Changes: Magic

Revision as of 11:59, 1 October 2014

For other uses, see Magic (disambiguation)

You're in one — Hector Barbossa magically transformed into a living skeleton under the moonlight.

"Esmeralda, you've been sailing around the Caribbean for a long time. You know about curses, and magic, and hoodoo, and Obeah. You know that, in the Caribbean, they really exist. Right?"

―Jack Sparrow to Esmeralda^[src]

Magic was the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation, ceremony, ritual, the casting of spells or various other techniques that presumably assured human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.

History

Ancient times

"They say the pharaohs were all buried with heaps of gold and gems. Picture us finding some old pharaoh’s final resting place."
"La Vipère has too much draft to make it up the Nile, Jacques. Besides... didn’t those Egyptian priests have magical powers? You want to talk about curses, mon ami..."

―Jack Sparrow and Christophe-Julien de Rapièr^[src]

Over the course of time, magic has been practiced in many cultures, and utilized ways of understanding, experiencing and influencing the world somewhat akin to those offered by religion, though it was sometimes regarded as more focused on achieving results than religious worship. Magic was often viewed with suspicion by the wider community, and was commonly practiced in isolation and secrecy.

The Sword of Triton, a magical blade with great powers, was believed to have been forged by the Greek god Triton himself.^[1] Triton's father, the god Poseidon, also possessed a magical weapon, the legendary Trident of Poseidon.^[2] The sea goddess Calypso designed a special metal chamber in which the mermaids locked Poseidon's magical gems, thus making themselves immune to the power of the Trident.^[3]

The priests of Ancient Egypt and Kush were known to use magic. Their magic was powered by the green jewel that was given to them by the god Apedemak himself. When some of the Kushites moved to an island in the Atlantic Ocean, they took the jewel with them, continuing to practice their magic in their new homeland.^[4]

Age of Discovery

"This is the cursed sword that gave Cortés the power to conquer the Aztec empire! Legend has it that the sword made him unstoppable in battle....And it gave him strange powers, like convincing the Aztecs that he was a god."

―Arabella Smith about the Sword of Cortés^[src]

By the time of the age of discovery, the use of magic among the Europeans was in decline. However, after the discovery of the Americas in 1492, several individuals who came to the New World used magic in their conquests of new lands. The Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés used a magical sword which made him unstoppable in battle. The powers of the sword convinced the Aztecs that Cortés was a god in human form.^[5]

Cortés and his armies quickly conquered the Aztec Empire, slaughtering the Aztecs. Desperate, the Aztecs placed 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold in a stone chest which they gave to Cortés, hoping that he'll stop the carnage. 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. The only way to lift the curse was to return all the Aztec gold pieces to the chest and a blood debt repaid to the heathen gods. Ultimately, the cursed treasure of Cortés would end up in the caves of Isla de Muerta, an island that could only be found by those who knew where it was.^[6] Over time, the dark magic of the treasure cursed the island itself.^[7]

At some point during his operations against the Spanish in the Caribbean, the notorious English privateer Francis Drake pillaged a huge pile of gold and silver. Among the treasure were two magical stones, one purple that protects from curses, and the other white that brings fortune and eternal glory. When he discovered Isla Cueva, a rocky island in the Caribbean Sea, Drake decided to hide the treasure there. Drake's men transported the treasure to the grotto deep inside the island, and put several traps on the way to it. For more than a century, the stones and the treasure would remain untouched.^[8]

At some point during the early 17th century, the sea goddess Calypso fell in love with a sailor named Davy Jones. Because of that love, Jones agreed to an immortal life, with a single day out of every decade to spend with Calypso. In exchange, Jones would ferry the souls of those who died at sea into the afterlife, as well as saving those who were shipwrecked and drowning. To carry out the duty, Calypso gave him the Flying Dutchman, a ship with the magical ability to sail to the world of the dead and back.^[9]

Age of Piracy

"Our mischief interrupted Tang's spell. Magic is among the most finicky of sciences."

―Jack Sparrow to Will Turner^[src]

AWEJackCompassFountainSearch — Jack Sparrow's compass was one of many known magical items in the Caribbean.

