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Peg leg

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A peg leg being worn at Tortuga.

A peg leg being worn at Tortuga.

"Ah! My leg! You blooming cockroaches! You've broken me leg!"
"Dreadful sorry. I know the name of a good peg leg man. Uses whale bone. Top quality. Best in Tortuga."
―Pequeño and Jack Sparrow[src]

A peg leg, also referred to as a wooden leg, was a prosthesis, more specifically an artificial limb of carved wood fitted to the remaining stump of an amputated leg. Several individuals, some mainly being pirates, wore peg legs. At least one individual was reputable as a peg leg man who used whale bone in their work as well as being the best in Tortuga.

History[]

Mr. Bleek and his wooden leg.

Mr. Bleek and his wooden leg.

"Have you ever had a peg leg?"
―Spencer Sinclair to Jack Sparrow[src]

At some point in his life, a pirate known as Mr. Bleek lost half of his left leg, and had to put a wooden leg in its place. The leg was hollow and made of two pieces that screwed together. One day he was sent by the crew of the Sea Demon to the island of Zaragona to draw a map of the dangerous reefs around the island so the pirates could safely sail close to shore and raid the port of Marito. Bleek made the map and hid it in his wooden leg, but while he was sleeping in his room in a local inn, the inkeeper's daughter Carmelita Lopez unscrewed the lower half of the leg and took the map. Later, as Carmelita tried to put the map with changed markings back into the leg, Bleek woke up. Without the lower half of the leg Bleek couldn't stand so he fell on his knees and started fighting with Carmelita. Bleek's parrot Bartholomew distracted the pirate and Carmelita used that opportunity to whack the pirate on his head with his own leg, knocking him unconscious. Later, Carmelita used the leg, Bleek's clothes, an eyepatch, and a fake beard to disguise herself as Bleek, and that night she gave the map to the pirates of the Sea Demon.[1]

In his life, Davy Jones had two legs until he abandoned his duty to ferry souls aboard the Flying Dutchman, in which he became cursed, mutated into a fish-like being in which his right leg was replaced with a lobster/crab leg, that acted as a peg leg.[2][3] Jack Sparrow claimed to have known the name of a good peg leg man, who used whale bone, reputably the best in Tortuga.[4]

Hector Barbossa sharing the rum supply from his wooden peg leg.

Hector Barbossa sharing the rum supply from his wooden peg leg.

When Hector Barbossa lost his right leg after an attack on the Black Pearl, he replaced his missing limb with a wooden leg that had a hidden rum supply. Barbossa would wear the peg leg throughout the quest for the Fountain of Youth, where he served as a privateer until returning to piracy.[5]

Behind the scenes[]

Peg legs first appear in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean through the Barker Bird or Peg-Leg Pete: a green parrot in a pirate hat, also sporting a peg leg, greeting guests as they approach El Castillo in the Magic Kingdom version at Walt Disney World.[6] It was first identified as "wooden leg" in Climb Aboard If You Dare!: Stories From The Pirates of the Caribbean.[1] Following the peg leg's first onscreen appearance in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the term "peg leg" was first used in the Disney Adventures comic The Buccaneer's Heart!,[7] which has since been considered non-canon due to Blackbeard's appearance in the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.[5]

In real-world history, pirates rarely worn a peg leg, if not wearing them at all. Although there is no documented use of prosthetics, it is conceivable that a pirate could lose a limb in battle and find a suitable alternative among the ships materials.[8] In an M&M's commercial, starring Ragetti, one of the M&Ms has a peg leg for a hand.[9] On July 20, 2024, the official Facebook page for Fortnite shared some tips, including "Befriend someone with a Peg Leg" for their "Cursed Sails" pass.[10]

Appearances[]

Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Climb Aboard If You Dare!: Stories From The Pirates of the Caribbean, pp. 28-42
  2. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  3. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  4. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  6. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies, p. 70
  7. ↑ The Buccaneer's Heart!
  8. ↑ Cantos, Mae (2005) "Pirates & Peg Legs: a Historical Look at Amputation and Prosthetics" In: Whitelaw, William A. (2005) (editor) Proceedings of the 14h Annual History of Medicine Days Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, pp. 16–20, OCLC 225558769 - Archived
  9. ↑ MnM - Pirates - YouTube
  10. ↑ Fortnite - Yo Ho, the pirate life is not easy to achieve. But... | Facebook
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