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DOWNLOAD PIRATE COLLECTION
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100+ pages of the real pirate story, the dictionary, lexicon and all pirate inspired words
this feature collection is available for download
100+ pages of the real pirate story, the dictionary, lexicon and all pirate inspired words
OF THE PLUNDERING PIRATES
THE PLUNDERING PIRATE STORY
the brutal truth in a real story of plundering pirates
Home ~ Pirates ~ Profiteer ~ Golden Age
Fact Check ~ Archetype ~ Glorification
Democracy ~ Equality - Pirate Code
Genre ~ Language ~ Lore ~ Narrative ~ Notables
Notorious Pirates ~ Booty ~ Captures ~ Hangings
THE PIRATE DICTIONARY
the real and invented words, terms & expressions
Home ~ Pirates ~ Captains - Crew - Punishment
Ships ~Sails ~ Flags - Navigation ~ Food ~ Booze Gear ~ Weapons ~ Slang/Expressions
THE LEXICON OF PIRATES IN OBSCURITY
the rare, unusual & obscure words related to pirates
HOME ~ [A-F] ~ [G-L] ~ [M-R] ~ [S-Z]
SEARCH THIS SITE - search site below
the brutal truth in a real story of plundering pirates
Home ~ Pirates ~ Profiteer ~ Golden Age
Fact Check ~ Archetype ~ Glorification
Democracy ~ Equality - Pirate Code
Genre ~ Language ~ Lore ~ Narrative ~ Notables
Notorious Pirates ~ Booty ~ Captures ~ Hangings
THE PIRATE DICTIONARY
the real and invented words, terms & expressions
Home ~ Pirates ~ Captains - Crew - Punishment
Ships ~Sails ~ Flags - Navigation ~ Food ~ Booze Gear ~ Weapons ~ Slang/Expressions
THE LEXICON OF PIRATES IN OBSCURITY
the rare, unusual & obscure words related to pirates
HOME ~ [A-F] ~ [G-L] ~ [M-R] ~ [S-Z]
SEARCH THIS SITE - search site below
STORY OF THE REAL PLUNDERING PIRATES
DIRECTORY OF THE PIRATE STORY - HOME
Coining Rogue Sea Thieves as Pirates
Coining Rogue Sea Thieves as Pirates
- Profiteering & Buccaneering to Pirating
- Ushering in the Golden Age of Piracy
- Pirate Fact Check Matey
- Lawless Bandits Follow the Pirate Code
- Pirate Democracy & Equality for All
- Rise of a Pirate Archetype
- Glorification & Glitzy Glamorization
- The Allure of Pirate Lore
- Literary Narrative on Pirating Narrative
- Notable Plunders of Booty and Bling
- Notable Crimes and Torture
- Notorious Captures and Hangings
- Bits and Bobs of Notable Notes miscellaneous notes of the pirate life
THE ARCHETYPE are they really as sexy as Johnny Depp?
We Know the Stereotypes
Pirates have been portrayed in many different ways. Historical accuracy pales next to the fictionalized allure crafted through stereotypes. Originally pirates were frequently depicted as a more realistic pirate who was greedy, mean-spirited, and very focused on fighting, looting from enemy pirates and hunting buried treasure.The pirate represents a rogue personality – someone who is adventurous, unrefined, daring, bold, and fearless.
Pirate archetype characteristics & traits
A more accurate characterization
CUE THE SWASHBUCKLERS
The actual definition of a swashbuckler:
A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a beguiling hero who is skilled in swordplay, acrobatics, and romantic and chivalrous ideals. A 'swashbuckler' was originally a courageous, daring, and idealist who rescues damsels in distress, protects the downtrodden, and duels to defend honor (like a knight at the roundtable). Swashbucklers often engaged in daring and romantic adventures with bravado or flamboyance. They are gentlemen who dress elegantly, but flamboyantly in colorful attire like waistcoats, tight breeches, feathered hats, and high leather boots. They are armed with the thin rapiers used by aristocrats.
In the stories, the character would hunt the elusive, dastardly villain (sounds more like a pirate) while overcoming challenges and winning battles with evil henchmen. Then in the pivotal climax, he comes face to face with the villain in a duel complete with dramatic swordplay. The epic dance ends when the hero strikes him down. The hero triumphs from his courage, skill, resourcefulness, and sense of honor and justice.
