Treasure

This article is about the concept of riches. You may be looking for the soundtrack cue of the same name.

Part of the heaped treasure amassed by Hector Barbossa's cursed crew.

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate."

―Jack Sparrow to Will Turner

Treasure was a concentration of wealth—often originating from ancient history and Pirate Lore—that was considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Searching for hidden treasure was a common theme in myth, legend, and Pirate Lore, with buried treasure being an important part of the age of pirates, who often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places, intending to return for them later, often with the use of a treasure map. Among the accounts of buried pirate treasure include Captain Kidd, who buried some treasure on Gardner's Island outside New York.

Many treasures were found, discoveries and sights that enchanted the eye of any adventurer, within the mysterious, untamed islands of the Caribbean for pirates to hunt for. Most quests would reward with a treasure of some sort: chests of hidden riches, gold, jewels and trinkets, or even locations that couldn't be found. Advancing through these pursuits of unique treasures could lead to finding a series of elusive items, often held by deadly foes or cast upon with an evil curse.

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."

―Jack Sparrow to Christophe-Julien de Rapièr

Around 1300 BC, the Kushites from the city of Kerma abandoned their homes and traveled to the West, taking with them their entire treasure. When they reached the Atlantic Ocean, they found and inhabited an island which they also named Kerma. Soon, they built the city named Zerzura, and hid the treasure inside the labyrinth beneath the temple dedicated to their god, Apedemak. The most important part of the treasure was the great green stone, full of magical power, that soon became known as the Heart of Zerzura. Centuries later, the legend about the treasure of Zerzura would be recorded in Capt. J. Ward's book, My Lyfe Amonge the Pyrates.

The story of King Midas and his treasure was a well known ancient legend. The stories claimed that everything the king touched turned to gold. During the teenage adventures of young Jack Sparrow, the crew of the Barnacle lost the Sun-and-Stars amulet to Madame Minuit in New Orleans, they mentioned the king's power and how he ended up. Many years later, Sparrow and the crew of the Dying Gull managed to find the legendary treasure, only to discover that it was just a pile of donkey dung.

Age of Discovery and Enlightenment

The treasure in the captain's quarters of Ponce de León's ship, the Santiago.

"If forty pirates dreamt forty nights of treasure, it would not match the contents of this room."

―Hector Barbossa to Jack Sparrow

During his search for the Fountain of Youth, the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León managed to assemble a fortune in gold, silver, jewels, and pearls. He kept his treasure in the captain's quarters of his ship, the Santiago, along with fine furnishings and other priceless artifacts. One of the treasure chests of the wrecked Santiago held the most valuable prize in Ponce de León's coffers: the silver Chalices of Cartagena. However, in 1523, the Santiago disappeared, along with its captain and his resplendent treasures. Though the contents of the room would not be discovered until nearly two centuries later, where the Santiago sat atop of rocks on the edge of a cliff. By that time, any movement or attempt to grab a piece of treasure would overbalance the ship.

At some point during his operations in the Caribbean, the notorious pirate Captain 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 Drake discovered Isla Cueva, a rocky island in the Caribbean Sea, he 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. However, Drake's First Mate Sam Johnson, greedy and thirsting for power, attempted to betray Drake so he could take his place and keep the treasure for himself. But Johnson's attempt failed, and he ended up dead and beheaded. His corpse was left to rot in the treasure cavern, but Drake's men took Johnson's head with them. For more than a century, Drake's treasure would remain untouched, along with Johnson's headless skeleton.

Age of Piracy

Pirates prepare to bury their treasure.

"From now on, it's only uncursed treasure for us. Riches are a perfectly fine way to secure freedom. Savvy?"
"Jack Sparrow, don't play the fool. You know better than anyone on the Seven Seas that in the Caribbean, magic and treasure go hand in hand."

