Pirate nicknames for girls. Pirate “symbols” (nicknames, ship names, flags, tattoos, “Jolly Roger”, amulets)

My grandmother smokes a pipe in her little room in her Khrushchev house,
My grandmother smokes a pipe and through the smoke she sees the waves of the seas.
All the pirates in the world are afraid of her and are rightfully proud of her
Because grandma robs and burns their frigates,
But it spares the elderly and children!
Sukachev Garik and the Untouchables

M ama is a pirate... what could be more authoritative for a child, and it helps to keep her husband in line.
Most people associate the word “pirate” with the image of a bearded sea robber with one leg and a pinned eye. However, among the successful famous pirates there were not only men, but also women. This post is about some of them.


Listen or download My Grandmother Smoking a Pipe for free on ProstoPlayer

Scandinavian pirate princess Alvilda

Alvilda is considered one of the first pirates, who robbed the waters of Scandinavia during the early Middle Ages. According to legend, this medieval princess, the daughter of a Gothic king (or king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a “sea Amazon” in order to avoid the marriage forced on her to Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king.

Having gone on a pirate voyage with a crew of young women dressed in men's clothes, she turned into the number one “star” among sea robbers. Since Alvilda’s dashing raids posed a serious threat to merchant shipping and the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Denmark, Prince Alf himself set off in pursuit of her, not realizing that the object of his pursuit was the coveted Alvilda.

Having killed most of the sea robbers, he entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender. How surprised the Danish prince was when the pirate leader took off his helmet from his head and appeared before him in the guise of a young beauty whom he dreamed of marrying! Alvilda appreciated the perseverance of the heir to the Danish crown and his ability to swing a sword. The wedding took place right there, on board the pirate ship. The prince swore to the princess to love her to the grave, and she solemnly promised him never to go to sea without him again.

Everyone died... Hallelujah! Is the story told true? Researchers have discovered that the tale of Alwilda was first told to readers by the monk Saxo Grammaticus (1140 - ca. 1208) in his famous work “The Acts of the Danes.” Most likely he learned about it from the ancient Scandinavian sagas.

Jeanne de Belleville

The Breton noblewoman Jeanne de Belleville, who was married to the knight de Clisson, became a pirate not out of love for adventure and wealth, but out of a desire for revenge.

In the period 1337-1453, with several interruptions, there was a war between England and France, which went down in history as the Hundred Years' War. Jeanne de Belleville's husband was accused of treason.
King Philip II of France ordered his arrest, and without any evidence or trial, on August 2, 1943, he was handed over to the hands of the executioner. The widow Jeanne de Belleville-Clison, known for her beauty, charm and hospitality, vowed brutal revenge. She sold her property and bought three fast ships. According to another version, she went to England, achieved an audience with King Edward and, thanks to her beauty... received three fast ships from the monarch for corsair operations against France.

She commanded one ship herself, the others - her two sons. The small fleet, dubbed the "Channel Fleet of Vengeance", became the "scourge of God" in French coastal waters. The pirates mercilessly sent French ships to the bottom, devastating the coastal areas. They say that everyone who was to cross the English Channel on a French ship first of all wrote a will.

For several years the squadron plundered French merchant ships, often even attacking warships. Zhanna took part in battles and was excellent at wielding both a saber and a boarding axe. As a rule, she ordered the crew of a captured ship to be completely destroyed. It is not surprising that Philip VI soon gave the order to “catch the witch dead or alive.”

And one day the French managed to surround the pirate ships. Seeing that the forces were unequal, Jeanne showed real cunning - with several sailors she launched a longboat and, together with her sons and a dozen oarsmen, left the battlefield, abandoning her comrades.

However, fate cruelly repaid her for her betrayal. For ten days the fugitives wandered around the sea - because they had no navigational instruments. Several people died of thirst (among them Jeanne's youngest son). On the eleventh day, the surviving pirates reached the shores of France. There they were sheltered by a friend of the executed de Belleville.
After this, Jeanne de Belleville, who is considered the first female pirate, left her bloody craft and married again. Popular rumor said: she began to embroider with beads, got a lot of cats and settled down. This is what the life-giving cross does, what a successful marriage means...

Leat Kiligra

Some two hundred years after Joan of Belleville, a new female pirate appeared in the English Channel: Lady Kiligru. This lady led a double life: in society she is the respected wife of Governor Lord John Killigru in the port city of Falmet, and at the same time secretly commands pirate ships that attack merchant ships mainly in Falmet Bay. Lady Kiligru's tactics proved successful for a long time, as she never left any living witnesses.

One day a heavily laden Spanish ship entered the bay. Before the captain and crew came to their senses, the pirates attacked and captured him. The captain managed to take cover and was very surprised to discover that the pirates were commanded by a young and very beautiful woman, who could compete with men in cruelty. The Spanish captain reached the shore and quickly headed to the city of Falmet to inform the royal governor of the attack. To his new surprise, he saw the pirate sitting next to the governor, Lord Kiligru. Lord Kiligru controlled two fortresses, whose task was to ensure the smooth navigation of ships in the bay. The captain kept silent about what happened and immediately left for London. By order of the king, an investigation began, which brought unexpected results.

It turned out that Lady Kiligru carried violent pirate blood in her, as she was the daughter of the famous pirate Philip Wolversten from Sofolk, and as a girl she participated in pirate attacks. Thanks to her marriage to a lord, she acquired a position in society, and at the same time created a large pirate company that operated not only in the English Channel, but also in neighboring waters. During the process, many mysterious cases of disappearances of merchant ships were revealed, which until now were attributed to “supernatural forces.”

Lord Kiligru was condemned to death and executed. His wife also received a death sentence, but the king later commuted it to life imprisonment.

Mary Ann Blyde

Irish Mary was exceptionally tall for her time - 190 cm and unearthly beauty. She became a pirate completely by accident, but devoted herself entirely to this dangerous activity. One day she was heading on a ship to America and was captured by the most famous sea pirate in history - Edward Titch, nicknamed Blackbeard. Thanks to her good upbringing, Mary Ann Blyde remained with her captor. She soon proved herself to be an excellent student of Tichch and received her own ship. Her passion was jewelry and precious stones. They say that together with Tichch she accumulated treasures worth $70 million, and together they buried them somewhere on the shores of North Carolina. The treasure has not yet been discovered.

All pirates, both men and women, who do not die in battle end their lives ingloriously: they are usually sentenced to death or life imprisonment. Mary Ann, however, had a different fate. In 1729, during an attack on a Spanish ship, she fell in love with a young man who was traveling on this ship. The young man agreed to marry her, but on the condition that she give up her occupation. The two of them run away to Peru, and there their traces are lost...

Anne Bonney

Anne Cormack (her maiden name) was born in a small Irish town in 1698. This red-haired beauty with a wild temperament became an icon of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730s) after secretly throwing in her lot with a common sailor named James Bonney. Anne's father, a respected man, upon learning of his daughter's marriage, disowned her, after which she and her newly-made husband were forced to leave for the Bahamas, which at that time was called the Pirate Republic, a place where slackers and slackers lived. Bonnie's happy family life did not last long.

