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From the thrilling adventures of Pirates of the Caribbean to the classic tales of Treasure Island (along with its many adaptations like Treasure Planet, The Secret of Treasure Island, and Muppet Treasure Island…), cinema has shaped our understanding of pirates. However, these films often take creative liberties, inventing or altering pirate lore. Here are ten pirate myths perpetuated by Hollywood that you might believe but are far from the truth.
10. Pirates Were Outlaws
A pirate is defined as someone who commits theft on the high seas. This broad term includes various maritime activities, from Viking coastal raids to modern-day Somali hijackings. However, most associate pirates with the Caribbean buccaneers of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650–1720), the era depicted in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean films.
Interestingly, there was also a form of sanctioned piracy. Individuals with a ship or the means to acquire one could obtain a Letter of Marque from the government, essentially a license to pirate. During this period, Spain transported vast amounts of gold and silver through the Caribbean on galleons. Envious of this wealth, France and Britain eagerly issued these licenses, allowing privateers to seize Spanish treasure—as long as a portion of the spoils went to the crown.
Historians attribute the end of the Golden Age of Piracy to Spain halting its treasure shipments across the Caribbean. This led France and Britain to cease issuing Letters of Marque and instead focus on capturing the rogue pirates who were disrupting their colonial territories.
9. Pirates Are Romanticized Anti-Heroes
Contrary to popular belief, pirates avoided unnecessary violence, much like Jack Sparrow’s evasive tactics. Ships and skilled crews were valuable assets, so pirates aimed to minimize damage. Their strategy was to intimidate their targets into surrendering peacefully. However, when battles did occur, they were so brutal and horrifying that it deterred future resistance.
To extract wealth from their victims, pirates employed torturous methods reminiscent of Game of Thrones. Historical records describe victims being hung by their arms, slashed with cutlasses, having fingers severed one by one, and even having burning matches pressed into their eyelids.
This reputation for brutality was effective. Many ships surrendered immediately to pirates to avoid the risk of such horrific violence. While modern media portrays pirates as fearsome, their real-life counterparts were far more terrifying than any fictional depiction.
8. Pirates Never Actually Said “Argh” or “Shiver Me Timbers”
Pirates didn’t have a unique dialect. They were typically sailors who had previously worked on merchant ships or other vessels. Developing a distinct way of speaking would have made them easily identifiable to pirate hunters or informants.
Phrases like “argh!” and “matey” became associated with pirates through later dramatizations. Lionel Barrymore first popularized “arrrgh” in his portrayal of Billy Bones in the 1934 adaptation of Treasure Island. Robert Newton further cemented this speech pattern in the 1950 version of Treasure Island, where he played Long John Silver. Newton’s exaggerated West Country accent, also used in his roles as Blackbeard and Long John Silver in other films, ingrained these phrases into the public’s perception of pirates.
This fictional pirate lingo became so beloved that two friends in Oregon established September 19th as International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The date was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of one of the creators’ ex-wives.
7. Pirates Rarely Buried Their Treasure
In reality, pirates rarely buried their treasure. Plunder seized from ships was promptly divided and distributed among the crew based on their rank. While some loot included gold and silver, it often consisted of goods like fabric, cocoa, and spices. Pirates spent their shares quickly, as they had no concept of saving for the future. Their risky and often illegal lifestyle encouraged them to live in the moment.
There are a few exceptions to this rule. Sir Francis Drake, the English pirate, once buried tons of gold and silver along Panama’s coast to hide it from the Spanish, though he retrieved it shortly after. Captain Kidd also buried treasure on Long Island while fleeing British authorities, but his arrest prevented him from reclaiming it. The treasure was later recovered and used as evidence in his trial. Legends of his other hidden treasures still inspire treasure hunters today.
Additionally, pirates did not create treasure maps. Carrying such documents would risk exposing their wealth to others. This myth gained popularity through adaptations of Treasure Island, along with the iconic idea of “X marks the spot.”
6. Pirates Never Used “The Black Spot”
The concept of the Black Spot was created by Robert Louis Stevenson in his novel Treasure Island. In the story, a blackened piece of paper is given to a pirate as a symbol of guilt, leading to punishment ranging from loss of leadership to execution. This fictional device has no basis in historical pirate practices.
