Davy Jones

"Life is cruel. Why should the afterlife be any different? I offer you a choice. Join my crew, and postpone the judgment. One hundred years before the mast. Will ye serve?"

- Davy Jones

Davy 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.

Davy Jones was once in love, but was ultimately forsaken by her. With his one true love gone, 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.

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. Davy Jones himself had many cephalopod-like tentacles growing from his lower face, forming a kind of living, writhing beard, and both a crustacean-style claw for his left arm and the right leg of a crab. He breathed through a siphon on the left side of his mottled green face.

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 some intrest in the sword of Cortez, and during Jack Sparrow’s early years attemted to get hold of it. He also ruled over many of the siren and mermaid kingdoms in the ocean.

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 Will's ship. 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
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 the depths. 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.

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.

Appearances

 * 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 (ride)