After divorcing her husband, Anne met the pirate Jack Rackham, who became her lover. Together with him, she went on the ship “Revenge” to the open sea to rob merchant ships. In October 1720, members of Rackham's crew, including Anne and her bosom friend Mary Read, were captured by the British. Bonnie blamed her lover for everything. On their last meeting in prison, she told him the following: “It’s a pity to see you here, but if you had fought like a man, you wouldn’t have been hanged like a dog.”

Rackham was executed. Bonnie's pregnancy allowed her to obtain a reprieve from her death sentence. However, it is nowhere recorded in historical records that it was ever put into action. Rumor has it that Ann's influential father paid a huge sum of money to have his unlucky daughter released.

Mary Read

Mary Read was born in London in 1685. Since childhood, by the will of fate, she was forced to portray a boy. Her mother, the widow of a sea captain, dressed the illegitimate girl in the clothes of her early deceased son in order to lure money from her wealthy mother-in-law, who did not know about the death of her grandson. Pretending to be a man in the Renaissance was easy, since all men's fashion was very similar to women's (long wigs, big hats, lush outfits, boots), which Mary managed to do.

At age 15, Mary enlisted in the British Army under the name Mark Reid. During her service, she fell in love with a Flemish soldier. Their happiness was short-lived. He died unexpectedly, and Mary, again dressed as a man, set off on a ship to the West Indies. On the way, the ship was captured by pirates. Reed decided to stay with them.

In 1720, Mary joined the crew of the ship Revenge, owned by Jack Rackham. At first, only Bonnie and her lover knew that she was a woman, who often flirted with “Mark,” making Anne wildly jealous. After a couple of months, the entire team knew about Reed’s secret.

After the ship Revenge was captured by pirate hunter Captain Jonathan Barnet, Mary, like Anne, managed to defer her death sentence due to pregnancy. But fate still overtook her. She died in her prison cell on April 28, 1721, from puerperal fever. What happened to her child is unknown. Some suspect he died during childbirth.

Sadie "Goat"

Sadie Farrell, an American sea robber of the 19th century, received her rare nickname due to the strange way she committed her crimes. On the streets of New York, Sadie gained a reputation as a merciless robber who attacked her victims with severe headbutts. It is said that Sadie was kicked out of Manhattan after she got into an argument with a fellow criminal, Gallus Mag, which resulted in her losing part of her ear.

In the spring of 1869, Sadie joined the Charles Street street gang and became its leader after she stole a moored sloop on a bet. Farrell and her new crew, flying the black flag and carrying the Jolly Roger, sailed the Hudson and Harlem rivers, plundering the farm estates and mansions of the rich along the banks along the way, and sometimes kidnapping people for ransom.

By the end of the summer, such fishing became too risky as farmers began to defend their property by shooting without warning at an approaching sloop. Sadie Farrell was forced to return to Manhattan and make peace with Gallus Mag. She returned a piece of her ear, which she kept for posterity in a jar with a special solution. Sadie, from then on known as the "Queen of the Harbor", placed it in a locket, which she never parted with for the rest of her life.

Illyrian Queen Teuta

After Teutha's husband, the Illyrian king Agron, died in 231 BC, she took the reins of power into her own hands, since her stepson Pinnes was then too young. In the first four years of her reign over the Ardiei tribe, which lived on the territory of the modern Balkan Peninsula, Teuta encouraged piracy as a means of struggle against the powerful neighbors of Illyria. Adriatic sea robbers not only robbed Roman merchant ships, but also helped the queen recapture a number of settlements, including Dyrrachium, and Phoenicia. Over time, they expanded their influence into the Ionian Sea, terrorizing the trade routes of Greece and Italy.

In 229 BC, the Romans sent envoys to Teuta, who expressed dissatisfaction with the scale of the Adriatic pirates and called on her to influence her subjects. The queen reacted to their requests with ridicule, declaring that piracy, according to Illyrian ideas, was a legitimate craft. How the Roman ambassadors reacted to this is unknown, but apparently not very politely, since after meeting Teutha one of them was killed and the other was sent to prison. This was the reason for the start of the war between Rome and Illyria, which lasted two years. Teutha was forced to admit defeat and make peace on extremely unfavorable terms. Ardiei was obliged to pay Rome a onerous tribute annually.

Teuta continued to oppose Roman rule, for which she lost her throne. There is no information about her further fate in history.

Jacotte Delaye

Jacotte Delaye was born in the 17th century to a French father and a Haitian mother. Her mother died in childbirth. After Jacotte's father was killed, she was left alone with her younger brother, who suffered from mental retardation. This forced the red-haired girl to take up the pirate trade.

In the 1660s, Jacotte had to fake her own death in order to escape persecution by government troops. She lived for several years under a man's name. When everything calmed down, Jacotte returned to her previous activities, taking the nickname “Red-haired, returned from the other world.”

Breton lioness

Jeanne de Clisson was the wife of the wealthy nobleman Olivier III de Clisson. They lived happily, raising five children, but when the war between England and France began, her husband was accused of treason and executed by beheading. Joan swore revenge on King Philip VI of France.

The widow de Clisson sold all her lands in order to buy three warships, which she christened the Black Fleet. Their crew consisted of merciless and cruel corsairs. Between 1343 and 1356, they attacked the French king's ships sailing across the English Channel, killing crew members and beheading with an ax any aristocrats unfortunate enough to be on board.

Jeanne de Clisson engaged in sea robbery for 13 years, after which she settled in England and married Sir Walter Bentley, a lieutenant in the army of the English King Edward III. She later returned to France, where she died in 1359.

Anne Dieu-le-Veux

The Frenchwoman Anne Dieu-le-Veux, whose surname translates as “God wants it,” had a stubborn and strong character. She arrived on the island of Tortuga in the Caribbean in the late 60s or early 70s of the 17th century. Here she became a mother and a widow twice. Ironically, Anne's third husband was the man who killed her second husband. Dieu-le-Veux challenged Laurence de Graaff to a duel to avenge the death of her late lover. The Dutch pirate was so fascinated by Anne's courage that he refused to shoot himself and offered her his hand and heart. On July 26, 1693, they got married and had two children.

After her marriage, Dieu-le-Veux went to the open sea with her new husband. Most of his crew believed that the presence of a woman on the ship promised bad luck. The lovers themselves laughed at this superstition. No one knows exactly how their love story ended.

According to one version, Anne Dieu-le-Veux became the captain of de Graaff's ship after he was killed in a cannonball explosion. Some historians suggest that the couple fled to Mississippi in 1698, where they may have continued to engage in piracy.

Saida Al-Hurra

A contemporary and ally of the Turkish corsair Barbarossa, Saida Al-Hurra became the last queen of Tetouan (Morocco); She inherited power after the death of her husband in 1515. Her real name is unknown. “Saida Al-Hurra” can be roughly translated into Russian as “a noble lady, free and independent; a female overlord who does not recognize any power over herself.”

Saida Al-Hurra ruled Tetouan from 1515 to 1542, controlling the western Mediterranean with her pirate fleet while Barbarossa terrorized the eastern. Al-Hurra decided to take up piracy in order to take revenge on the “Christian enemies” who forced her family to flee the city in 1492 (after the conquest of Granada by the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile).

At the peak of her power, Al-Hurra married the King of Morocco, but refused to give him the reins of Tetouan. In 1542, Saida was overthrown by her stepson. She lost all power and property; nothing is known about her further fate. It is believed that she died in poverty.

Grace O'MailBald Grainne"

Grace was also called the “pirate queen” and “the witch of Rockfleet.” . ABOUT It’s impossible to write briefly for this woman))) everything in her life was so interesting and confusing. Dumas smokes nervously. She was so famous that Queen Elizabeth I of England herself met her.

Grace was born around 1530 in Ireland, in the family of the leader of the O'Malley clan, Owen Dubdara (Umall-Uakhtara). According to legend, she “went bald” by cutting her hair in response to her father’s remark that a woman on a ship was a bad omen, and after her father’s death she defeated her brother Indulf in a knife fight, becoming a leader.

Having married O'Flaherty's taniste, Domhnall the Warlike, Granual became the head of her husband's fleet. The marriage produced three children: Owen, Murrow and Margaret.
In 1560, Domhnall was killed, and Granual went to Clare Island with two hundred volunteers. Here she (continuing her pirate activities) fell in love with the aristocrat Hugh de Lacy, who, however, was killed by the McMahon clan hostile to him. Granual, in response to this murder, took their fortress and killed the entire clan.

A year later, she announced a divorce and did not return the castle; however, she managed to give birth to a son, Tibbot, in this marriage. According to legend, on the second day after giving birth, her ship was attacked by Algerian pirates, and Granual inspired her people to fight, declaring that giving birth was worse than fighting. Considering that men won’t have to give birth anyway, this is a questionable motivation. Apparently women's logic was the most logical back then....

Gradually capturing the entire coast of Mayo, except for Rockfleet Castle, Granual married (according to Irish tradition, in the format of a “trial marriage” for a year) Iron Richard from the Berk clan.

There were defeats in Grania's life; One day the British took her prisoner and placed her in Dublin Castle. Somehow the pirate managed to escape, and on the way back she tried to spend the night in Howth. She was not allowed in; the next morning she kidnapped the burgomaster's son, who had gone out hunting, and released him free of charge, but with the condition that the doors of the city were to be open to everyone seeking lodging for the night, and there should be a place for them at every table.

Queen Elizabeth hosted her twice and wanted to attract her to her service. The first time, at the entrance, Grace's hidden dagger was taken away and Elizabeth was very concerned about the fact that it was there. Grace then refused to bow before the queen because she “did not recognize her as the Queen of Ireland.”
When Grace took a sip of snuff, one of the noble ladies handed her a handkerchief. Having used it for its intended purpose, that is, blowing her nose, she threw the handkerchief into the nearest fireplace. Responding to Elizabeth's astonished look, Grace stated that in Ireland, once used, a handkerchief is thrown away.

This meeting was captured in an engraving, the only lifetime depiction of the pirate; Even the color of her hair is unknown, traditionally considered black, according to her father’s nickname, but in one of the poems called red. History is silent about why she was called bald.

The pirate queen died in the same year as the Queen of England - in 1603.

Zheng Shi

Zheng Shi gained fame as the most merciless sea robber in history. Before meeting the famous Chinese pirate Zheng Yi, she made her living as a prostitute. In 1801, the lovers got married. Yi's fleet was huge; it consisted of 300 ships and about 30 thousand corsairs.

On November 16, 1807, Zheng Yi died. His fleet passed into the hands of his wife, Zheng Shi ("Zheng's widow"). Zhang Bao, the son of a fisherman, whom Yi kidnapped and adopted, helped her manage everything. They turned out to be a great team. By 1810, the fleet consisted of 1,800 ships and 80,000 crew members. Zheng Shi's ships were subject to strict laws. Those who violated them paid for it with their heads. In 1810, Zheng Shi's fleet and authority weakened, and she was forced to conclude a truce with the emperor and go over to the side of the authorities.

Zheng Shi became the most successful and richest sea robber of all time. She died at the age of 69.

Madame Shan Wong

200 years after the death of the first Chinese “pirate queen”, in the same waters where her fleets were robbing, a completely worthy successor to her work appeared, who rightfully won the same title. A former Cantonese nightclub dancer named Shang, who became famous as China's most seductive diva, has married an equally famous man. His name was Wong Kungkim, he was the largest pirate chieftain in Southeast Asia, who began robbing merchant ships back in 1940.
His wife, Madame Wong, as she was called by friends and foes, was a loyal friend and intelligent assistant to the pirate in all his operations. But in 1946, Wong Kungkit died. The story of his death is mysterious; it is believed that the pirate’s competitors are to blame. When in the end, two of Wong Kungkit's closest assistants came to the widow so that she would purely formally (since everything had already been decided by these two) approve the candidacy they named for the post of head of the corporation. “Unfortunately, there are two of you,” the madam answered, without looking up from the toilet, “and the company needs one head...” After these words, the madam turned sharply, and the men saw that she was holding a revolver in each hand. This is how Madam Wong’s “coronation” took place, because after this incident there were no people willing to talk to her about power in the corporation.

Since then, her power over the pirates has been unquestioned. Her first independent operation was an attack on the Dutch steamer Van Heutz, which was boarded at night at the anchorage. In addition to the seizure of the cargo, everyone who was on board was robbed. Madam Wong's haul amounted to more than 400 thousand pounds sterling. She herself rarely took part in raids and in such cases always wore a mask.
The police of coastal countries, knowing that the pirates were led by a woman named Madame Wong, could not publish her portrait, which negated the possibility of her capture. It was announced that a reward of 10 thousand pounds would be awarded for her photograph, and whoever caught or killed Madame Wong could name the amount of the reward, and the authorities of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines would guarantee payment of such a sum.
And one day the chief of the Singapore police received a package with photographs on which it was written that they were related to Madame Wong. These were photographs of two Chinese men being cut into pieces. The caption read: They wanted to take a photo of Madame Wong.

That's almost all...

The theme of beautiful women among pirates is glorified by cinema... and will only gain popularity every year.

Pictures (C) on the Internet. If they are highly artistic and colorful, then they have no relation to the pirate being described. I apologize to them and to you, I’m sure they looked more impressive in real life...

A little over 100 years have passed since women first seriously declared their equality with men: the desire to do men's work, wear trousers, smoke and get married when they themselves want it. Until the middle of the 18th century there was no talk of any equality. Housewife, maid, secretary, saleswoman and governess - this is a small list of professions in which women could be involved.

The exception, perhaps, was the ladies of the Wild West, and only because living conditions did not tolerate ceremonies. The rest of the fairer sex led the life that was imposed on them by men. But not all of them willingly accepted the fate prepared for them.

The girl became a pirate

In the history of navigation and seafaring, there are legends that women, dressed in men's clothes, went to sea and even became captains of pirate ships.

The legend about Alvilde- a girl from Scandinavia who opposed the will of her family, who prophesied an advantageous marriage for her. She went to sea, where she became a pirate. Alvilda, who lived more than a thousand years ago, is considered the first girl who ventured on a sea voyage. She endured all the hardships of the journey together with the men, for which she was elevated to the rank of captain of the ship.

Famous female pirates

Several centuries later, the Frenchwoman repeated the Scandinavian feat and went to sea as the commander of a squadron of three ships. The reason for such a decisive step was the execution by the French king of her husband, who was a supporter of one of the contenders for the throne. The disappointed and heartbroken woman, instead of mourning her husband and moving on with her life, went with her two children to England.

Frenchwoman Jeanne de Belleville

There, having received a reception from the monarch, she asked him for permission to stand at the head of a squadron of corsair ships fighting the French. Since the action took place during the Hundred Years' War, the English king did not refuse the request and actually appointed a woman as captain of the squadron. Jeanne fulfilled her obligation to the king. Not only did she more than avenge her husband’s death, but she also became a real threat to any ship attempting to sail into the English Channel under the French flag.

Nicknames for female pirates

Three centuries ago, at the end of the 17th century, another woman earned the fame of a bloodthirsty pirate - Mary Read, better known as Bloody Mary. This girl, at the age of 15, ran away as a sailor on a warship. From there she ended up in an infantry regiment, and only after becoming a dragoon was she forced to reveal her gender, falling in love and marrying her comrade. The marriage, which did not last long, ended with the death of the spouse in one of the skirmishes.

Mary, however, did not despair, but remembered her love for the sea and set off on a journey on a privateer ship. Soon Mary's ship fell into the hands of pirates, led by another woman named Anne Bonny, equally young and brave. The pirates, oddly enough, found a common language and began to sail together. Despite the fact that they were female, their cruelty knew no bounds. Even the most notorious villains froze at the mention of names Mary Read And Anne Bonney. But the fate that was so cruel to many pirates did not escape these women either. Mary died in childbirth, and nothing is known about Anne. Most likely, she shared the fate of her crew, who were hanged for piracy.

Mary Read and Anne Bonny

It should be noted that, despite what was described above, the likelihood of including a woman on a pirate ship was low. Especially since she revealed her true gender. Well-known prejudices about the presence of women on a ship existed among sailors, regardless of the legality of their activities.

Nowadays, the situation has changed dramatically and the crews of many ships in the world also include women. They serve not only in the surface fleet, but also in the submarine fleet, performing their duties no worse than men.

Endless sea spaces, endless adventures and bottomless treasures! It's no wonder that a pirate party for children is one of the favorite themes for birthdays or school dates. Parents are also lucky: decorating a room will not take much effort and will not break the budget, because many accessories and decorations are easy to make with your own hands.

Registration

Since this children's party, the surroundings should be flashy-bright, cartoonish and full of details. Don't be afraid to overload the room with decorations - the more, the merrier!

But don’t worry about shapes and complex compositions - kids don’t care how highly artistic a colorful garland is. It’s even better if the decorations are rustic, as if they were put together by children. Spend the free time on working through the script and preparing treats - these moments are much more interesting for the children.

Original ideas for a pirate party for children can be drawn from dozens of themed cartoons: “Treasure Planet”, “Treasure Island”, “Mysteries of the Pirate Island”, etc.

Posters/ Cartoon frames are great for wall decoration- print, cut out. Figures of recognizable characters and attributes can be assembled into garlands, cards for skewers, and signs for a candy bar.

To decorate a room or open space, if the party is outdoors, prepare:

• paper garlands of boats, skulls, anchors, Jolly Roger flags on the ceiling, walls;

• globes, "vintage" maps, cardboard pirates, guns, mountains of gems, gold;

• telescopes, sextants, nautical compasses. The real ones will certainly delight children! But you can make fake or print photos, just to create an ambience;

You can buy bright themed attributes for a children's pirate party. There is literally everything, from jewelry to accessories, clothes, weapons, balls, dishes.

• pirate balloons with themed designs, stickers. It is easy to assemble palm trees, anchors, ships, and skeletons from long SDMs;

• cracked barrels, huge anchors, steering wheels fake, made of polystyrene foam or cardboard;

• for draping walls/furniture and use stylized sails, ropes and fishing nets. Hang rope ladders/ropes with grip knots on one of the walls or on a branchy tree if the holiday is outdoors. Don't forget to lay down mats;

• dark in the hold or treasury without fire... Place candles around the room - safe, battery-powered ones!

• shells, algae, fish, krakens and all sorts of octopuses. The sea monsters aren't very creepy, this is a kids' pirate party after all. Although you can’t just scare today’s children. But still with horror films in moderation;

• don't forget the most important thing - treasures in chests. Bent forks and spoons and other aluminum used as silverware, grandma's jewelry, dagger knives, chocolate coins, candy beads. The chests can be easily assembled from a box cut out from a template, painted or covered with wood-look wallpaper, and attached with a fake lock.

Friends will probably not refuse to help organize a pirate party for children - ask them for toys for decoration:

• plastic boats, pirate figures, swords, sabers, Lego themed ones;

• talking parrots. Glue on a cardboard cocked hat and an eye patch to create a real pirate companion! Repeating parrots, shouting after the children “Shatter me with thunder” and “Whistle up everyone”, will certainly amuse the children;

• swimming fish, octopuses, battery-powered turtles and other marine life. Place them in beautiful jars with shells, sand, and treasures at the bottom.

Photozone

Thematic background with a pattern or tantamaresque. It’s easy to make with your own hands, using a funny picture as a model. Draw, cut out “windows” for faces. A simple example that an older child can repeat.

You can make a real pirate ship! Let it be made of cardboard, but with masts and sails! Take the time to paint the boat beautifully – it takes an hour, and the difference is noticeable.

Invitations

Ordinary invitations for such a colorful theme are unthinkable, and the kids will certainly love the original “cards.” Make your own pirate party invitations for kids:

• paper boat with text on sails;

• card with burnt edges, "antique". Draw a diagram of the path to your “island” or “cave” (where will you celebrate your pirate birthday?);

• encrypted message - riddles, puzzles, puzzles(simple, for children). The answer will be “I invite you to a party” or “come at the date and time”;

• a chest with a letter from Flint himself and chocolate treasures in golden foil. Or a black label with text inside/on the back;

• mysterious message in a bottle, wandered for a long time on the waves (decorate with shells and starfish).

Suits

Dear parents, without fanaticism. This is a pirate-themed children's party, and kids don't like tight clothes that are hot and uncomfortable to run and play in. For example, heavy high boots or a leather hat are a real nightmare for an active child. But newspaper accessories, assembled in five minutes, will not look very festive in the photo.

Don't try to dress the little pirate spick and span. Some disorder and even tattered costumes are welcome! A girl can create a creative mess on her head by braiding several braids with multi-colored rubber bands. For the boy to dishevel his hair, draw a bruise, a mustache, a beard.

We offer simple options on how to dress for a pirate party without spending a lot of money. Top: a long T-shirt or T-shirt with stripes - blue, red, black. If it’s a shirt, then it’s white or “grimy” gray/beige. Gather the puffy cuffs and collar with elastic. Bottom: dark wide trousers, loose shorts or a skirt. For a boy, you can sew a short vest or a long, open camisole. For a girl - a dress with a corset, frills and flounces, retro. For ideas, look at the photos of pirate costumes available for rent.

It is better to make the tops of the boots fake, made of thick fabric. It is advisable that they be removed - with elastic, Velcro, buttons from the inside out. If it’s hot indoors or outdoors, after a few photos as a souvenir, the boots can be unfastened:

Of course, a costume would be incomplete without important pirate accessories and recognizable elements:

• wide belt (a long thin scarf will do), belt with gold buckle;

• fake rivets, chains, lacing;

• eye patch, sleeve hook, skeleton skulls (keychains, drawings, stickers on clothes, transferable tattoos);

• spyglass, saber, pistol. Surely there are some “weapons” in your home collection. If not, make one from cardboard and paint it with silver/gold paint;

• bandana and/or hat. They cost pennies in stores for organizing parties, but it’s easy to make a paper hat with your own hands (with an elastic band or two parts glued at the edges):

A real pirate cocked hat can be assembled from an old baseball cap and a wide brim.. Cut off the visor, sew on the “steering wheel”, bend and sew the brim at three points, as in the photo below. The top of the head will be almost invisible, but you can paint it or cover it with fabric in the color of the hat brim. Decorate with a frill around the edges, insert a dashing feather or draw a skull. You will get a hat like this:

Menu, serving

It hardly makes sense to organize a serious feast at a children's party - the children are waiting for active competitions and goodies, not potatoes and chicken. But for parents, you can include several salads, sliced ​​meats and vegetables in the menu. It is better to arrange all dishes in small portions, in baskets, vases.

Pirate treats will become more attractive if the presentation is beautiful. Lay a striped or black tablecloth, decorate the “board” - anchors, steering wheels, lifebuoys. You can throw an imitation fishing net on the tablecloth. Buy stylized dishes and napkins, bright skirts and muffin tins, and make miniature cards for skewers.

Bring a country table with an umbrella. The stick on which the umbrella is attached is an almost ready-made mast for the developing sails of the galleon! Or hang a sail/flag on the wall behind your desk. If you are celebrating a child's birthday in a pirate style, there is no better “canvas” for congratulations. Make an inscription like this on the sail:

Captain Max
9 years on the high seas
Fly forward with full sails, adventures await you!

If you plan to relax all day in nature, prepare something substantial. For example, you can make a couple of salads and put them on plates, like a ship’s cook using a ladle from a huge pan. Sausage octopus jellyfish are also quite in the theme:

But the most important thing is the pirate Candy-bar or sweet menu. This is where decorations come in handy - skewers, cards and other small things with pirate symbols. Any recipes, at your discretion - pies and cakes, shortbread cookies, biscuits, puff pastries. But it’s easier to buy most of it and then decorate it.

We offer several ideas in a pirate style.

• Boats - insert a skewer with a sail into the treat. The hull of a galleon can be:
  • hot dogs, cabbage rolls (have nothing to do with the sweet menu, but don’t forget about parents, and not all children have a sweet tooth);
  • pie cut into long diamond shapes;
  • eclairs, tubes with cream;
  • pancakes with filling (in envelopes or in a tube).
• Striped jelly. Buy bags of two colors - lemon and berry (red) or plum (blue) jelly. Cool in layers in transparent glasses/vases.

• Montpensier, nuts in multi-colored glaze, pour into transparent jars. The neck can be wrapped with twine or colorful ribbon, attached as a pendant for a toy skeleton, an anchor, etc.

• Candies in bright wrappers Place lollipops and chocolate coins in chests. Some candies can be packed in “pirate” pieces of paper. Unwrap the small chocolates, leaving the foil, and “gird them” with a strip of skull-tricorned hats (so that the foil is visible).

• Bake cookies in the shape of pirate paraphernalia. Or decorate the rounds with fondant - an indispensable thing for decorating sweets! Food coloring or syrup will give the mastic the desired shade. Sculpting as if from plasticine is not at all difficult.

• Arrange fruits beautifully, “ours” and always from the tropical pirate island - mangoes, pineapples, etc. Decorate the fruit with skewers with pictures. And you can make angry and cheerful corsairs out of bananas: glue or draw faces, tie a triangular piece of striped or polka-dot fabric in the middle.

• Drinks – juices, lemonades, milkshakes. In stylized paper cups. With tubes decorated with pictures and figures. You can put quarters of oranges in some glasses and stick the sails in (the quarter is placed end-to-end so that it rests against the edges and does not sink). Replace bottle labels with colorful stickers.

If you are celebrating a birthday, don't forget a pirate cake in the shape of a ship, treasure chest, island etc. Any recipe you like, it’s better to have a suitable form right away. Decorations – glaze, mastic. You may need the help of a pro to bake a grand cake.

Entertainment

Perhaps, The script for a pirate party for children is more important than colorful decoration and tasty treats. Take the time to prepare colorful props. Assign the most artistic parents to lead. Pirate music will create a fun atmosphere - download soundtracks from themed films/cartoons.

Street

If the children's party is held outdoors, draw a map. Schematically, on “old” paper with tattered edges. The guys will go through a quest using it, going in search of treasure. It is not necessary to travel far, but it is better to conduct each test away from the previous one, so that you get a real journey across the map. According to our scenario, we need to designate this path:

• pier (place where the table and seating area are)
• quicksand
• swamp
• enemy camp
• entrance to the treasury
• the place where the chest is hidden. You can bury it in the sand, hide it in dense bushes, in a dark barn or on a tree (adults will help you get it out). Play it up somehow, because this is the highlight of the party.

Room

If the pirate's birthday is held at home/in a cafe, there will be nowhere to move around. The markers for the map according to the scenario are described above, but there can be any number of games between the journey from one point to another, at your discretion. Draw a map and tear it into as many pieces as there are competitions and tasks you prepare. For completing each task, give the young pirates another fragment of the map.

Since the children don’t have a map at first, the presenter instead of “What’s next on the map, let’s see...” says something like this: “Oh, we’re in the sand,” “The path is blocked by a swamp,” etc. And the chest can be slowly taken out and placed behind the guys while the young pirates glue all the pieces together.

Scenario

The name of the presenter for example is Pretty Katie or Captain Hook (hereinafter CC).

QC: I see that the whole brave team is assembled? Glad, very glad! Greetings, um, ahem... And what should you call you, actually? Masha? Vasya? This won't work! A pirate must have a nickname so that he cannot be identified by his real name.

The guys choose pirate names for themselves. Prepare cards - red and blue, with names for girls and boys. Anyone who wants can come up with a nickname for themselves. You can make badges, hang them up and call the guys by their pirate nicknames throughout the party. Frisky Joe, Ragged Ear, Miss Mary, One-Eyed Bill and the like.

QC: Phew, we figured it out! Have you already come up with a team name? Have you chosen a captain? Why not? Let's go! Those into whom you will instill fear and horror must call you something!

They come up with a name and choose a captain. You can give this honor to the birthday person. And if it’s not your birthday, then, like true pirates, decide the issue by drawing lots. For example, take chocolate coins out of a bag. Whoever gets the special one (in foil of a different color) will be the captain.

QC: Why are you hanging your noses? Don't be upset - the captain's share is not at all as sweet as birthday cake. And who is a captain without his team? Every pirate on the ship and in battle is important! Let's fill the holds (let's eat and drink), while I go get some gifts. I like you, a thousand devils! How can you not pamper such brave pirates?

QC: Have you eaten and drunk? Well done! Only now, someone stole the sea urchin in my liver and stole the gifts!

“Someone” comes out - the villain, the presenter’s assistant.

QC: Oh, you torn jellyfish! Come on, give me my chest!

