Jolly Roger (flag)

"What are your orders "Wicked Will"? Shall we raise the Union Jack..." "...or the Jolly Roger?"

- Elizabeth Swann and Jack Sparrow to Will Turner

The Jolly Roger was the name of any of various flags that pirates ran to identify themselves. The most famous variation was 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 flag meant that the crew would fight to the death.

Origin of the name
"I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag, or wears a pirate brand, gets what he deserves: a short drop and a sudden stop."

- James Norrington to Elizabeth Swann

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
"I thought it would be nice to run up me flag on our maiden voyage. Will you do the honors?" "Aye, Cap'n!"

- Jack Sparrow and Kwame

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 pirate captain Edward England was the first pirate who flew the typical skull and crossbones, a design which was later adopted by many other members of the Brethren of the Coast. The same flag, but with the reversed colours, was used among pirates to signal parlay.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: Silver
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (video game)
 * The Accidental Pirate!
 * Open Sesame!
 * The Buccaneer's Heart!
 * Going Overboard!
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides