Dark Magic

The notorious pirate Blackbeard had a passion for forbidden Dark Magic.

"A new force of evil is arising. Every pirate must band together to fight his dark magic."

―Tia Dalma

Dark Magic, also known as the Black Arts or the dark arts, was the use of magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. It was usually combined in a variety of beliefs and was often associated with witchcraft, Voodoo, and various curses. This sinister sorcery was mainly used in the Caribbean and other untamed regions of the world. Edward "Blackbeard" Teach used the ritualistic practices of the Black Arts to create zombies, voodoo dolls, and darts with a sleep-inducing elixir.

History

"Where is the witch?"
"She's vanished, sir! An act of dark magic."

―John Scarfield and a soldier, on Carina Smyth

In the early 16th century, during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico, the Aztecs placed 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold to the conquistador Hernán Cortés as "blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his armies." But instead of satisfying Cortés, it merely fueled his greed. In response, the heathen gods placed a curse upon the gold: any mortal who removed a piece of the gold from the chest would be punished for eternity. Those who became cursed, like Captain Hector Barbossa and the crew of the Black Pearl, would suffer a living death in which they could not feel or taste anything, and when they stepped into the moonlight, their flesh would vanish from their bones, effectively becoming walking skeletons. Ultimately, the treasure ended up on Isla de Muerta, an island of the dead that could only be found by those who knew where it was. According to legend, after a ship carrying the treasure ran aground on the island, killing all but one of its crew, the lone survivor hid the treasure ashore before dying himself. Ever since then, the dark magic of the treasure cursed the island itself over time.

Captain John Stryke dabbled in dark magic, which caused him to mutate into a goblin-like creature. A sliver of a ruby known as the Eye of Despair, which he wore as a talisman, superficially hid his true appearance, but to make it permenant Stryke needed to find the rest of the ruby, and offer a sacrifice.

Tia Dalma was a voodoo mystic known to dabble in the dark arts, notably in a shack. During the War of Jolly Roger, a new force of evil arose in the form of the undead pirate Jolly Roger, who used magic to curse his army of minions. According to Tia Dalma, every pirate had to band together to fight his dark magic.

After the parlay on a sandbar off the coast of Shipwreck Island, Hector Barbossa, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann returned to the Black Pearl, where they saw Pintel and some Chinese pirates leading Tia Dalma on deck. The mystic woman looked tiny under the weight of chains, manacles, and heavy ropes wrapped around her, but both Will and Elizabeth knew that inside the human figure was hidden a powerful sea goddess full of dark magic that no one on the sea would be able to stand against.

Blackbeard at work on the dark arts in his cabin.

The infamous pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach studied a variety of beliefs and techniques to his own ends, knowing more than just Haitian Voodoo, but mainly practiced Haitian Voodoo. Every pirate captain flew his own variation on the Jolly Roger flag, and Blackbeard's skull and flames revealed a passion for forbidden dark magic. Blackbeard would dabble in the Black Arts within his private chamber in the captain's cabin aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, which appeared more like the den of an evil magician. Potions, poisons, and all paraphernalia of the dark arts were placed in many points in the cabin, which was lit by dripping candles and festooned with mystical artifacts, all designed to fill visitors with fear. But because of his aggression in using this sinister sorcery had resulted in Blackbeard being possessed of a tattered soul. The supernatural powers that Blackbeard possessed were most notably seen during the quest for the Fountain of Youth. Using Greek fire and practiced rituals, Blackbeard was able to create zombies that would serve as his loyal officers aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge. Another example would be using powerful voodoo dolls that can affect individuals, to a point of either enslaving unwilling victims or causing pain. Voodoo darts dipped with a secret, sleep-inducing elixir were also very effective; for instances, they were used on Jack Sparrow in order to get him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, and later used on Philip Swift to make him seem dead.

The sea witch Shansa knew the ways of the dark arts and black magic.

A sea witch known as Shansa was someone who knew the ways of the dark arts and black magic. At some point, Hector Barbossa made a deal with Shansa, she cursed his enemies in return for him saving her from the gallows. Upon learning about Armando Salazar and his ghostly crew under the Devil's Triangle's curse, Barbossa knew that to fight the cursed, he was going to need to find Shansa and her particular talents. Barbossa saw that Shansa had not lost any of her unique beauty in the time that had passed since he last saw her, and could have sworn Shansa glowed with magic.

Nature of the Dark Arts

"Those men were clearly superstitious, so I thought we could use their silly talk of dark magic against them."

―Carina Smyth

Born in the jungles of the Caribbean Isles, Dark Magic had spread all across the untamed regions of the world. Practitioners of this sinister sorcery intended to do harm of others, or make them do their bidding. Cunning men have learned how to harness the power of dark magic, but this magic is a double-edged sword, and could bring the downfall of the very ones who seek to use it. The only known material that could disrupt this magic was metal.

It is possible that engaging in the dark arts extensively for many years would damage to the soul, even to a point of destroying it. For instance, Blackbeard was said to be possessed of a tattered soul, lost to forces of darkness, with Blackbeard himself referred to his soul as if it was practically gone, in saying "what's left of it."

Behind the scenes

"Within a day of leaving port for Spain, the treasure ship carrying the gold...something went wrong. The ship run aground, every man aboard dead, save one. He survived long enough to hide the gold ashore. Over time, the dark magic of the curse seeped into the place, making it a cursed island. An island of death. Isla de Muerta."

―Barbossa to Elizabeth Swann

Dark magic first appeared in media relating to the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The term was first published in the 2004 comic "The Buccaneer's Heart!" from Disney Adventures, which has since been deemed non-canon. By 2007, the term "dark magic" was used in the Special Edition of the junior novelization for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End by T.T. Sutherland and Elizabeth Rudnick, "The Eye of Despair!" Disney Adventures comic, as well as the video game Pirates of the Caribbean Online.

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's early screenplay draft for The Curse of the Black Pearl, Captain Barbossa spoke of dark magic as he told Elizabeth "Turner" about the cursed treasure of Isla de Muerta. Within a day of sailing for Spain, the ship carrying the treasure ran aground, killing all but one of its crew, with the lone survivor having hid the treasure ashore. The dark magic of the curse seeped Isla de Muerta, making it a cursed island of death.

Although Voodoo was present as dark magic in the films, it was never identified onscreen and only named behind the scenes or in written material, such as the At World's End junior novel. The name "Dark Magic" was used in the visual guide of the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Whereas it was said that Blackbeard "dabbles in the Black Arts" in the official character description. At least one Peter Mountain photo described Blackbeard "at work on the dark arts." According to Terry Rossio, Blackbeard knows more than just Haitian Voodoo, but he does practice Haitian Voodoo.

Although the exact method of how Blackbeard created ships in bottles was unclear in the films, other than that using the Sword of Triton to bring the rigging of the ship to life against the crew, Terry Rossio mentioned Blackbeard's actions of "pirating" and "majicking" the Black Pearl into a bottle in On Stranger Tides. While the Black Pearl being released from the bottle would also not be shown in Rossio's draft of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Hector Barbossa used Blackbeard's sword to release the Pearl, breaking the glass and throwing the Pearl into the sea, per the final version of the film's story by Jeff Nathanson. According to Dead Men Tell No Tales: Behind the Scenes, Blackbeard used the legendary sword of Triton to shrink the vessel and only that same sword can free her, though this detail was never stated outright in other material related to the film.

In Jeff Nathanson's early 2013 screenplay draft of Dead Men Tell No Tales, Carina Smyth was accused of casting black magic.

In Tim Powers' 1987 novel On Stranger Tides, which serves as a basis for the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, cold iron disrupts the magic known as Voodoo. In in the fourth film's visual guide, as written about the Jack Sparrow voodoo doll, metal disrupts dark magic. In the prequel novel The Price of Freedom Jack Sparrow states that cold iron holds power over eldritch things.

Appearances

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First appearance)
• Disney Adventures: "The Eye of Despair!"
• Disney Adventures: "The Buccaneer's Heart!" (Non-canonical appearance) (First identified as dark magic)
• Pirates of the Caribbean Online
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (junior novelization) (Special Edition)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• The Brightest Star in the North: The Adventures of Carina Smyth (Mentioned only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Novelization
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Movie Graphic Novel

Sources

• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide

External links

• Dark Magic on Wikipedia