Assistant: Here's more! They just arrived, didn’t really show themselves, and you immediately hand them treasures? Well, no! I hid them at the other end of the island and drew a map. Let them go in search of treasures. And we'll look at their pirate skills. Maybe they are not pirates at all, but...

QC: Guys, let's show this toad burp what we're worth? Shall we get our treasures?
- Yes, yes!

QC: Then go ahead! Through the quicksand deep into the island!

• A large yellow sheet with holes of different diameters and at different distances. Holds two to four adults. You can cut the sheet lengthwise and sew it so that you get a long strip. The guys must quickly walk through the “quicksand”, stepping only into the holes.

QC: Well done, everyone did a great job! But, according to the map, there is an enemy camp ahead. Let's practice swinging sabers. Otherwise they will stop us halfway...

• Foam, inflatable or cardboard saber swords. A thin long board on the floor. The two are having a duel. The goal is to stand on the board (you can sit on a bench if your children are of school age). If you step on the floor, make way for the next person. And so on until everyone has played enough.

• Give the children two small boards or cardboards with the Jolly Roger - the wreckage of an enemy galleon. Organize a swamp: scatter pieces of green fabric or paper across the floor. Children must cross the swamps by standing on only one of the “debris”. You stand on one, put the second one in front of you, climb onto it, and shift the freed “piece” in front of you. And so on until the finish.

While the children are moving through the swamp, the villainous assistant is quietly taken aside (so that the children do not see). And they attach about 30 fish clothespins to his clothes.

QC: You did great - the swamp devil didn’t drag anyone to the bottom! Well done! Where is our wrecker? Did he drown?

An assistant comes out wearing clothespins and hanging his head.

QC: Aha-ha-ha, the anchor is in my throat, that’s what you want! How will you go further?

Assistant offended: But no way! And I’ll hide the chest so that Flint himself won’t find it! Let's unhook these toothy reptiles. But wait... It's a great chance to test our pirates... Well, let's see how attentive you are. KK, blindfold them and let them manage by touch. And don't you dare tickle me!

• Blindfolded children unhook clothespins. You can compete to see who can unhook the most piranhas.

Assistant: Thank you! For this, I will tell you a secret - there is an ambush ahead. I know for sure, because I am familiar with these fragments on which you climbed through the swamp... Apparently, my enemies crashed on the rocky shore of our island... Oh, it will be hard for you! Get ready!

QC: Damn the jellyfish, here they are!

• While the children were blindfolded, the presenter prepared the props for the accuracy competition. Depending on the age of the children, you can throw darts at face targets, knock down enemy paper figures with soft balls, and put out candles (with face bands) using water pistols.

QC: Phew, it looks like everyone was sent to fish food... Let's refresh ourselves before we stomp further.

QC: Karamba, we're almost there!

Assistant: Don't rush, otherwise you'll make it in time. First you need to get the key. I'll have to spend the rest of my life scrubbing the deck if I give it for that!

• The key can be hidden in a large pinata (ship, skull, kraken). Or pour streamers and candies into several balloons, and also put a key in one.

QC: Well, that's it, there is a key. Let's go for the treasure!

Assistant: Look, they scattered like crabs at the sight of my boot! You, of course, are dexterous and brave, and everyone around you is tanned... And what about your intelligence? Didn't you deprive Calypso? If you don’t make a mistake here, so be it – I’ll give up the chest.

• Quiz on a sea/pirate theme, riddles, charades, puzzles. You can prepare several questions or a test with humorous answers. At your discretion and according to the age of the guys, so that most of the young guests of the party are not bored.

QC: Well, how did the team cope, evil one?

Assistant: I admit - real pirates have gathered! Both brave and smart - just right! I like treasure hunts like this – a sight for sore eyes! Sort out your treasures. Make sure you don't get into a fight, otherwise you'll ruin the whole impression. You are a friendly team, with you even for monkfish, even for boarding!

Completing the quest: the grand opening of a chest with the most valuable treasures - sets of gifts packed in themed bags or boxes. Toys, movie tickets, coloring books, puzzles - according to budget and age. It is better to collect identical sets so that no one leaves offended. And attach something as a souvenir - medals or certificates of real pirates.

QC: Have you sorted out the treasures? Now welcome to the table! Our cook has prepared a wonderful surprise for you!

They bring a surprise - a pirate cake. We eat and have fun in free mode. Happy holiday to you!

Famous female pirates

It’s hard to imagine a woman’s fingers clutching a boarding ax instead of a fan or ladle, but the history of piracy has preserved many names of charming women who, no worse than men, robbed the seas under the black banner of the “Jolly Roger.”

Alvilda - Queen of the Pirates

One of the most famous female pirates is Alvilda, who plundered the waters of Scandinavia during the early Middle Ages. Her name often appears in popular books on the history of piracy. According to legend, this beautiful princess Alvilda, who lived around 800, the daughter of a Gothic king (or a king from the island of Gotland), decided to become a “sea Amazon” in order to avoid the marriage forced on her to Alf, the son of a powerful Danish king.

The princess took all her maids with her, bought a ship and took up sea robbery. It was a real ship with Amazons, because there were no men on board at all, and only women went to board other people’s ships. She turned into the number one “star” among sea robbers. For a long period, pirates successfully robbed off the coast of Denmark, capturing merchant ships.

Since Alvilda’s dashing raids posed a serious threat to merchant shipping and the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Denmark, Prince Alf himself set off in pursuit of her, not realizing that the object of his pursuit was the coveted Alvilda. Deciding to destroy the pirates, he found Alvilda's ship and attacked it. The Danes outnumbered the pirates and easily captured the ship. Having killed most of the sea robbers, Alf entered into a duel with their leader and forced him to surrender.

How surprised the Danish prince was when the pirate leader took off his helmet from his head and appeared before him in the guise of a young beauty whom he dreamed of marrying. Alvilda appreciated the perseverance of the heir to the Danish crown and his ability to swing a sword. The wedding took place right there, on board the pirate ship. The prince swore to the princess to love her to the grave, and she solemnly promised him never to go to sea without him again.

Is the story told true?

Researchers have discovered that the legend of Alwilda was first told to readers by the monk Saxo Grammaticus (1140 - ca. 1208) in his famous work “The Acts of the Danes.” He got it either from the ancient Scandinavian sagas or from the myths of the Amazons.

Alvilda's successor was the French Countess Jeanne de Belleville-Cpassin

The following story is more like the truth; it is confirmed by historical chronicles. We are talking about a charming aristocrat from Brittany, perhaps she was one of the first women to take up the pirate craft. Jeanne de Belleville, who was famous for her beauty and intelligence, was driven to become a pirate by her thirst for revenge.

During the Hundred Years' War, her husband, the noble lord Maurice de Bellevoule, was slandered, accused of treason, and in 1430. executed, Zhanna was then 29 years old. When Jeanne de Belleville was returned to her husband's body, she and her sons (the youngest was seven and the eldest was 14) vowed to take revenge on the treacherous French king.

Having sold all her estates, Jeanne purchased three brigantines, equipped a crew, put detachments of her vassals on ships and set off for the English Channel and Pas-de-Calais. Jeanne, having received a letter of marque from the English king - permission to attack the ships of France and its allies, called her ships the “Fleet of Retribution” and began her war at sea.

For four years, the Countess's squadron cruised in the straits, mercilessly sinking and burning all ships of the French flag. In addition to sea robbery, her flying detachments landed on the shore and attacked the castles and estates of those whom the countess considered guilty of the death of her husband. Jeanne transported all her loot to England. In France she was nicknamed the Lioness of Clisson, and Philip VI ordered: “Catch the witch dead or alive!

Several times her ships managed to elude the French fleet, but such luck could not last forever. One day, the flotilla of the Clisson Lioness was surrounded. When Jeanne had already lost two ships, she and her sons left the flagship and fled with several sailors on a small boat.

It is known that Jeanne was distinguished by fearlessness; perhaps she was persuaded to flee by her comrades in arms remaining on the surrounded ship, and their main argument was that Jeanne, captured or dead, would give great pleasure to the French king, but she did not want this.

Leaving the ship in a hurry, the fugitives did not take with them either water or provisions; six days later Jeanne’s youngest son died, then several sailors died. The survivors were carried out by the current to the French coast in the Brittany region. Jeanne de Belleville was lucky; she managed to find shelter in the possessions of Jean de Montfort, a friend of her executed husband.

The death of her son, the death of her fleet and friends made the thirst for revenge subside, and soon the corsair woman accepted the courtship of the nobleman Gautier de Bentley and married him. Time passed and she began to appear in public again, and the fate of her eldest son turned out well - he became a constable, the highest dignitary of France.

A hundred years after Joan, a flotilla of another aristocrat, the mother of the British lord John Killigrew, who led the pirates until her death in 1550, appeared in the area of ​​​​her pirate activities. Her exploits were continued by Lady Elizabeth Killigoe, her son's wife.

The pirate leader had a wide network of informants on shore who supplied her with information about the nature of the cargo on the ships and their weapons. So she would have pirated, but one day, when her thugs attacked a Spanish galleon, its captain managed to hide in a secret room on the ship and reveal her secret. The amazed Spaniard saw through a hole in the panel that the pirates destroying his crew were commanded by a charming woman.

At dusk, he managed to quietly leave the ship and swim to the shore. In the morning he hurried to the governor of Falmouth and in his house he saw a lovely young woman, whom, of course, he recognized. The prudent Spaniard did not reveal himself in any way; after greeting the governor, he quickly took his leave and headed straight to London. There, his message caused a real shock to the king, who ordered an immediate investigation.

During the investigation, it turned out that Elizabeth Killigrew was the daughter of the famous pirate Philip Wolverston. From her father, she not only learned to master weapons perfectly, but also went through a real school of robbery. Her husband, the governor of Falmouth, was aware of his wife’s hobby and did not oppose it, but on the contrary, supported her activities. My wife's hobby brought in excellent income.

When it smelled like something was cooking, the Killigrew couple decided to escape with the loot on one of the pirate ships, but some “well-wisher” betrayed the couple and they were captured. Lord Killigrew was sentenced to death and his wife to life imprisonment.

Mary Blood, the girlfriend of the famous filibuster Edward Teach, nicknamed “Blackbeard,” is a beautiful, very tall (over 1 m 90 cm) Irish woman. While she was on her way to America, the ship she was on was captured by Edward Teach. He was so struck by the girl’s beauty and height that he immediately decided to marry her. Mary had no choice but to agree, because the pirates killed all the other passengers.

As a wedding gift, Mary received a pirate ship and its crew. She quickly got used to the sea robbers and began to take part in attacks on ships herself. Mary was madly in love with jewelry and especially diamonds, so she was nicknamed Diamond Mary. The pirate craft helped regularly replenish her collection of jewelry. However, passion for soulless stones defeated love.

In 1729, Mary's pirates captured a Spanish ship. When the prisoners were lined up on deck, she met the eyes of one of the tall Spaniards and disappeared. Mary fell madly in love with a handsome captive and soon ran away with him to Peru. Teach made a lot of efforts to find and punish the traitor, but he was never able to find the couple that had eluded him.

Truth or myth?

And at the end of this topic

I bring to your attention an article by historian Andrei Volkov about female pirates, “True or Fiction.”
“It should be noted that a number of researchers are very wary of descriptions of the “exploits” of ladies under the black flag. Some believe that women have never been outstanding pirates and entered the history of sea robbery only because of the “blatant” fact of their intrusion into a purely male occupation; others talk about numerous exaggerations and distortions of facts in their biographies.

There are even female pirates who are considered fictitious... For example, about the English pirate Maria Lindsay, as well as about her lover, the pirate Eric Cobham, no mention was found in documents from the beginning of the 18th century, when, according to various publications, they committed their atrocities. And this couple is described very colorfully. Maria Lindsay looks like a real pathological sadist: she chopped off the hands of prisoners and then pushed them overboard... She also loved to use living people as targets for shooting exercises, and once poisoned the entire crew of a captured ship.

Together with their lover, they successfully completed their pirate “career”, and with the stolen money they bought a huge estate in France. And here, mind you, is a very interesting ending to this whole story: unable to withstand the betrayals of her lover, exhausted from remorse for the crimes she had committed, Maria committed suicide by taking poison, and to be sure, by throwing herself off a cliff... Well, it’s just a ready-made script for a box office film.

However, there is no point in completely doubting the reality of female pirates; they actually existed. And the very possibility of women’s active participation in the pirate craft is evidenced by the story of the legendary Madame Wong, whose pirates rampaged through the eastern seas in the twentieth century. She organized an entire pirate empire, according to various estimates, numbering from three to eight thousand people. Its fleet, according to the Japanese police, in the early 60s amounted to 150 ships and boats.

Despite all attempts to catch the madam, neither Interpol nor the police of several countries were able to do so. According to some sources, Madame Wong blew herself up in the cave where her treasures were hidden; according to others, having faked her death, she simply “retired.”

A person has a god-sized hole in his soul, and everyone fills it as best they can.

FACTS

1. Pirates had a health insurance system

The famous pirate Henry Morgan introduced medical insurance for his subordinates for the first time. Before the storming of Panama, he drew up a special document according to which a pirate was entitled to 600 reals for the loss of an arm or a leg, 1800 for the loss of two legs, and 2000 for the loss of one or two eyes. At the current exchange rate, one real is more than 75 dollars, so that the amounts were quite decent. With this money, a disabled person could have a good time and improve his life on the shore. In addition, seriously wounded pirates had the right to take slaves from among the captives so that they would provide food for their crippled master.

2. The famous pirate flag “Jolly Roger” was flown during an epidemic on a ship

Pirate ships have always flown their own flag, commonly known as the Jolly Roger. The main idea of ​​​​creating a distinctive sign was to frighten and morally influence its victim.
The flag depicts symbols of death, skeletons, skulls and bones. Each team redesigned the flag illustration in its own way, but the essence was always preserved. The skull was depicted with a rather cheerful grin, which is perhaps why the flag began to be called the “Jolly Roger”. The very first pirate flag was red, and according to the law passed in England in 1694, it designated English ships.
For strategic purposes, pirate ships sailed under ordinary flags, and only before battle they displayed a flag with a skull and crossbones. Initially, such an image on the flag indicated that the ship had begun epidemic, and so that other ships stay away from them. But with the passage of time, pirates began to use it for their own purposes in order to avoid attacks from other more powerful military ships.

