Sword of Triton

Sword of Triton
Production information
Creator	Triton
Type	Broadsword
Usage
Owner(s)	Blackbeard Hector Barbossa
Behind the scenes
First appearance	Pirates of the Caribbean Online
Latest appearance	Dead Men Tell No Tales

"You dare face this sword?"
"This far away from your ship? Aye."

―Blackbeard and Hector Barbossa

The Sword of Triton was a legendary broadsword named for the sea deity Triton, son of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon. Unique among swords, this weapon possessed an imposing blade that narrowed down all the way to its broad steel handguard, a jeweled hilt. Holding far more power than meets the eye, the mystical Sword of Triton channeled unearthly power.

According to legend, this infamous blade was forged by the legendary Triton himself in the lost city of Atlantis. One of the three sapphires of Triton was embedded in this sword, granting the sword its power to bring dead matter to life. This power was used on everything associated with the winds of the ocean, including the ships at sea, their rigging, sails, et cetera, and move according to the will of whomever wielded it. Anyone brandishing the sword would rule the ship, controlling the vessel to do his indomitable will. Despite its great power, the sword's power was diminished away from any ship. Passed from one ancient mariner to another, the Sword of Triton was most notably favored by Blackbeard and Hector Barbossa.

History

Early known history

Mysteries surround this infamous blade and its history. The Sword of Triton was rumored to have been forged in the lost city of Atlantis by the legendary sea deity Triton himself. Holding far more power than meets the eye, this mighty weapon was embedded with one of the three sapphires of Triton. Used in its construction, the sapphire gave the sword its mystical power. The Sword of Triton channeled unearthly power, including the ability and capacity to bring dead matter to life. This power was mainly enforced on everything associated with ships at sea, including their rigging and sails, et cetera, and move according to the indomitable will of whomever wielded it. Despite its great power, the sword's power were diminished away from any ship. The Sword of Triton had been passed from one ancient mariner to another, until falling into possession of the infamous pirate Blackbeard.

Blackbeard's sword

It is unknown how Blackbeard gained possession of the Sword of Triton, or how long he had the infamous blade. Brandishing the Sword of Triton, Blackbeard commanded unearthly power aboard his ship the Queen Anne's Revenge. Its magical connection to the Revenge, and any other ship, was such that the vessel would do the indomitable will of whomever wielded it. Blackbeard took advantage of the sword's power on a number of occasions, including increasing the speed of his voyages and keeping members of his crew in line. When he wasn't using it, Blackbeard had the over-sized sword sheathed into an over-sized scabbard.

Of his many fearsome deeds, Blackbeard was even known to have put the Sword of Triton to use in achieving victory in many battles at sea before adding the defeated vessels to his collection of ships enclosed in bottles in a special cabinet in Blackbeard's cabin. Prior to the quest for the Fountain of Youth, the Sword of Triton was used during Blackbeard's attack on the Black Pearl, captained by Hector Barbossa. After the Queen Anne's Revenge peppered the Black Pearl with cannon fire, Blackbeard had his sword turn the Pearl against Captain Barbossa's crew with the ship's rigging. Barbossa himself managed to escape, but with no knowledge of the fate of his ship, having only believed that it was sunk in battle. However, the Black Pearl was ultimately captured, making it another addition to Blackbeard's collection of ships in bottles.

Quest for the Fountain of Youth

Blackbeard wielding the Sword of Triton.

"Aye. That be the cold breath of fate I feel down my nape. But, I'll have one last fight, by God. Kill them all!"

―Blackbeard

After being forced aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack Sparrow used his position as mere crewman to led a mutiny against Blackbeard's zombie officers and Angelica. However, the revolt was foiled when Blackbeard himself appeared on deck. Blackbeard confronted his mutinous crew while touching the jeweled hilt of the Sword of Triton, causing the ship's ropes to start sliding around and slithering up and down the rigging. He then used the Sword of Triton to spring the sinister ship to life, sailing at full speed while Jack's crew of mutineers got caught in its rigging. When it was all over and the Queen Anne's Revenge sailed at normal speed, Blackbeard rested his trusty sword on his shoulder after creating a massive spiderweb of rope and rigging, all of the pirates caught in the web, bound, trapped like flies. At the time, the pirate crew present may have drew a connection of the sword's power, but they may have believed it was a common gesture of Blackbeard's command. Jack Sparrow in particular was never privy to any information that the sword would work on its own.

The supernatural power of the Sword of Triton would again be brought into play during the battle at Whitecap Bay, where Blackbeard's crew attempted to capture a mermaid. Staring at the mermaids attacking his crew in the longboats, Blackbeard used his sword to summon the Queen Anne's Revenge and launch a wave of Greek fire, forcing the mermaids to swim to shore where his crewmen held nets. For the rest of the journey, Blackbeard mainly kept the sword on his belt.

Blackbeard pulling out his sword at the Fountain of Youth.

Blackbeard's final usage of the Sword of Triton was amidst the battle of the Fountain of Youth, where he fought in a fierce duel against a vengeful Hector Barbossa, now former pirate and privateer, the one-legged man prophesied to kill him. At the first part of their duel, Blackbeard killed one of Barbossa's men, Gillette, who got in the way of the fight. Blackbeard initially had the upper hand, having cut Barbossa's wooden crutch and drove Barbossa to the ground, lifting his sword for the killing blow until realizing they were surrounded by Spanish soldiers. This distraction enabled Barbossa to fatally wound Blackbeard with his poisoned sword.

Barbossa's sword

Revenge

Hector Barbossa claiming Blackbeard's sword.

"I claim Blackbeard's ship and crew, and this sword...payment for me missing limb."

―Hector Barbossa

Amidst Blackbeard's attack on the Black Pearl, Hector Barbossa had lost both his ship and his right leg. Despite narrowly escaping the ambush at the cost of his right leg, Barbossa had no knowledge of the fate of his ship, having only believed that it was sunk. From that night on, Barbossa sought revenge against Blackbeard. At some point after becoming a privateer and trusted advisor of King George II, Barbossa learned of Blackbeard's need to find the Fountain of Youth, as well as the significance of the Sword of Triton. Barbossa became aware of the supernatural power behind the sword and the fact that its effectiveness was diminished the further it was from the ship, knowing that if you owned the sword you ruled the ship.

By the end of the quest for the Fountain of Youth, Barbossa was successfully able to get his revenge on Blackbeard. When the two fought at the Fountain, the fearsome pirate used his sword to slice the privateer's wooden crutch in two. However, Barbossa's balance was only momentarily upset, and he eventually seized an opportunity to cut the infamous pirate's sword hand with his own poisoned blade. As the defenseless Blackbeard faltered, Barbossa stabbed his enemy clean through the torso, declaring his victory "for the Pearl." Barbossa then picked up the fallen Sword of Triton and claimed it along with his ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge and surviving crew as wergild for his missing leg.

Hector Barbossa wielding the Sword of Triton.

Having achieved his goal of revenge against Blackbeard, Barbossa was backed by Blackbeard's surviving crew. Changed into his previous pirate regalia, Barbossa wore the Sword of Triton in his square-buckled scabbard as he took command of the Revenge. A pirate captain once more, Barbossa drew his new sword, causing the ratlines to whip through the air as the sails unfurled to full canvas. The crew look on in wonder as Barbossa pointed the sword straight ahead, causing the Revenge to sail forward at full speed. Barbossa sheathed his sword before giving orders to his new crew as the Revenge sailed straight for Tortuga.

War with Salazar

Barbossa invokes the Sword's power to free the Black Pearl.

"On the power of that blaggard's sovereign blade, I hereby release the Black Pearl to her former and rightful glory!"

