- "She's a beautiful ship."
"You have good eye for ships, Jack-boy. Many ships I have had since I went 'on the account', as you English put it, and all were beautiful...and all named Koldunya. Do you know what kind of ship she is?"
"Of course! She's a Jamaica sloop. Five gun ports to a side, shallow draft, fore and aft rigged, with raked masts." - ―Jack Sparrow and Boris Palachnik
The Koldunya, Russian for "Witch" in English, was a sloop during the Age of Piracy. When Boris "Borya" Palachnik went on the account as a Russian pirate, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea as well as a leader in rogue piracy, the Koldunya became his flagship. As the Russian Pirate Lord's flagship, Koldunya was one of the fastest pirate ships of her time.
Description[]
The Koldunya was a Bermuda-rigged sloop. It was armed with ten broadside cannons as well as one big, fancy ornamented brass bow chaser gun on the bow. As described by Hector Barbossa, and later confirmed by Jack Sparrow, it was looked to be foreign India work.
History[]
The flag that Boris "Borya" Palachnik flew as he engaged in rogue piracy.
- "They've hidden it. While you were examining the ship, I saw a flash from a spyglass. Someone aboard the sloop saw us watching them."
"Didn't see the bow chaser clear enough to be sure. But that sloop is a dead ringer for the one what sunk me ship Cobra—and killed me little Polly. What son of Hades owns that hell-begotten ship?"
"That's Koldunya. It belongs to Borya Palachnik. The Pirate Lord."
"Borya? Can't be! I've known him for years! I've gambled with him, gotten drunk with him more times than I can count. He wouldn't...would he? Damn me for a simpleton. The little butcher always did love gold. The soulless little blackguard." - ―Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa
Little is known of the early history of the Koldunya other than she was one of many ships that Boris "Borya" Palachnik had since he went "on the account" as a pirate, naming all his ships Koldunya, which means "Witch" in Russian. Palachnik favored sloops because he liked vessels that didn't draw much, and could sail rings around bigger ships.
One day, when the Koldunya was sailing in the waters north of Bermuda, she encountered the Cobra, the schooner captained by Borya's old friend Hector Barbossa. Seeing how heavily laden with booty the Cobra was, Borya ordered his men to attack her. The battle resulted in the destruction of Barbossa's ship and the near wipe-out of his crew.
When Borya was found to be guilty of breaking the Pirate Code he escaped in the Koldunya. Five years later, when Jack Sparrow was searching for La Vipère, he encountered the Koldunya in the waters of the Bahamas and they were forced to battle. Jack's ship, the Wicked Wench, led them into an area where Jack managed to get the Koldunya to run aground, but shortly after that the Wicked Wench ran aground a short distance away. After exchanging cannon fire, the Koldunya managed to get back into the water and was planning to attack from the stern. But the Wicked Wench was carrying a magic Kermalayan who was able to destroy the Koldunya.
Behind the scenes[]
The Koldunya appeared in the 2011 novel The Price of Freedom by A. C. Crispin.