―Jack Sparrow and Tia Dalma

Throughout the Age of Piracy, many pirates collected their loot and kept it in safe places, most of which were located on the untamed islands of the Caribbean. Some hide treasure on tropical or deserted islands, while others hunt for them in quests or perilous adventures. In pursuing unique treasures, these quests would reward adventurers with something: silver, gold, mythical weapons, trinkets collected during the journey. Treasure hunts usually lead to the need to find any series of elusive items, often held by deadly foes. All rewards were not what they appear, as the Caribbean was full of mystery, danger, and evil curses.

The treasure room in Dead Man's Cove.

At some point, the crew of the pirate ship Royal Fortune sailed across the Seven Seas, capturing and pillaging numerous merchant ships. Soon, the holds of the Royal Fortune were filled with treasure, but the greedy pirates always wanted more and more gold. So, when they heard the tale about the cursed treasure that was hidden in Dead Man's Cove on Isla Tesoro, they sailed for the Spanish Main to find it. When the Royal Fortune approached the island, she slammed into the rocks, tossed there by the great storm. Only a few pirates survived the storm, but they managed to find the treasure. Regardless of whether the treasure was cursed or not, the greedy pirates immediately started fighting each other, each of them wanting to keep the entire treasure for himself. Soon, they were all dead, and their skeletal remains remained in the cavern to guard the treasure forever.

One of the more notable accounts of buried treasure was Captain Kidd, the famous Scottish privateer who turned pirate, who buried some treasure on Gardner's Island outside New York prior to being sent back to England, where he was tried in London and executed at Execution Dock. It was believed that, within a year or so of Kidd burying his treasure, most of the buried treasure was subsequently retrieved.

The hold of the Spanish Royal Navy galleon Santa Catalina was filled to the brim with gold for the Viceroy of Zaragona. During the journey the ship was attacked by the Buzzard, the ship of the infamous pirate Sharkheart Sam. One of the cannonballs from the pirate ship struck the galleon's foremast, causing it to fall into the sea, carrying the captain's pet monkey Zita with it. The young crewman Pablo jumped into the water to save the monkey and secretly boarded the pirate ship. He snuck into the captain's cabin and took an iron box full of jewels, and also ignited the gunpowder, causing the ship's destruction. After the battle the crew of the Santa Catalina managed to salvage a few bags of gold and some silver candlesticks¸from the sunken ship.

There were legends about Isla Esquelética that said Stone-Eyed Sam kept his treasure in a secret chamber beneath his bed. That treasure was found decades after his death by the young adventurer Jack Sparrow and his crew, though they were able to take only one treasure chest. That treasure allowed them the freedom to continue with their adventures. Later, Jack would try and find a treasure more valuable than gold and jewels, the fabled Trident of Poseidon. The Trident was also pursued by his old crew, now accompanied by Captain Laura Smith and her first mate Mr. Reece.

A few years after his teenage adventures, Jack Sparrow became an officer of the East India Trading Company in command of the merchant ship Wicked Wench. He was ordered by Cutler Beckett, the Company's director for West Africa, to find the legendary island of Kerma, and its treasure-filled labyrinth. Though the Wench found the island, Jack took only a small part of the treasure, because he developed feelings for the island's princess, Amenirdis. Later, Jack refused to give the island's bearings to Beckett, an act which cost him his ship as well as his life, though both Sparrow and the Wench returned to the world of the living thanks to Davy Jones, the supernatural lord and ruler of the ocean depths.

Shortly after the Wicked Wench was rechristened the Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow became a notorious pirate as well as Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea. With a new crew assembled on the pirate island of Tortuga, he led an attack on the Spanish galleon that was carrying Princess Carolina to the man she was supposed to marry against her will. However, the real reason why Jack wanted to attack the ship was the treasure which the ship also carried. In the end, the attack was successful and the pirates liberated the princess and took a fortune in jewels and gold coins.

The cursed treasure of Isla de Muerta.

Two years later, Jack Sparrow had intended to find the Treasure of Cortés buried on Isla de Muerta, though no one believed the Heathen Gods placed a terrible curse on the treasure. Three days into the voyage, his First Mate Hector Barbossa tricked the bearings to the island out of Jack Sparrow. After raising a mutiny against Jack, which led to him being marooned on Rumrunner's Isle, Captain Barbossa led Jack's former crew in finding the treasure and spent it all. Days after being marooned, Jack was got off the island with the help of a group of Rumrunners and transported to Port Royal. With the help of the local Tavern Keeper, he was able to steal some gold and find some treasure in the graveyard. He used that gold to buy himself a sloop and continue with piracy.

Soon, after falling under the curse, Captain Barbossa's crew of cursed pirates began a quest to restore all 882 pieces of Aztec Gold. But the cursed pirates didn't just bring Aztec Gold to Isla de Muerta, they heaped up all the plunder in the cave. Until the curse was lifted, wealth was worthless to them, for nothing they buy brought them pleasure. But not everything in the cave was valuable, as Pintel and Ragetti mistakenly bring a trunk of women's clothing. Packed in chests and heaped in messy piles, treasure filled the caves: precious jewels are strewn across the ground; pearl string once hung around the neck of a princess of Bavaria; amethyst centerpiece of brooch was big as a pigeon's eye. The treasure on Isla de Muerta included huge quantities of gold and silver bars and coins, which came from raids on Spanish ships heading back to Seville from the country's colonies in Mexico and Peru. But some of the most valuable pieces are jewelry stolen from wealthy passengers on ships the Black Pearl attacked. After the Aztec curse was lifted, Jack Sparrow draped himself with treasure on Isla de Muerta. With pearls around his neck and rings on his fingers, a finishing touch is a jewel-encrusted gold crown.

Although Edward "Blackbeard" Teach was born in poverty and raised in squalor in the late seventeenth century, he achieved his reputation and assembled a treasure worth a fortune in a pirate career that spanned over three decades. When he brought his newborn daughter Angelica to a nearby Spanish convent, he entrusted her to the nuns for a proper upbringing, regularly sending considerable monies for her care, and the nuns never asked how he came about his riches. While he stowed magical paraphernalia for his dark arts in the captain's cabin of the Queen Anne's Revenge, he also kept several treasure chests close at hand.

Jack Sparrow finds the treasure of the Isle of Lusee.

Some time after his escape from Port Royal, Jack Sparrow managed to convince young blacksmith Will Turner to help him find some treasure in Panama. Since Will needed money to support Elizabeth Swann, he agreed. The two found a few treasure chests full of gold but were soon attacked by the Portuguese soldiers from the nearby camp. They infiltrated Fort Alvo Grande where they found the golden Skull of Teoxuacata which was taken from them by Stubb who brought it to Tortuga. After escaping from the Portuguese, Jack and Will sailed for Tortuga, where they discovered the Skull had killed Stubb and his men and turned them into the undead.

Some time later, Jack Sparrow and Will Turner ended up on the Isle of Lusee, a place where the cruel governor treated the colonists as if he owned them, imprisoning the innocents and confiscating their treasure. Jack and Will convinced the people of the island to organize a revolution and overthrow the governor. The people of the island, led by Jack and Will, stormed the governor's fort and Jack easily captured him, taking the keys of the treasury. However, when he and Will entered the treasury, Jack revealed that his plan was to steal the treasure for himself, not to give it to its rightful owners. However, Will convinced Jack not to steal the treasure, and because the people of the island considered him their hero, they gave him the largest share of the treasure.

Captain Drake's treasure.

Later, Jack Sparrow found and restored the skull of Sam Johnson to life. However, at the same time, Joshamee Gibbs was turned to stone, and the talking skull promised to lead Jack to Drake's treasure and magical stones that could lift the curse. On Isla Cueva, when the pirates found Drake's treasure, Johnson's skull was reunited with the rest of the skeleton, and the undead pirate attempted to kill Jack. Jack was able to defeat his opponent, and he told his men to take as much treasure as they could carry. But because of Johnson's treachery the cave started collapsing, and Jack was barely able to escape with the magical stone that would restore Gibbs to life.

Around the same time, a giant stingray haunted the waters of the Caribbean. The monster wasn't hostile toward the humans, but it was always bad-tempered because of the sea urchins - the undead parasites that lived on the beast's back and tormented it. Swimming around the Caribbean, the angry beast would pursue unlucky ships, whose crews would believe that the beast's giant wings were actually sails of the two long-lost cursed Spanish ships, the San Pablo and the San Miguel. The pursued ships would then run aground on a nearby island and their cargoes of treasure would be spilled on the beach. When during one such pursuit, Jack Sparrow fell on the beast's back and forced the parasites to leave the manta ray alone, the grateful monster towed his ship, the Black Pearl, toward the island, where Jack and his crew discovered several treasure chests.

A pirate finds the treasure of Devil's Anvil.

Sometime around his resurrection at the hands of Tia Dalma, Hector Barbossa could be found haunting the island known as Devil's Anvil. His place of residence was a grotto filled with gold, jewels and portraits of Governor Weatherby Swann. The origin of this treasure was shrouded in mystery, and only Barbossa might know where this fabulous wealth came from.

Captain Hector Barbossa's treasure aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Many years later, after the infamous pirate Blackbeard was defeated at the Fountain of Youth, Barbossa took command of his ship and crew, eventually becoming a scourge of the Caribbean Sea. Leading a fleet of ten ships, Barbossa pillaged any ship he could capture, amassing a wealth beyond most men's wildest dreams. One of his crewmen, Murtogg, buried his share of the treasure in an unmarked grave between two crossed palm trees in Aruba. At some point prior to the search for the Trident of Poseidon, Jack Sparow and the crew of the Dying Gull searched for the Treasure of Macedonia. Sparrow's crew succeeded in finding it, only to discover the "treasure" was nothing more than a trove of rotted wood.

Behind the scenes

The Treasure Room tableaux featured in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean.

Captain Jack Sparrow enthroned amidst his prizes and treasures. Art by Chris Turner.

"Gold doubloons and silver ingots buried on a deserted island are not merely myths or rumors. Many pirates, fearing capture and imprisonment, hid their treasure where only they could find it. Their maps have been long since lost, but the precious metals remain entombed only temporarily... Yet, for the many who disbelieve the stories of buried treasure, let them remember that little treasure has been found to date because DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES...."

―Excerpted from the Disneyland souvenir booklet Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean

Treasure first appeared in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean in 1967, further detailed in various media, including the souvenir book, and the book From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies.

Buried treasure was a literary trope commonly associated with conception and depictions of pirates, who often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places, intending to return to them later with the use of a treasure map. Although it is a favorite literary theme, with Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island being among the well-known stories that helped popularize the legend and myth of buried pirate treasure, there are very few documented cases of pirates actually burying treasure, and no documented cases of a historical pirate treasure map. Historian Peter Twist once said that the legendary pirate booty of buried treasure is simply a myth. "Buried treasure was something that virtually never happened. History tells us that typical pirates, after taking a prize, would divide the money and then head into a relatively pirate-friendly port for a drinking and womanizing binge that would make the Romans blush, so there was nothing left to bury." In the "Below Deck" bonus feature, David Cordingly said that Captain Kidd may have been responsible for the legends of buried treasure becoming associated with pirates, though there were very few historical accounts of pirates actually burying treasure.

When actor Johnny Depp read the script for the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, he found the script quirky; one of the reasons being that rather than trying to find treasure, Hector Barbossa's crew of the Black Pearl were trying to return it in order to lift their curse. By 2006, the attraction in Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World was refurbished to add Captain Jack Sparrow during the raid on Isla Tesoro, who finds the treasure of Puerto Dorado before the pirates of the Wicked Wench.

In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, there are several quests in which the player must find buried treasure. The 2013 Magic Kingdom interactive game, A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas, has guests use a map and magic talisman to help them complete five different pirate raids throughout Adventureland. Their goal in these raids, to help locate different Treasures of the Seven Seas.

After The Curse of the Black Pearl, there was much speculation regarding the content of any sequels, and for several months, the rumored title of the sequel was Treasure of the Lost Abyss, where the Abyss turned out to not be a place, but a sailing ship. By November 2004, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said the oft-rumored subtitle for the second film wasn't accurate, leading to the back-to-back sequels Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. By 2009, according to Rossio on Wordplay, there never was a Pirates film with the title, "Although kudos to whoever made up that rumor, it has persisted for years." Rossio's original 2012 screenplay draft for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales featured a ship name Abyss as an homage to long-time fans. As noted in the script's annotations, "by featuring the name of the ship, die-hard fans will wonder if there isn’t a missing film or script somewhere that tells that story." In 2020, Rossio stated in an interview for Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki, "The rumor became so pervasive that at one point, we decided we should adopt it, and weave it into the world building of the pirates universe. We tried a few times to reference the Abyss, just to honor and celebrate the fan base, don't think any mention ever made it to the screen."

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, as Jack Sparrow reaches for a stack of coins as "an item of approximately equal weight" to keep the Santiago into balance, Hector Barbossa says, "See there, I've learnt my lesson about taking treasure from a place, not knowing what curse might lie upon it." Jack pulls his hand back, then says, "Ruddy hell. I'll have it." Jack grabs the treasure, the ship overbalances. The final cut of the film does not feature Barbossa's line, and Sparrow instead picks up a vase. Although Barbossa's line never made it into the film, it was used in at least one Facebook post.

Near the end of On Stranger Tides, as Angelica is marooned on Sola Fide Beach by Jack Sparrow, she mentions a treasure chest filled with "jewels with the power to rule the wind and tide." This treasure chest reference would be further explored in Terry Rossio's screenplay draft for Dead Men Tell No Tales where the power of the Trident of Neptune came from the Pearls of Neptune—Rhysis, which commands the winds of the sea; Tyrah, pearl of the tides; and Miro, which commands the creatures of the sea. It would also be revealed that Rhysis was hidden twice over inside a sapphire in the hilt of the Sword of Triton, only identified as Blackbeard or Barbossa's sword. Rossio's script also featured the Mermaid Trove, the treasure of all treasures, gathered by mermaids from every ship ever sunk in battle or lost in a storm.

In Dead Men Tell No Tales, when Hector Barbossa sees that Carina Smyth is using Galileo Galilei's diary to lead the Black Pearl to the Black rock island, he says "Where did you get that from, missy? I know this book. Stolen from an Italian ship many years ago." In the film's novelization and the prequel book he says "This book be pirate treasure, stolen from an Italian ship many years ago."

Appearances

• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean (First appearance)
• Disney Parks Presents: Pirates of the Caribbean
• Pirates of the Caribbean (Little Golden Book)
• The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
• A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure
• Climb Aboard If You Dare!: Stories From The Pirates of the Caribbean
• Pirates of the Caribbean (2003 video game)
• Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm
• Jack Sparrow: The Siren Song (Mentioned only)
• Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés (Mentioned only)
• Jack Sparrow: The Age of Bronze (Mentioned only)
• Jack Sparrow: Silver (Mentioned only)
• Jack Sparrow: The Timekeeper
• Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours
• Jack Sparrow: Poseidon's Peak
• Jack Sparrow: Bold New Horizons (Mentioned only)
• The Price of Freedom
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
• Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean
• Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters
• Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow (Mentioned only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (video game)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2006 junior novelization)
  • Fluch der Karibik
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
• Revenge of the Pirates!
• The Capture of Jack Sparrow! (Mentioned only)
• A Revolting Development!
• The Treasure of Shipwreck Island!
• The Dark Skull
• The Sails of Doom!
• Open Sesame! (Mentioned only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean Online
• The Sleeping Island! (Mentioned only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Mentioned only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• 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 des Caraïbes : La Vengeance de Salazar
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Movie Graphic Novel

Non-canon appearances

• Kingdom Hearts II
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
• Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Gods and Ghosts M

Sources

• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Sound Track of the Fabulous Adventure (First mentioned)
• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Story of the Robust Adventure in Disneyland and Walt Disney World
• Disneyland: From the Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow
• Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates
• Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide

External links

• Treasure on Wikipedia
• Buried treasure on Wikipedia