―Hector Barbossa

One year after Blackbeard's death, during the conflict with the undead Spanish capitán Armando Salazar, Barbossa continued to wield the Sword of Triton. When he made a deal with Salazar, promising to lead him to Jack Sparrow, Barbossa was allowed to keep the weapon while he steered Salazar's ghost ship, the Silent Mary, in search of Jack's ship, the Dying Gull. However, when Salazar and his crew of ghosts failed to capture Jack on Hangman's Bay due to being unable to step on dry land, Barbossa and his pirate crew were disarmed and hanged upside down, with Salazar slowly butchering them one by one. However, Barbossa convinced Salazar to allow him and his men to go on land to capture Sparrow, and was given the sword back.

Barbossa threatens Jack Sparrow with the Sword of Triton.

When they landed on Hangman's Bay Barbossa and his surviving crewmen saved Jack Sparrow from Pierre Kelly and his pirate gang. It was by this point Barbossa would have learned of the shrunk-and-bottled state of the Black Pearl, and that Sparrow kept it on his person. Realizing that his former vessel was the only hope to escape Salazar's crew, Barbossa then pierced the shrunken ship's bottle with his sword, allowing its powers to gradually restore the Pearl to her original size. During the journey to the Black rock island, Barbossa threatened Sparrow with the sword, promising to cut out Sparrow's tongue if he revealed to Carina Smyth that Barbossa was her father. When Salazar's crew boarded the Black Pearl, Barbossa fought valiantly against the ghosts with the sword, but was wounded in the right arm by one of the undead Spaniards. Only the arrival to their destination saved the pirates from being butchered.

Barbossa was carrying the Sword of Triton when he, Carina, and Sparrow discovered the entrance to Poseidon's Tomb. However, when later attempting to escape the tomb (and a now-mortal Salazar) with his daughter, Henry Turner and Sparrow, the sword was not seen to be in Barbossa's possession. The weapon's further fate is unknown.

Design and power

"Seen Blackbeard's Sword of Triton? Its jeweled hilt is one to admire."

―Unnamed townsfolk to an unnamed pirate

The Sword of Triton.

The Sword of Triton resembled a large broadsword, with a very wide, deep-fullered blade. The two fullers notably extended right to the point for lightness and strength, owing to the heft of the blade. It was broadest at the point and narrowed all the way down to a jeweled, solid-cupped broad steel handguard. The handle's grip was of black leather. Due to its great width, the blade was primarily a slashing weapon; however, its pronounced point could also effectively puncture hard objects, such as glass. According to legend, the sword was forged in the lost city of Atlantis, and was embedded with one of the three sapphires of Triton. It was this hidden pearl that gave the sword its inexplicable supernatural power.

Blackbeard wielding the Sword of Triton.

Whoever wielded the Sword of Triton commanded unearthly power, channeling mystical power that was mainly directed at bringing dead matter to life and move according to the will of the sword's wielder. This was the power to rule the winds of the ocean, and everything associated with the wind, including the ships at sea, their rigging, sails, et cetera. Such power was demonstrated by both Blackbeard (who made the Queen Anne's Revenge sail while hanging his human crewmen with the ship's rigging), and Barbossa (who had the Revenge sail at full speed for Tortuga). The sword supposedly had a magical connection with ships; the entire vessel itself would move in response to the sword's wielder, even if they were overboard. The sword thus made its wielder virtually unstoppable in naval combat, but its powers were limited by line of sight to its target.

Presumably the sword was also the means by which Blackbeard shrank the ships he captured and trapped them in bottles, which added to his collection of ships enclosed in bottles, as Barbossa was able to use the sword's power to restore the diminutive Black Pearl to her original size.

Behind the scenes

This powerful Peter Mountain photograph depicts Blackbeard (Ian McShane) wielding the supernatural Sword of Triton—which remarkably resembles Miles Teves's conceptual rendering.

• The name "Sword of Triton" never appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides or Dead Men Tell No Tales. It would be used behind the scenes and in several promotional material, such as the visual guide and art book for On Stranger Tides.
• Among Hollywood's top concept artists, Miles Teves was brought in to create some of the distinctive visual elements, such as characters and props, for On Stranger Tides. One prop design that had an impact were those of the supernatural Sword of Triton, which Teves named "Sword of Blackbeard" in his art posts made online. The first design Teves sketched out was immediately chosen as the final sword, though Teves thought it was a pity because of the Atlantis backstory and felt that it should have been more unique and exotic. Another early concept of the sword was his attempt at creating a realistic design more fitting to the sword's Atlantis backstory.
• On February 11, 2011, actor Ian McShane (Blackbeard) appeared on a soundstage in Los Angeles for a special "head shot" that would be featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction on May 20, to coincide with the release of On Stranger Tides. Walt Disney Imagineering writer Michael Sprout, who directed the shoot, said that McShane came in wearing his complete Blackbeard costume, including the Sword. However, as this was a "head shot", the sword would not be seen in the ride itself.

"Did You Know? Blackbeard's sword is called the Sword of Triton because...
It's rumored to have been forged by the legendary sea deity Triton himself in the lost city of Atlantis. The Sword of Triton has passed from one ancient mariner to another, until most recently falling into Blackbeard's possession."

―Pirates of the Caribbean Online Grog Blog

• On April 2011, the Sword of Triton was added to Pirates of the Caribbean Online as an available weapon for players to wield. Alongside the sword, a riddle scrawled on parchment was also found: "This sword holds far more power than meets the eye, for when a royal bow breaks water, ye shall know her name and that of her enslaved crew."
  • However, the website mistakenly said the sword was imbedded with three sapphires of Triton, whereas Blackbeard's character description for On Stranger Tides said one of the three sapphires.
• In Terry Rossio's 2012 screenplay draft for Dead Men Tell No Tales, a dialogue exchange between Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa served as one of the few 'connective tissue' references to On Stranger Tides, during which Barbossa wanted Blackbeard's sword, which Jack didn't know about. It would also be revealed that the supernatural powers of the Blackbeard's sword came from Rhysis, one of the three Pearls of Neptune, which commanded the winds of the sea and was hidden inside the sapphire that was embedded into the hilt of the Sword. Barbossa would eventually deliberately break the hilt of the Sword, taking out the pearl so he could make a wedding ring for his fiancée Nadirah, who was actually the evil Sea Widow in disguise.
• In Jeff Nathanson's 2013 early draft of the Dead Men Tell No Tales, Barbossa used Blackbeard's sword to sail the Queen Anne's Revenge to the Devil's Triangle and keep half of the ship outside of the Triangle's borders to stop the ghostly Captain John Brand and the crew of the Silent Mary from attacking his crew. During the battle of Poseidon's Tomb, Barbossa used the Sword to defend himself from the witch Melia. When Melia used her magic to disarm Barbossa, the young British soldier Henry Maddox took the Sword and stabbed Melia in the back, killing her. When the walls of water around Poseidon's Tomb began closing Barbossa used the Sword to cut the Black Pearl's anchor chain, allowing the ship to free itself from the heavy weight and letting himself sink into the depths of the sea along with the anchor and the Sword.
• Blackbeard and Barbossa using the Sword of Triton's power to fill the Queen Anne's Revenge sails with gusts of wind and speed the ship in On Stranger Tides is similar in nature to Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés in which young Jack used the Sword of Cortés to make the Grand Barnacle speed far out.
• The Sword of Triton was believed to be how Blackbeard brought men back to life as his zombie officers, particularly due to its usage in LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game. However, it was confirmed otherwise that the rituals required and practiced to create zombies, most likely from Dark Magic, are separate from the sword.
• The Royal Revenge Cutlass in the non-canon video game Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life was modeled after the Sword of Triton.
• A cursed sword with the name "Sword of Triton" appears in the 1994 anime comic series Dragon Pink.
• The Atlas Blade from the non-canon video game Disney Infinity looks remarkably similar to the Sword of Triton. It's possible it was inspired by it.

Appearances

• Pirates of the Caribbean Online (First appearance)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Movie Storybook
• The Brightest Star in the North: The Adventures of Carina Smyth
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Novelization
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Movie Graphic Novel
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)

Sources

• Pirates of the Caribbean Online
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide (First identified as Sword of Triton)
• The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

See also

• Sword of Triton at Pirates of the Caribbean Online Wiki