Jolly Roger (flag)

The Jolly Roger is the name of any of various flags that pirates ran to identify themselves. The most famous variation is a skull with two bones below it arranged in an "x" set on a black background. Black variations were flown to scare their opponents into surrendering. A red variation meant that the crew would fight to the death.

=Origin of the Name=

The earliest known mention of the Jolly Roger is in Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates, published in 1724. The book mentions that both Bartholomew Roberts and Francis Spriggs both called their flag the Jolly Roger, though the flags were different and neither were the popular skull and crossbones design.

As early as 1704, pirates were referring to their flags as Rogers and in 1703, one captain referred to his flag as "Old Roger". The name Roger derives from the word rogue, meaning a wandering thief or vagabond. The name "Old Roger" was another name for the devil.

A less popular theories include the name being derived from the French term "Jolli Rouge" (meaning "Pretty Red") or from the name Ali Raja, a famous Indian pirate.

=Origin of the Design=

Bones and skulls have been a sign of death since early Rome. Skulls and long bones have been displayed in catacombs, crypts, and graveyards since the Middle Ages. Bones were used because they lasted long after the rest of the body was gone. Later, carvings of the skull and bones were used to remind people who entered that they would one day die also.

The use of plain black flags was more common than flags with the skull and crossbones. When the skull and crossbones was used, they were often modified by the captain. The pirates Walter Kenedy and Edward England are the only pirates that are known to have flown the typical skull and crossbones, thought it's believed that Richard Worley and some 19th century corsairs may have used the design.