Davy Jones

"Do you fear death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare? All your sins punished? I can offer you...an escape."

- Davy Jones

Davy Jones (born David Jones) was the supernatural ruler of the seven seas, and captain of the Flying Dutchman. He was a Scotsman, and a great sailor before becoming the dread lord of the sea.

The Legend of Davy Jones
"'Tis said that Davy Jones was a man of the sea. A great sailor. Until he ran afoul of that which vexes all men&hellip;"

- Tia Dalma

Davy Jones was said to be the devil of the sea, and would claim the souls of all who sank to the bottom of the ocean. Such was his infamy, it was said that men lost at sea were dragged down to Davy Jones' Locker&mdash;used as an idiom for the seabed. Although legends spoke of Jones as a cruel, inhuman monster, the pain and suffering he caused to those around him stemmed from an incident in his early life.

Early Life
"And what of your fate, Davy Jones?" "My heart will always belong to you."

- Calypso and Davy Jones



Davy Jones was once in love with Calypso, and was tasked with the duty of guiding souls lost at sea into the afterlife. He was given use of the Flying Dutchman and dominion over the dimension that would later be known as Davy Jones' Locker. For ten years he performed the task, separated from his love though able to visit her for a single day every decade. Upon his return from the underworld, Jones found Calypso had forsaken him; an incident that changed Jones' life forever.

In his rage, Davy Jones carved his own heart out of his body, and placed it, still beating, into the Dead Man's Chest. Rather than dying, Jones became all but invincible, with his only weakness laying within the chest, the key to which Jones hung around his neck. It was believed that whomsoever opened the chest and took Jones' heart would control Davy Jones&mdash;and thus, the entire ocean. Jones' also stopped guiding the dead. Because he was not performing his duties, Calypso cursed Jones and his crew, and they became monstrous combinations of man and beast, tormented with eternal suffering. In response, Davy Jones met with the Brethren Court, who bound Calypso to a single human form at Jones' instruction.

Over the years, Davy Jones claimed the souls of many a fallen mariner, forcing them into a debt of service aboard the Flying Dutchman. Over time, the crew, toiling and residing under the sea, began to take on aspects of their environment, and would eventually merge into the ship itself. Jones also possessed many strange and supernatural powers, one of which was a form of teleportation, presumably linked to his crew's ability to merge into the Flying Dutchman at will. Using this power, Davy Jones had the element of surprise as an advantage over those who owed a debt to him. Jones could also summon the mighty Kraken with the use of a giant hammer onboard his ship. He often called upon this beast to lay siege to other ships, so that survivors could be enlisted onboard the Dutchman.

Davy Jones also showed interest in the Sword of Cortés, and during Jack Sparrow’s early years forced Captain Torrents to retreive it for him. Torrents failed, and Jones eventually confronted Jack Sparrow, who had previously given it over to Tia Dalma. Jones also ruled over many of the siren and mermaid kingdoms in the ocean, and Isla Sirena resided in his Locker.

The Black Pearl
"I am the sea!"

- Davy Jones

Thirteen years before its eventual destruction by the Kraken, Davy Jones retrieved Jack Sparrow's ship, the Wicked Wench, from the ocean's depths, after it was burned and scuttled by Lord Cutler Beckett. Sparrow made a deal with Davy Jones to raise the ship from the ocean floor: Jack would be captain of the ship for thirteen years, but the price was having his soul bound in servitude on the Flying Dutchman for 100 years afterwards. Jack rechristened the ship the Black Pearl, though he was soon the victim of a mutiny staged by Hector Barbossa. If Jack had not insisted on being called "Captain" during the ten years that Barbosa was captain of the Black Pearl, he might have gotten out of part of his debt to Davy Jones. Jones made a point of mocking his insistance on being called Captain Jack Sparrow all the years he was without a ship. During this time, Bill Turner, the only Black Pearl crewman to protest the mutiny against Jack, was tied to a cannon and dumped into the ocean depths. As he was under the same immortal curse as all the Black Pearl crew, he could not die. When Jones offered him a chance of escape in return for his service, he accepted the deal. Davy Jones sent Bootstrap to Jack Sparrow as a messenger when Jack's thirteen years were up. Bootstrap gave Jack a warning and the Black Spot, a sign that the Kraken was hunting him.



When Jack attempted to escape his debt, Davy Jones gave chase, although he himself was unable to set foot on shore or risk his own death. First, however, he gained new crewmembers, one of whom was Will Turner, son of "Bootstrap" Bill Turner. The Turners attempted to free themselves from their debt by challenging Davy Jones to a game of Liar's dice, though they ultimately lost to Jones, and remained in his service. However, during the game, Jones inadvertenly revealed the whereabouts of the key to the Dead Man's Chest, which Will later stole while Jones slept. Will escaped the Dutchman, but Jones, realizing his loss, set the Kraken upon the Edinburgh Trader, the ship that rescued Will from the sea. Although the ship was destroyed, Will managed to stow away on the Dutchman, which promptly set sail for Isla Cruces; the location of the buried Dead Man's Chest. The threat to his heart was too great for Jones to ignore.

The Dead Man's Chest
"He couldn't literally put his heart in a chest&hellip;could he?" "It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings&hellip;And so, him carve out him heart, lock it away in a chest, and hide the chest from the world."

