
Source: Focus
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