- "Davy Jones cannot make port. Cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you are safe, Jack Sparrow, and so you will carry land with you."
"...Dirt. This is a jar of dirt."
"Yes."
"Is the jar of dirt going to help?"
"If you don't want it, give it back."
"No."
"Then it helps." - ―Tia Dalma and Jack Sparrow
The jar of dirt was a glass jar filled with dirt, given to Captain Jack Sparrow by Tia Dalma as a form of protection against Davy Jones during Sparrow's search for the Dead Man's Chest in an attempt to settle his debt with Jones.
History[]
- "Oi, fish-face! Lose something? Eh? Scungilli...Got it! Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git? Look what I got. *sings* I got a jar of dirt, I got a jar of dirt, and guess what's inside it?"
- ―Jack Sparrow to Davy Jones
The jar of dirt could be seen as a type of sympathetic magic, as it imitated a particular environment, and was common in voodoo practices used by Tia Dalma. She explained that, as Davy Jones was unable to set foot on land but once every decade, Jack would carry land with him at all times. This explanation eased Jack's suspicions, and he became attached to his jar of dirt during his travels—even going so far as to insist that Pintel and Ragetti did not attempt to "touch his dirt" on Isla Cruces.[1]
Jack holding up the jar of dirt
After Jack uncovered the Dead Man's Chest, he placed the heart of Davy Jones within his jar of dirt, in order to hide it from his companions. James Norrington, however, discovered the heart, and took it from the jar, leaving nothing but dirt inside. Thus, when Jack confronted Jones and the Flying Dutchman, he erroneously believed he had the advantage over Jones, calling him fishface and a slimy git.[1]
During the subsequent battle, the jar slipped from Jack's grasp, and shattered on the deck of the Black Pearl, revealing the heart was not inside. With his protection gone, Jack suffered death by the Kraken.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- The jar of dirt first appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
- Amongst the Pirates of the Caribbean fandom, the line "I've got a jar of dirt"—which Jack Sparrow says upon confronting Davy Jones near the end of Dead Man's Chest—has become an internet meme.[2] The scene was unscripted in the film, but actor Johnny Depp improvised on set. Thus, the reactions from both crew are the actual reactions from the cast.
- The jar of dirt appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End video game. In the old generation console versions (PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, and the Wii) Jack Sparrow is only seen with the jar of dirt when he drops it aboard the Black Pearl while confronting Davy Jones. In the new generation console versions (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) the jar of dirt is given to Jack from Tia Dalma when the pirate met the voodoo queen in Port Royal, several levels before the jar breaks aboard the Pearl. Unlike in the Dead Man's Chest film, Jack putting the heart of Davy Jones in the jar of dirt was omitted to where he instantly thought that the heart was in the jar in the game. Also in the game, Jack clearly showed his knowledge that James Norrington took the heart from the chest.[3]
Appearances[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