- Pintel and Tia Dalma



Jones himself was unable to set foot on land for another decade, so sent his crew out to ensure his chest was kept safe. After a perilous battle, the crew returned with the chest, and Jones proceeded to track down the Black Pearl as it attempted to escape from the vicinity. Jack Sparrow confronted Jones, however, with an air of confidence, brandishing a jar of dirt the pirate believed held Jones' heart, recovered from the chest. Unfortunately for Sparrow, the heart was not in fact in his possession, having been stolen by James Norrington back on the island. Davy Jones set the Kraken upon Jack, watching as the beast ravaged his ship. Although the crew managed to escape, Jack was ultimately consumed by the Kraken, and his ship was dragged down to Davy Jones' Locker. Jones declared Sparrow's debt finally paid.

However, Jones realized something was amiss, and demanded his crew bring him the Dead Man's Chest. The chest was opened, and Jones was shocked to find it empty. With his heart missing, Jones cried out in rage, cursing the name of Jack Sparrow, believing Jack had it with him when the Kraken killed him.

Servitude
"This is no longer your world, Jones. The immaterial has become&hellip;immaterial."

- Cutler Beckett

James Norrington had handed the heart over to Lord Cutler Beckett, who used it to summon Jones and assume control over him, his crew and the Dutchman. Jones was forced to do the bidding of the East India Trading Company, operating out of Port Royal to track down and eliminate pirate threats on the Seven Seas. Jones often grew angry with his masters and sought a way to free himself.

Jack Sparrow was rescued from the Locker, and he and his allies set out to unite with the Brethren of the Coast to challenge Beckett and his minions. When Admiral James Norrington was killed in aiding Elizabeth Swann escape from the Dutchman after she and Sao Feng's crew had been captured, Jones believed he was finally free from Beckett's control. He ordered his crew to kill the soldiers stationed on the ship only to find that Mercer still possessed his heart and the key to the Dead Man's Chest. Jones kept Norrington's sword and would use it during the coming battle.

Final Stand
"You will not forestall my judgement!"

- Davy Jones to Bootstrap Bill



While the Pirate Lords met in Shipwreck Cove, Jones visited Tia Dalma, who had been imprisoned in the Black Pearl's brig. He expressed his hatred of her for her betrayal, but at the end of the brief confrontation, he once again promised his heart to her. Jones was drawn into a confrontation with the Pirate Lords in a maelstrom caused by Calypso, during which time Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner boarded the Dutchman. During the battle, Davy Jones killed Mercer and retrieved the key only to discover that Jack now had the chest. Jones and Sparrow dueled for possession of the Dead Man's Chest, taking the fight up into the rigging of the ship. Jones ultimately took the chest from Jack, though Sparrow shot it from his grasp. Jones began a desperate chase to retrieve it, though Jack was able to unlock it, and stood over the heart, poised to stab it.

In response, Jones stabbed Will in the chest, to the dismay of Jack and Elizabeth. Jack was left with no choice but to allow Will to stab the heart, thus replacing Jones as captain of the ship and saving his life. Davy Jones, his heart failing, cried out Calypso's name and toppled into the whirlpool to his death.

Appearance
Like the rest of his crew, Davy Jones had, over the course of time spent aboard the Flying Dutchman, taken on the appearance of various aquatic flora and fauna, to the point where he seemed to have lost all humanity. Before he lost his humanity, his appearance was not unlike that of many other sailors. His face was rough and his beard was beaded into several strands.

His head resembled a cephalopod, and a "beard" of tentacles hung from his mottled, green-skinned face. He would often use these tentacles in place of his upper limbs, such as to hold the key to the Dead Man's Chest or play his pipe organ. During his duel with Jack Sparrow, he lost one of his two larger tentacles. A prominent sac bulged from the back of his head, underneath a barnacle-encrusted hat. A siphon was located on the left side of his face, making up for his lack of a human nose. He had a crustacean-style claw for his left arm, and a long tentacle-like index finger on his right hand. His right leg was that of a crab, resembling a pegleg, and giving Jones an awkward gait.

He had a strong Scottish accent which was accented by various vocal and facial tics. He would commonly extend vowel sounds and was known to release water through his mouth when in despair or rage.

Master musician
Jones kept a pipe organ aboard the Flying Dutchman, and played it seemingly on a daily basis. Utilizing the tentacles that made up his "beard", Jones would play the organ as if he were three or more people. The song he often played was from a music box, possibly given to him by his lost love. (For additional information on this trait, see "Davy Jones Plays His Organ.").



The music box
The music box that Davy Jones kept on his pipe organ keyboard closely matched in appearance a locket seen in Tia Dalma's hut, implying some connection between the two.

Behind the scenes

 * The legend of Davy Jones' Locker is hundreds of years old (found in works such as Treasure Island) though previously not connected to the legends of the Flying Dutchman.
 * As the being assigned to ferry souls into the afterlife, Davy Jones draws parallels with Charon, the ferryman of Hades in Greek mythology. Souls unable to pay Charon were forced to wander the banks of the Acheron for one hundred years, while Jones press-gangs sailors into service for one hundred years.
 * As with other main characters in the series, Davy Jones may have been partly inspired by the undead pirate LeChuck from the Monkey Island series.
 * In addition to providing the performance for the CG Davy Jones, Bill Nighy also portrayed Jones as he appeared before removing his heart.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow 1: The Coming Storm
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow 7: City of Gold
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow 8: The Timekeeper
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
 * Pirates of the Caribbean attraction (2006 revamp)