Each pirate team had its own flag, which differed not only in design, but also in color. The classic famous black flag with the image of a skull and two crossbones first appeared on board the ship of the French pirate Emmanuel Wynne in the 18th century. After the first mention of the classic flag, Roger gained great popularity among famous pirates of the world.
The fact that the flag depicts the symbolism of death does not mean the cruelty of the pirates, but it gave every right to take those captured.
There were also pirates who used the symbolism of the hourglass, which served as a symbol that they would not take prisoners. In general, there are many versions of the origin of the “Jolly Roger,” but most often the pirates raised the flags of those countries to which they belonged or those that were strategically advantageous at that time.
Modern pirates do not use distinctive flags, as this is now considered an international crime.

3.Not only wounded pirates wore a black eyepatch

Oddly enough, a patch over an eye did not always mean it was absent. Such a bandage was often worn on the good eye in order to quickly get used to the darkness of ship holds. The fact is that when descending from the illuminated deck into the dark hold, the eyes need several minutes to adapt. And so the pirate only had to lift the bandage, and he could already navigate quite normally in the dark.

4. Women also sailed on pirate ships

Everyone has heard of the traditional sailor's superstition: “A woman on a ship means trouble”. In fact, women were not uncommon on pirate ships, and not all of them were captives.

Probably one of the most famous female pirates was the Chinese woman Zheng Shi. This amazing woman started out as a port whore, but somehow managed to charm the commander of an entire pirate fleet and marry him. After the death of her husband, Zheng Shi took command. More than 2000 teams obeyed her ships with a total number of over 60,000 people!

Another striking example is the Irishwoman Grace O'Malley, aka Granual, aka the Witch of Rockfleet. She began with the command of one ship, the crew of which numbered only 200 people, and ended as the commander of a large flotilla and personal corsair of the English Queen Elizabeth I. Granual was a brave and decisive woman, in addition, she was an excellent fencer and a good shooter, so she participated in battles on an equal basis with men .

However, the most interesting story about female pirates is the story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read*. They were both lovers of pirate captain John Rackham. Both Anne and Mary were excellent gunsmiths. For example, one day Bonnie challenged a pirate who was harassing her too persistently to a duel, and killed him. Both women were distinguished by their audacity and cruelty during raids and boardings. However, their pirate career ended ingloriously: in October 1720, Bonney, Reed and Rackham were captured, tried and sentenced to be hanged along with the rest of the crew. However, Anne and Mary managed to get a reprieve due to the fact that they were both pregnant. John Rackham was hanged, and the further fate of his mistresses remains a mystery to this day.

5. Not all pirates had the right to wear an earring.

Among sailors (and after all, pirates are also sailors) there was a whole hierarchy of wearing earrings. Only a senior officer could wear a gold earring. And ordinary sailors could only afford copper or bronze jewelry. Traditionally, pirates were only allowed to wear an earring after first crossing the equator or after rounding Cape Horn (a place that is still notorious).

The earring was considered not just an accessory, but a strong amulet against evil spirits, shipwrecks and even death. In addition, the earring was a kind of capital for the pirate, set aside for a rainy day. If the ship was wrecked, but the sailor managed to stay alive, he could sell the earring and use the proceeds to go home. If fate destined a pirate to die at sea, the earring became payment for his own funeral. After all, if a body was washed ashore by a wave, local residents saw it off on its final journey, taking an earring for their efforts. Naturally, the richer the sea robber was, the larger the jewelry he wore.
Among other things, pirates, and honest sailors too, were convinced that having an earring in the ear would cure poor eyesight, and pierced ears would help prevent seasickness.

6. Pirates took nicknames for a reason.

Why did many pirates take on nicknames such as "Black Sam" or "Long Ben"? They did this supposedly because they were starting a new life on the ship. But in fact, they really didn’t want the authorities to apply any sanctions to their loved ones who remained in their own country, so many pirates went down in history under fictitious names.
“The fantasy of the robbers was quite mundane, but rich, and the pirates, who were not pretentious, willingly gave their brothers all sorts of simple nicknames. A variety of people could be hiding behind nicknames. Some preferred to keep their real names secret, others - special favorites of the pirate world - proudly wore nicknames as an honorary title, and some pirates had such unusual physical features that it was simply impossible to ignore them.

Nicknames were often given based on geography. It is not difficult to understand where Ghassan Veneiano, the famous Algerian corsair of the 16th century, comes from. The legendary Jean François No, known as Olone and famous for his cruelty, was born in the town of Sables d'Olonne. The nicknames of Pierre the Picardian, Miguel Le Basque, Roca the Brazilian or Bartolomeo the Portuguese also indicate their nationality or remind of the countries with which they were in one way or another these people are connected.

Nicknames associated with the physical characteristics of their bearers hardly need any special explanation. For example, Long Ben, Pierre Long, Handsome, Teach Blackbeard, two red-bearded brothers Urouj and Hayraddin, who went down in history as Barbarossa I and II. The nickname Wooden Leg was widely used. The familiar pirate John Silver from Treasure Island may owe his appearance to the fame of two real-life heroes of pirate battles in the Spanish Maine - the Frenchman Francois Leclerc and the Dutchman Cornelis Yelu.

In other cases, the pirates' imagination was more sophisticated. If the nickname of the filibuster leader Alexander the Iron Hand suggests that its bearer had an all-crushing powerful blow and enormous physical strength, then Pierre Legrand (French “grand” - “big”, “great”) was probably just a tall man, and perhaps he had a great mind.

A certain West Indian freebooter bore the nickname Strong-toothed, and another was known as Light-footed. It is difficult to determine what qualities the pirate nicknamed Fair Wind became famous for. It may well be that for his comrades he was something of a talisman, and his presence on the ship promised the desired direction of the wind, and perhaps he earned the nickname because of his constant readiness to take part in a glorious fight and a dashing drinking session. An obviously humorous nickname was coined for one famous Algerian robber - the Death's Head. His completely bald head resembled a waterless, dead desert, where there was no place for living vegetation.

More intricate nicknames were given for special “differences.” The World of the Caribbean has retained some fairly typical nicknames - for example, Slick or Storm of the Tides. The most famous nickname was the Exterminator, received by the Chevalier de Montbard for his all-consuming passion for the extermination of the Spaniards.

MYTHS

1. Pirates buried treasure.
In fact, the life of a pirate was short and they did this only when absolutely necessary. Not many pirate treasures are known.

2. They say that prisoners had to walk on a plank.
This is not so, the captives were pulled through the keel (I will write about the procedure later), but the first captive was forced to walk on the plank after 1784, when the golden era of piracy had already ended.

3. Pirates had a code of honor.
Yes it was, but it concerned only them. Nothing like this existed in relation to the prisoners. For example, Blackbeard did not bother himself with such trifles as removing rings from ladies’ fingers, he simply cut them off.

4. Pirates stormed every ship.
And that's not true. Merchant ships of serious carriers insured their cargo and therefore they simply handed it over to the pirates. In most cases, no one suffered and they managed without an assault.

5. Black mark.
Pirates did not have such a mark. It was invented by Stevenson for his works about pirates.

* - By the way, these characters are key in the game Assassins Creed: Black Flag
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