By the 17th century, the Age of Piracy began. According to legend, when the First Brethren Court convened, the pirate captains made an alliance with Davy Jones to tear the rule of the seas away from Calypso. Jones showed them how to bind her, revealing them the secrets from the Journal of the Ancient Seas.^[10] While the pirates wanted to secure the rule of the seas for themselves, Davy Jones plotted with the Brethren because he felt betrayed after he didn't find Calypso waiting for him after he carried out his ten-year duty. The Pirate Lords used the nine pieces of eight to bind Calypso in her bones, and the powerful magic trapped her in the human form of Tia Dalma.^[9]

In 1630, the undead crew of the ghost ship known as the Black Pearl terrorized the Caribbean. Their reign of terror ended when Nathaniel Hawk and Danielle Greene found a mystical Incan artifact and used its magical powers to destroy the dreaded ship.^[11]

When the Pirate Lord Henry Morgan abandoned his position in the Brethren Court, he retreated to a secret hideout where he began to study sorcery, alchemy, and all kinds of magic. He also discovered a way to live forever, and was able to prolong his life for several decades.^[12]

Over the next decades, many kinds of magic could be found in the Caribbean. The former sea goddess Calypso, now trapped in the body of Tia Dalma, became a well known Voodoo priestess, capable of performing magic spells of all sorts.

Behind the scenes

"Heartier souls than I thought ye'd be. Aye, you must be stouthearted, indeed, to enter this cursed place. Ah, but there be magic here too, mateys. Anything can happen, as...you...shall...see."

―Talking Skull^[src]

On Stranger Tides, a novel by Tim Powers which served as the inspiration for the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, featured several individuals who use magic to accomplish their goals.
The video game Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow features several individuals with magical powers. But, since some of the events in the game were only Jack Sparrow's false tales, it is unknown if he actually ever encountered such individuals.
Some rumors about Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest stated that Jack Sparrow would succeed in defeating Davy Jones, only to be killed by Barbossa who was resurrected by Chinese black magic.
In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, there is a weapon called the Magic Doll.

Appearances

Sources

Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

External links

Magic on Wikipedia

Notes and references

[POTCO-1] Did You Know? …On Stranger Tides edition

[2] Jack Sparrow: Poseidon's Peak

[3] Jack Sparrow: Bold New Horizons, p135.

[4] The Price of Freedom

[5] Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm

[CotBP-6] Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

[7] Wordplay: Pirates of the Caribbean first draft screenplay

[TBS-8] The Black Skull!

[AWE-9] 9.0 ^9.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

[Call-10] Pirates of the Caribbean: Call of the Kraken

[POTCgame-11] Pirates of the Caribbean (game)

[Legends-12] Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court

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@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 [[File:You're in one.png|thumb|300px|[[Hector Barbossa]] magically transformed into a living [[skeleton]] under the [[moonlight]].]]
 {{Quote|Esmeralda, you've been sailing around the Caribbean for a long time. You know about curses, and magic, and hoodoo, and Obeah. You know that, in the Caribbean, they really exist. Right?|[[Jack Sparrow]] to [[Esmeralda Maria Consuela Anna de Sevilla|Esmeralda]]|The Price of Freedom}}
+'''Magic''' was the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of [[incantation]], [[ceremony]], [[ritual]], the casting of spells or various other techniques that presumably assured human control of [[supernatural]] agencies or the forces of nature.
-Magic is a practice of supernatural forces that encompasses many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting, and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations and religions as well as many books and writings from ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some magicians practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Hoodoo, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world.
 ==History==
 ===Ancient times===
 {{Quote|They say the pharaohs were all buried with heaps of gold and gems. Picture us finding some old pharaoh’s final resting place."<br>"La Vipère has too much draft to make it up the Nile, Jacques. Besides... didn’t those Egyptian priests have magical powers? You want to talk about curses, mon ami...|[[Jack Sparrow]] and [[Christophe-Julien de Rapièr]]|The Price of Freedom}}
+Over the course of time, magic has been practiced in many cultures, and utilized ways of understanding, experiencing and influencing the world somewhat akin to those offered by religion, though it was sometimes regarded as more focused on achieving results than religious worship. Magic was often viewed with suspicion by the wider community, and was commonly practiced in isolation and secrecy.
-The origin of magic dates as far back to the beginning of the Earth. According to Jack Sparrow, magic is the energy of the Earth itself and is the essence of which binds everything together.
 [[File:SwordOfTriton.jpg|175px|thumb|The Sword of Triton]]
 The [[Sword of Triton]], a magical blade with great powers, was believed to have been forged by the Greek god [[Triton]] himself.<ref name="POTCO">''[http://blog.piratesonline.go.com/blog/pirates/entry/did_you_know_on_stranger Did You Know? …On Stranger Tides edition]''</ref> Triton's father, the god [[Poseidon]], also possessed a magical weapon, the legendary [[Trident of Poseidon]].<ref>''[[Jack Sparrow: Poseidon's Peak]]''</ref> The sea goddess [[Calypso]] designed a special metal chamber in which the [[mermaid]]s locked Poseidon's magical gems, thus making themselves immune to the power of the Trident.<ref>''[[Jack Sparrow: Bold New Horizons]]'', p135.</ref>

Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki