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"We are an unimaginative lot when it comes to naming things." The title of this article is conjectural. |
- "Jack Sparrow holds one of the nine pieces of eight."
- ―Hector Barbossa to Sao Feng
This trinket, also known as Jack Sparrow's Pirate Beads and Jack Sparrow's Piece of Eight, was one of the sacred Nine Pieces of Eight belonging to the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea. It was made out of a small, ancient coin from Siam woven into Moroccan beads. This Piece of Eight was mostly known to be in possession of Captain Jack Sparrow as a trinket worn on his head.
History[]
Early use[]
The earliest known use of this trinket was as a Pirate Lord's sacred "Piece of 8" —the object each one used in the past to bind the sea goddess Calypso and swear their allegiance to the Pirate's Code. It was made out of a cord of Moroccan beads and an antique coin.[6] Passed down through the generations of the Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court, this Piece of Eight was designated to the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea, who would hold this item close at all times as it provided entry to the Court.[3]
Jack Sparrow's Piece of Eight[]
Pirate Beads trinket[]
The Piece of Eight, sacred and designated to the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea.
According to pirate lore and legends, Captain Jack Sparrow acquired the Moroccan beads from a French lady of questionable reputation, and the coin was an ancient coin from Siam. The coin was considered one of the first two bits Jack ever pirated, having bought his hat with the second bit.[3]
The more certain point, however, is that this item was one of the nine Piece of Eight passed down through the generations of the Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court, until Jack Sparrow became the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea. As the Lord of the Caribbean, the pirate captain held this Piece of Eight close at all times, since it provided entry to the Court.[3] To keep it in his possession wherever he went, Jack tied his Piece of Eight into his hair, letting it dangle on his forehead over his trademark bandanna as one of the many trinkets gathered from his adventures all over the world.[4][5]
At some point, seafaring folk told a tale of how the vile pirate Jolly Roger and the Voodoo Witch Doctor Amo Dorsi tried to trick Captain Jack Sparrow into gambling away his seat on the Pirate Brethren Court, and likely his piece of eight, in a poker match. This was due to Jolly having vowed revenge when Captain Teague gave his seat on the Brethren Court to his son Jack. Despite almost losing, and betting his seat for one last hand, Jack won and Jolly ended up cursed to walk the earth as the undead.[7][8]
Captain Jack Sparrow wore this trinket on his forehead over his bandanna.
While he may not always wear the trinket,[9] Jack Sparrow still kept the Piece of Eight in his possession during his early adventures as captain of the Black Pearl, notably the quest for the Shadow Gold.[10] Following Hector Barbossa's mutiny against Jack aboard the Pearl, Jack wore the trinket on his forehead over his bandanna for the next 10 years before his quest in retrieving the Pearl from Barbossa back in his possession.[4] Jack continued wearing the trinket in further adventures, notably his search for the Dead Man's Chest[5] and of the War Against Piracy.[2]
Fourth Brethren Court[]
As the nine Pirate Lords convened in the Fourth Brethren Court meeting, it was preferred by Hector Barbossa that every Lord had to present their Piece of Eight, dropping them into a scarf-lined bowl held by Ragetti. As the Pieces of Eight clattered into Ragetti's bowl, Villanueva turned and glowered at Jack, growling about the latter's piece. Jack cocked his head, considering that if he handed over his Piece of Eight, who knew what the other Lords might do to him once they had it, thinking that the pirates were the vengeful lot.[11] Barbossa took note of Jack's gesture of reaching for the coin circlet on his headband. Jack then dropped his hand, keeping his Piece of Eight on his head throughout the Fourth Court and reuniting with his father, Captain Teague.[2]
Barbossa cuts Jack's Piece of Eight off.
Later, during the parley in the sandbar, the newly-elected Pirate King Elizabeth Swann proposed making an exchange in which Jack Sparrow would be sent aboard Davy Jones' ship, the Flying Dutchman. Barbossa protested as he still needed Jack's Piece of Eight to perform the incantation to free Calypso from the Brethren's spell that bound her, due to his bargain with the goddess's human form Tia Dalma.[11] Jack darted out of reach as Barbossa drew his sword and growled "Blaggard!" But as Jack moved, his Piece of Eight dropped to the ground. "Jack" the Monkey leaped off Barbossa's shoulder and seized the piece, bringing it back to Barbossa. As the parley ended, the monkey dropped Sparrow's trinket into Barbossa's hand, and with a grim look, Barbossa closed his fingers around the Piece of Eight.[2]
Destruction[]
Climbing aboard the Black Pearl, Elizabeth and Will Turner turned to find Barbossa holding up Jack's Piece of Eight, then realized he intended to release the goddess Calypso from the Brethren's spell. Even though the Pirate Lords had not agreed to it, Barbossa had collected their Pieces of Eight after the meeting, so now he could do it himself. Adding Jack and Elizabeth's Piece of Eight to the other pieces in the scarf-lined bowl Rageti held, all nine pieces were brought together for the incantation. The bowl suddenly burst into flames, and all that was left of the Pieces of Eight, including Sparrow's, were decaying bits of ashes and metal.[2] After this, Jack would wear a new trinket.[12]
Angelica's trinket[]
Some time prior to the quest for the Fountain of Youth, a copy of Jack's Piece of Eight trinket, complete with beads and a silver coin, was made for Sparrow's former love interest Angelica. She used the trinket as part of her disguise to impersonate Jack and recruit a crew among the sailors in London, a deception that proved successfully as she assembled a crew to serve aboard Blackbeard's vessel, the Queen Anne's Revenge. However, after hearing the rumors about "Jack Sparrow recruiting a crew" Sparrow himself confronted the impostor in the Captain's Daughter pub. Following a duel, which resulted in Jack discovering the impostor's true identity, Angelica removed the trinket, leaving it behind when the Royal Guard attacked them.[12]
Behind the scenes[]
- "Pirates were the rock stars of their day. Jack's got little trinkets hanging in his hair, so that was one of the inspirations. I like the idea that each one of these little pieces is a very vivid and extremely important memory for Jack."
- ―Johnny Depp
- This dingle hanging off Captain Jack Sparrow's bandanna first appeared as one of Sparrow's trinkets in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[4] Although it appeared in various Pirates media, its importance as one of the Nine Pieces of Eight belonging to the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea wasn't revealed until At World's End,[2] further detailed in the "Inside the Brethren Court" bonus feature in the DVD/Blu-ray release.[3] The trinket was named "Jack Sparrow's Pirate Beads" and a sacred "Piece of 8" in a Master Replicas product.[6] "Jack's Piece of Eight" was first used in the At World's End junior novelization, though it was never revealed as the pirate bead trinket in the original edition of the novelization.[11] The names "Jack Sparrow's Moroccan Glass Beads and Coin" and "Sparrow's Piece of Eight", both capitalized and lower-cased, was used on the 2010 version of the official website.[13]
Jack's Piece of Eight seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
- Following the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow as well as his Piece of Eight was incorporated into the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in the Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World versions in 2006,[14] the Tokyo Disneyland version in 2007, and the Disneyland Paris version in 2017. However, this would change later after the destruction of the piece of eight in At World's End and Jack changing his trinkets in the sequels On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales.[citation needed]
- "His Piece of Eight? He acquired the Moroccan beads from a French lady of questionable reputation. And the coin? An ancient coin from Siam, one of the first two bits he ever pirated. The second bit? Well, he bought his hat with that one."
- ―Unknown
- According to the "Inside the Brethren Court" bonus feature, Jack Sparrow's piece of eight is an ancient coin from Siam.[3] However, the coin is actually a modern 5 pyas coin from Myanmar (Burma).[15]
- For unknown reasons, this Piece of Eight does not appear in the novel The Price of Freedom by A. C. Crispin, which featured Don Rafael and Lady Esmeralda holding the title of Pirate Lord of the Caribbean.[16] Though this wasn't clearly stated, it can be assumed that Don Rafael and Lady Esmeralda were the owners of this Piece of Eight before Jack Sparrow.
- Unlike the film, the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End video game does not feature Jack Sparrow's piece of eight destroyed, with Sparrow wearing it in the titanic battle and Hector Barbossa's mutiny that followed.[17]
- In the 2013 video game Disney Infinity, despite Jack Sparrow being similar in design to On Stranger Tides, the game features Jack's piece of eight, which could only be visible when changing Jack's appearance in a cursed form.[18]
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
- Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean (post-2006 revamp)
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
- The Buccaneer's Heart!
- Kingdom Hearts II
- Disney Infinity
- Kingdom Hearts III
- Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life
Sources[]
- DisneyPirates.com (First identified as Sparrow's piece of eight)
- Master Replicas
- Inside the Brethren Court
Notes and references[]
- ↑ This Piece of Eight had to be made by the time the First Brethren Court convened.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End "Inside the Brethren Court" featurette
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Master Replicas Jack Sparrow Pirate Beads Replica
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean Online
- ↑ http://piratesonline.go.com/#/community/lore/ch1.html&t=0.020738416461616282
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (video game)
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (junior novelization)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- ↑ DisneyPirates.com - Archived
- ↑ Dead Men Tell New Tales: Re-Imagineering the Attraction
- ↑ 5 pyas coin
- ↑ The Price of Freedom
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
- ↑ Disney Infinity