The word Swashbuckler is formed from a compound of the word "swash" meaning “to swagger with a drawn sword” and "buckler" meaning a “small shield gripped in the fist.” Think fencing or Camelot..
Examples of these heroes are: Cyrano de Bergerac, The Three Musketeers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Robin Hood, and Zorro. This is the theme of romanticism.
By definition, swashbucklers were not pirates. Pirates were the villains.
Language by default is subject to evolve, The era of piracy was defined by the acts of war. War was everywhere. So the term blurred the heroic medieval knight characterization by romanticizing war and the soldiers who waged it. The character became a more fearless and daring gunslinger who ran into the thickest battles to defeat the enemy. Swashbucklers in this sense were not generally unrepentant or evil, but there was room on the battlefield with the heroic soldiers for the acts of bravery that pirates were engaged in. And when the age of film ushered in visualization (and Errol Flynn), the meaning began to apply to pirates. With the focus on action, adventure, and, to a lesser degree, romance, there is little concern for historical accuracy. Pirate romanticism began filling its namesake genre with swashbucklers. Today we know the most famous one as Jack Sparrow.
Pirates have been portrayed in many different ways. Historical accuracy pales next to the fictionalized allure crafted through stereotypes. Originally pirates were frequently depicted as a more realistic pirate who was greedy, mean-spirited, and very focused on fighting, looting from enemy pirates and hunting buried treasure.The pirate represents a rogue personality – someone who is adventurous, unrefined, daring, bold, and fearless.
Pirate archetype characteristics & traits
- The pirate is often depicted as having a western country English accent or a nautical twang to the words they use, as well as swearing profusely, slinging slang and dropping sailing lingo into conversation
- In style pirates don colorful period clothing, have hoop earrings, sport a pirate-style hat and wear a mysterious eye patch. Others wear shabby clothing, with a bandana or a feathered tricorne
- Weathered sea dogs have a peg leg or a hook hand as they talk about the good ole days. They sometimes have scars and battle wounds, rotten or missing teeth (suggesting the effects of scurvy)
- Pirates have a swagger and tendency towards heavy drinking, loose women, gunslinging and are known to be scruffy and heavily tattooed.
- They have weapons like swords, flintlock pistols and cannon and cutlasses.
- They fly the Jolly Roger skull and crossbones flag prominently from their pirate ship, hunt treasure using a treasure map, and have talking parrots and dancing monkeys and there is always music and sea shanties
A more accurate characterization
- It's true that pirate captains historically dressed more like gentlemen than sailors. A pirate captain in the 18th century might have worn breeches and a baggy shirt, but most left the ruffles at home.
- Crew dressed for function over fashion. They wore looser pants and typically used hats or scarves to block out the sun.
- Eye patches weren't worn to cover up wounds on a pirate's face. Instead, pirates wore eye patches to help their eyes adjust to the dark.
- Pirates were fond of bold fashion statements. Captains did actually wear large hats decorated with feathers, and Blackbeard tied ribbons in his beard.
CUE THE SWASHBUCKLERS
The actual definition of a swashbuckler:
A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a beguiling hero who is skilled in swordplay, acrobatics, and romantic and chivalrous ideals. A 'swashbuckler' was originally a courageous, daring, and idealist who rescues damsels in distress, protects the downtrodden, and duels to defend honor (like a knight at the roundtable). Swashbucklers often engaged in daring and romantic adventures with bravado or flamboyance. They are gentlemen who dress elegantly, but flamboyantly in colorful attire like waistcoats, tight breeches, feathered hats, and high leather boots. They are armed with the thin rapiers used by aristocrats.
In the stories, the character would hunt the elusive, dastardly villain (sounds more like a pirate) while overcoming challenges and winning battles with evil henchmen. Then in the pivotal climax, he comes face to face with the villain in a duel complete with dramatic swordplay. The epic dance ends when the hero strikes him down. The hero triumphs from his courage, skill, resourcefulness, and sense of honor and justice.
The word Swashbuckler is formed from a compound of the word "swash" meaning “to swagger with a drawn sword” and "buckler" meaning a “small shield gripped in the fist.” Think fencing or Camelot..
Examples of these heroes are: Cyrano de Bergerac, The Three Musketeers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Robin Hood, and Zorro. This is the theme of romanticism.
By definition, swashbucklers were not pirates. Pirates were the villains.
Language by default is subject to evolve, The era of piracy was defined by the acts of war. War was everywhere. So the term blurred the heroic medieval knight characterization by romanticizing war and the soldiers who waged it. The character became a more fearless and daring gunslinger who ran into the thickest battles to defeat the enemy. Swashbucklers in this sense were not generally unrepentant or evil, but there was room on the battlefield with the heroic soldiers for the acts of bravery that pirates were engaged in. And when the age of film ushered in visualization (and Errol Flynn), the meaning began to apply to pirates. With the focus on action, adventure, and, to a lesser degree, romance, there is little concern for historical accuracy. Pirate romanticism began filling its namesake genre with swashbucklers. Today we know the most famous one as Jack Sparrow.
See Also:
Portraits of 3 Plundering Pirates
Romanticizing the Stone
Pirates are romanticized as feisty rogues seeking buried treasure, any loot they manage to dig up is stored in treasure chests. The treasure is usually gold or silver, often in the form of doubloons or pieces of eight.
In the case of the fictional Jack Sparrow, we may disapprove of his behavior, deeming it lawless.
However, we’re attracted to his playful and unpredictable ways. We’re intrigued by his willingness to take risks, and be the fool (another archetype). We envy his ability to be crafty and use new methods to achieve his purpose, regardless of obstacles along the way. Jack Sparrow is also depicted as tenderhearted, which serves to balance his mischievous temperament.
It appeals to us because symbolically we look for a lost or buried treasure or a Holy Grail within ourselves which often remains untapped or misspent.
Defining a Motley Crew
The ambiguous relationship to the rise of the modern bureaucratic state means that social behavior is so regulated that the allure of freedom by piracy has been drawing people to romanticize it. This has also been seen in the allure of the Western gunslingers, prohibition-era gangsters, medieval knights, the Vikings, and even in a scruffy space smuggler called Han Solo. Pirates are presented as either comical figures, rascals or as heroic underdogs fighting against oppression. But not really dangerous. It’s well suited to comic books or romantic fiction, but has little to do with history. Search for “children’s books” and “pirates” on Amazon and you’ll get over 4000 results.
“Pirates are daring, adventurous, and willing to set forth into uncharted territories with no guarantee of success” They reject the status quo and refuse to conform to any society that stifles creativity and independence. They are entrepreneurs who take risks and are willing to travel to the ends of the Earth for that which they value.”
Dave Burgess on the spirit of a pirate
Historical storytelling in the movies is typically romanticized. Look at Gone with the Wind or Lawrence of Arabia. Growing up we had legends, myths and picture books to create the archetype. Movies that pride themselves on realism in period details still take creative license with historical facts in the narrative of the film. Scripted movies can, potentially, have some educational value, but they are meant to be entertainment. Accuracy takes a backseat while creative storytelling creates a glamorized picture.
We romanticize pirates of the golden age while we condemn modern pirates as terrorists.
Do we trust history and see pirates for what they are or do we go by the fictionalized Jack Sparrow?
Do we let Johnny Depp distort historical accuracy with his short of a lovable “good guy” pirate?
Pirates were more than rogue thieves, they were men (and women) who willingly participated in murder, torture and enslavement. We have transformed them into a symbol of freedom and adventure by erasing and normalizing their violent acts from our historical memory. Pirates had short careers (think 3 years) because they were plundering and murdering in a haze of chaos, mayhem, violence and anarchy and they were killed by other pirates in a quarrel or they were tried and hanged for crimes under the same government that sent out them out as “privateers” during the war. But they were also more than that. In fact, there is a far more blighting side of pirates that has been glossed over in the glitzy rise of the fictional archetype that shows a far more civilized and surprisingly revolutionary picture of pirates.
Pirates were at the forefront of equality.
WHAT?!?
They were nonconformists - why would they conform to the hateful bias of the landlubbers? Pirates were radical and open minded. This fact alone shows them thumbing their noses at societal norms. That same society cast them out so who were they to cast anyone out?
The biggest misconception is that they were unruly and ruthless killer barbarians ravaging in chaos and mayhem.
They had order. And laws. They enforced both.
IT WAS NOT ANARCHY
IT WAS A DEMOCRACY
They were still ruthless killer barbarians though.
It’s in the job description. But it was equal opportunity employment for anyone up to the job. And who will swear to the code or die. Painfully.
CLICK FOR A SITEMAP OF PIRATE PAGES
THE STORY, LANGUAGE & LORE
STORY | SLANG | WORDS
LEARN THE REAL STORY OF PIRATES
the brutal truth in a real story of plundering pirates
Pirates ~ Golden Age ~ Fact Check ~ Archetype
Democracy - Pirate Code ~ Notable Notes
Notorious Pirates ~ Booty ~ Hangings
Literary ~ Language ~ Lore ~ Narrative
the brutal truth in a real story of plundering pirates
Pirates ~ Golden Age ~ Fact Check ~ Archetype
Democracy - Pirate Code ~ Notable Notes
Notorious Pirates ~ Booty ~ Hangings
Literary ~ Language ~ Lore ~ Narrative
CLICK TO ACCESS THE DICTIONARY
THE PIRATE DICTIONARY- real and invented words, terms & slang and expressions
Home ~ Pirates ~ Captains - Crew - Punishment
Ships ~Sails ~ Flags - Navigation ~ Food ~ Booze Gear ~ Weapons ~ Slang/Expressions
The words were invented - just like Star Trek - to build a vocabulary for the genre. The colorful words and phrases don’t come from Pirates. The authentic words refer to ships, sails, food, gear etc. These are part of the vernacular of the time period and come from nautical sources or the military. Read more here. This dictionary is formed from real words and terms used in Golden Age and the jargon for sailors and shipbuilding. The pirate specific terms come from Johnson’s nonfiction pirate reference book written in the late 17th century. See it here.
And the dictionary contains the slang you need to Talk Like a Pirate in September.
Home ~ Pirates ~ Captains - Crew - Punishment
Ships ~Sails ~ Flags - Navigation ~ Food ~ Booze Gear ~ Weapons ~ Slang/Expressions
The words were invented - just like Star Trek - to build a vocabulary for the genre. The colorful words and phrases don’t come from Pirates. The authentic words refer to ships, sails, food, gear etc. These are part of the vernacular of the time period and come from nautical sources or the military. Read more here. This dictionary is formed from real words and terms used in Golden Age and the jargon for sailors and shipbuilding. The pirate specific terms come from Johnson’s nonfiction pirate reference book written in the late 17th century. See it here.
And the dictionary contains the slang you need to Talk Like a Pirate in September.
CLICK TO ACCESS THE LEXICON
BONUS BOOTY - words related to pirates
LEXICON OF PIRATES IN OBSCURITY
the rare, unusual & obscure words related to pirates
[A-F] ~ [G-L] ~ [M-R] ~ [S-Z]
View the rare, unusual and obscure words - some even obsolete - that apply to pirates, their lives and their world. Obscure words form the very foundation of this site - the dictionary is like giving you an expected wage. The lexicon is giving you a share of the best booty and the bling.
VIEW LEXICON OF PIRATES IN OBSCURITY
LEXICON OF PIRATES IN OBSCURITY
the rare, unusual & obscure words related to pirates
[A-F] ~ [G-L] ~ [M-R] ~ [S-Z]
View the rare, unusual and obscure words - some even obsolete - that apply to pirates, their lives and their world. Obscure words form the very foundation of this site - the dictionary is like giving you an expected wage. The lexicon is giving you a share of the best booty and the bling.
VIEW LEXICON OF PIRATES IN OBSCURITY
PIRATE COLLECTION PRESENTED BY
A BEAUTIFUL WORD
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Words are also posted on twitter under the hashtags #beautifulwords and #wordoftheday and shared visually on pinterest bulletin boards
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Original Content by Kairos ~ @kairosoflife
Homepage | Portfolio | Contact
Original content © 2021 Copyright, Kairos
A SERIES OF BEAUTIFUL WORDS
Collection of Vocabulary Books, Sites and Resources
Series Homepage | View Sites | Download Books
Words are also posted on twitter under the hashtags #beautifulwords and #wordoftheday and shared visually on pinterest bulletin boards
ABOUT SITE | SITEMAPS | SEARCH | FEEDBACK
Original Content by Kairos ~ @kairosoflife
Homepage | Portfolio | Contact
Original content © 2021 Copyright, Kairos
