pirates
For other uses, see Skull (disambiguation)
Skulls designed on the walls of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Skulls designed on the walls of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

"Say 'I do,' or I'll put a bullet in your skull."
―Pig Kelly[src]

The skull is a bone structure that forms the head of most vertebrates. The skull forms the anterior-most portion of the skeleton and is a product of housing the brain, and several sensory structures such as the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. In humans, these sensory structures are part of the facial skeleton. Like other vertebrates, the skull supports the structures of the face and protects the brain from injury. The English word skull is probably derived from Old Norse skulle, while the Latin word cranium comes from the Greek root κρανίον (kranion). The human skull fully develops two years after birth. The junctions of the skull bones are joined by structures called sutures.

History

Jack Sparrow sits on a throne decorated with human skulls.

Jack Sparrow sits on a throne decorated with human skulls.

"These Aztec blokes sure did have a thing for skulls, eh, Bosun?"
―Ragetti to Bo'sun[src]

By the Age of Piracy, a snake or skull represents the underworld and death.[1] The center of every piece of Aztec gold from the cursed treasure of Cortés featured an ominous skull.[2][3][4] Several magical objects in the Caribbean were skull-shaped, such as the Aztec Idol[5] and the Skull of Teoxuacata.[6]

At Isla de Pelegostos, an island of cannibals, bone piles made by the Pelegostos tribe were not just leftovers, for the tops of skulls made useful drinking cups.[7] When Jack Sparrow became their chief, he sat on a grand throne decorated with skulls and bones at the heart of the cannibal village.[8][9] The natives of Opawy Wato decorated their huts with skulls and bones.[10]

The pirate flag used by the crew of the Wicked Wench showed a white skull and crossed bones on a black background.

The pirate flag used by the crew of the Wicked Wench showed a white skull and crossed bones on a black background.

Every pirate captain flew his own variation of the Jolly Roger flag,[11] the most famous of which is a trademark variation of the skull-and-crossbones theme.[12] The Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court flew their pirate flags, most of which featured skulls, prior to the battle against the East India Trading Company.[13] The most famous of these flags were Hector Barbossa, who had a skull with crossed swords.[2][9][14]

Edward "Blackbeard" Teach wore an onyx skull ring which had a cabochon, round black onyx in a case, a giant bezel of tiny skulls, and a detailed skull pinned into the top.[15] His pirate flag had a skull and flames that revealed a passion for forbidden dark magic. Legends say that the Queen Anne's Revenge was built by Blackbeard's victims, but taking a closer look, it was actually constructed from them as well. Their skulls help to give the ship a tough outer shell.[11][16][17][18]

When Jack Sparrow was forced into a wedding with Pierre "Pig" Kelly's sister Beatrice under a whale skeleton at Hangman's Bay, Pig Kelly threatened to put a bullet in Sparrow's skull if he didn't go through with the wedding.[14]

Behind the scenes

Skulls are used throughout the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. A talking skull (originally named as simply "Skull")[19] originally appeared in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean across Disney Parks, issuing a series of ominous admonitions, specifically "Dead men tell no tales."[20] All of the slightly various logos of the movie franchise feature a skull with either crossed swords, torches, or bones, similar to the Jolly Roger flag in the film's logos, posters, and various media.[2][9][13][18][14]

Real human remains were used in the Disneyland version of Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, most notably the skull and two crossed bones on the Pirate Captain's bed see in the "Captain's Quarter" scene of the ride.[21][22]

Hector Barbossa was featured holding a skull in various promotional posters and wallpapers for the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,[23] and later for the 2017 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.[24] A similar visual was done with Blackbeard for the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, though the skull had a red bandana and trinkets similar to Jack Sparrow.[25]

When designing the Queen Anne's Revenge for On Stranger Tides, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said that since the most famous pirate flag is the skull and crossbones, skulls and skeletons should be worked into the actual design of the ship. This resulted in production designer John Myhre to recall Kostnice, the famous "Church of Bones" in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic. "It's this amazing church which is literally decorated with bones. They made garlands out of spines and pyramids out of skulls. And I thought wow, instead of doing all this intricately carved molding details, what if we just used the bones of Blackbeard's victims in the design of the 'Queen Anne's Revenge'? So we made moldings of leg and arm bones and teeth, and walls out of skulls, with the idea that Blackbeard actually burned his victims in a giant, flaming lantern on the stern of the ship."[16][17]

One of Teague's rings.

One of Teague's rings.

The skull ring worn by Captain Teague in At World's End is Keith Richards' personal piece of jewelry.[citation needed]

In real-world history, skull symbolism is the attachment of symbolic meaning to the human skull. The most common symbolic use of the skull is as a representation of death, mortality and the unachievable nature of immortality. Skulls were also associated with piracy due to its historical use in some Jolly Roger flags.[citation needed]

In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, the undead bosses are recognizable by the red skull over their heads.[26]

Some of the covers for Tim Powers' 1987 novel On Stranger Tides, which was used as the basis for the fourth Pirates film, features a skull logo.[27]

Appearances

Sources

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ The Pirates' Guidelines, p. 34
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  3. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, p. 20
  4. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, p. 22
  5. ↑ Disney Adventures: "Legend of the Aztec Idol!"
  6. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
  7. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, pp. 52-53 "Cannibal Island"
  8. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, pp. 54-55 "The Pelegostos Tribe"
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  10. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, pp. 30-31: "Queen Anne's Revenge"
  12. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, pp. 30-31 "Life Below Deck"
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  15. ↑ PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4 - JewelryPropShop.com - Archived
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Pirates of the Caribbean 4 production notes, pp. 22-23
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  19. ↑ Attraction narration script, final draft 1967 featured in A Pirate's Life for Me: Disney’s Rascals, Scoundrels, Really Bad Eggs
  20. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies
  21. ↑ Hidden Gems: Real Bones on Pirates of the Caribbean
  22. ↑ Real Human Skull in Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland
  23. ↑ Original Film Title: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. English Title: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. Film Director: GORE VERBINSKI. Year: 2003. Stars: GEOFFREY RUSH. Credit: TOUCHSTONE PICTURES / Album Stock Photo - Alamy
  24. ↑ Trends International Disney Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - Crew Wall Poster
  25. ↑ Pirates 4 Poster Debut: Blackbeard - IGN
  26. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean Online
  27. ↑ On Stranger Tides