In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, the Black Spot is depicted as a cursed mark that binds individuals to serve Davy Jones, with the Kraken hunting those who bear it. A similar concept appears in a pirate-themed episode of Doctor Who.
Despite its frequent use in fiction, the Black Spot was never a real pirate practice. If pirates wanted to overthrow a leader, they acted directly. Warning someone of their fate would only give them a chance to flee. Pirates had no use for the dramatic suspense that enriches stories like Treasure Island.
5. Pirates Never Made Victims Walk the Plank
The idea of walking the plank was first introduced by Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, in his 1724 book A General History of Pirates. In it, pirates force captives to climb a ladder off the ship and swim for freedom.
This concept has since appeared in Treasure Island, Peter Pan, Monty Python, Pirates of the Caribbean, and even Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. However, there is no historical evidence that pirates used this method. Instead, they preferred punishments like flogging, marooning, or outright execution. If they wanted to drown someone, they simply threw them overboard without the theatrics.
The earliest recorded mention of walking the plank doesn’t come from pirates but from a surgeon’s mate testifying before the House of Commons. He recounted officers on a slave ship debating whether to force slaves to walk the plank to conserve food supplies.
4. Pirates Rarely Wore Eyepatches
Historical evidence for pirates wearing eyepatches is scarce. The only notable exception is Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah, a notorious pirate in the Persian Gulf who wore an eyepatch after losing an eye in combat.
One theory suggests pirates wore eyepatches not to cover a missing eye but to keep one eye adjusted to darkness for battles below deck. Since the human eye takes about 25 minutes to adapt from bright light to darkness, having one eye pre-adapted would provide a tactical edge. Mythbusters deemed this theory “plausible.”
This idea appears to have originated in the 1930s when the U.S. military explored it as a potential strategy. A 1939 Navy handbook notes, “Dark adaptation in one eye is independent of the other. A patch can be used to maintain one eye’s adaptation.” A 1934 text even refers to this as “a pirate’s patch.”
3. Pirates Were Not Exclusively White
While modern films like Pirates of the Caribbean have addressed this misconception, historically, pirate movies have predominantly depicted pirates as white. Adaptations of Treasure Island and Peter Pan often overlooked historical accuracy in their casting choices.
In reality, pirate crews were racially diverse. Pirates frequently raided slave ships, freeing enslaved individuals and offering them a place in their crew. On some ships, freed slaves made up over a quarter of the crew. Pirate ships were also among the few places where black individuals could rise to positions of authority. For instance, Captain Kidd had a black quartermaster, and Blackbeard’s crew included many black sailors.
Pirates, being sailors by trade, came from various nationalities and backgrounds. Pirate ships provided a unique environment where people of different races and cultures could unite and share in the spoils of their raids.
2. Pirate Ships Were Not Massive
The typical image of a pirate ship is a massive, three-masted galleon equipped with numerous cannons. While such ships were favored by the royal navy, pirates avoided them. Galleons were cumbersome and sat low in the water, making them impractical for criminals who might need a swift escape. Instead, pirates favored smaller, single-masted sloops that allowed for quick raids and the ability to hide in shallow waters.
Small sloops rarely appear in popular media because they are difficult to film. Larger ships are more visually striking and better suited for portraying intimidating pirates. Additionally, big vessels provide ample space for camera equipment and give actors more room to perform, making them the preferred choice for filmmakers.
1. Pirates Didn’t Always Fly “The Jolly Roger”
The iconic “Jolly Roger,” featuring a black background with a skull and crossbones, is widely recognized as the pirate flag. It was famously used by pirates like “Black Sam” Bellamy, Edward England, and Edward “Blackbeard” Teach. However, since pirates lacked a centralized authority, each crew often designed their own unique version of the flag.
Some crews felt the skull and crossbones were too simple and added elements like a full skeleton. Others incorporated an hourglass to symbolize their victims’ dwindling time. Some flags even depicted figures stabbing a heart. Walter Kennedy’s flag, for example, combined a skull and crossbones with a naked man holding a sword and an hourglass, showcasing the creativity and individuality of pirate crews.
Pirates waited until they were nearly upon their target before hoisting their flags. This tactic aimed to give the victim ship just enough time to panic and consider surrender, allowing the pirates to seize the treasure with minimal effort—aside from the simple act of raising their flag.
