Tia Dalma, a voodoo priestess.
- "Witness my desperate search for the voodoo queen, Tia Dalma."
- ―Jack Sparrow to Will Turner about finding Tia Dalma
Voodoo, also known as Haitian Voodoo, hoodoo, Obeah, and often referred to as the dark arts, was an African religion that developed into a set of spiritual practices, traditions, and beliefs found in the New World. Beginning as a tribal and spiritual belief brought over by enslaved Africans, elements of rituals with the traditional African magical and religious rites evolved into dark magic practiced in parts of the Caribbean. Practitioners of voodoo, if they were accepted into priesthood, may be termed as voodoo priest or priestess. Tia Dalma, the human incarnation of the goddess Calypso, was a mystic and a hoodoo priestess with fathomless powers. Blackbeard was a pirate who simply studied voodoo to his own ends.
History[]
- "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
In the early 18th century, Voodoo was brought over by African slaves to the Caribbean. There, it mixed with Roman Catholicism and it became a religion with teachings of the Bible incorporated within it. It still used tribal and very spiritual techniques to worship and practice the magic. The knowledge of herbs, poisons, and the ritual creation of charms and amulets, intended to protect oneself or harm others, became key elements of Voodoo.[citation needed]
After the goddess Calypso was bound into her human form by the First Brethren Court, Calypso became Tia Dalma, a mystical priestess of voodoo[1][2] and hoodoo with fathomless powers who lived on the Pantano River.[3] The human incarnation of the goddess most notably helped Captain Jack Sparrow in his life as a young adventurer and an infamous pirate,[4][5] resurrected Captain Hector Barbossa back from the dead,[5] and made mystical crabs carry the Black Pearl in Davy Jones' Locker.[6] At some point in his life, the fearsome pirate Blackbeard studied voodoo to his own ends, taking a passion for forbidden dark magic,[7] without becoming a voodooist nor being accepted into some religion or cult. Blackbeard learned a variety of beliefs and techniques, and knew more than just Haitian Voodoo, but mainly practiced Haitian Voodoo.[8] At work on the dark arts in the sinister captain's cabin of the Queen Anne's Revenge,[9] he would use his powers to create zombie officers, fashion voodoo dolls, and darts dipped in a sleep-inducing elixir.[7]
Notable Voodoo practitioners[]
Beliefs[]
- "So, what's this about magic?"
"Well, a lot of that magic and Obeah lore in the Caribbean comes from the Africans that have been transported here, savvy?" - ―Esmeralda and Jack Sparrow
Besides being the practice of ancient magic, voodoo was also a religion. It began as a tribal and spiritual belief in Africa brought over by the slaves to the Caribbean. There, it mixed with Roman Catholicism and it became a religion with teachings of the Bible incorporated within it. It still used tribal and very spiritual techniques to worship and practice the magic.[10][11]
According to Voodoo beliefs, God was unreachable, so the Voodooists mainly prayed to lesser entities, the spirits known as loa. Some of the best known loas were Legba and Ogoun Ferraille.[12]
Dark Magic[]
Similar in nature to Voodoo, Dark Magic differs from other forms of magic in the intent of the person using it. This is a difficult distinction to make in many cases, as most Voodoo magic was relatively neutral—it could be used for bad or good. Some magic, however, was evil in its intention through and through. This intention to do harm places this magic into the realm of the Black Arts. Having studied a variety of beliefs and techniques, Blackbeard knew more than just Voodoo, but he mainly practiced Voodoo.[7][8] He would be at work on the dark arts in the sinister captain's cabin of the Queen Anne's Revenge.[9]
Notable Voodoo Weapons[]
Behind the scenes[]
- Voodoo was first identified in the 2006 reference book Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide,[1] later in the 2007 reprinted version,[2] detailing the voodoo priestess Tia Dalma in the 2006 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.[5] The term "hoodoo" was first mentioned in the 2007 book The Pirates' Guidelines.[3] "Obeah" was first mentioned in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[6] It was also identified as the "dark arts", beginning with Pirates of the Caribbean Online.[11]
- In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's first screenplay draft for At World's End, Captain Hector Barbossa orders Ragetti to bring up Tia Dalma's "effects", which happens to be a bag full of voodoo dolls representing Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, James Norrington, Davy Jones, Jack Sparrow(which is holding a small bottle), and Barbossa himself.
- In Tim Powers' novel, On Stranger Tides, which was used as the basis for the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, voodoo (or vodun) was heavily featured. The book had Blackbeard as a young boy deeply educated in vodun and an assistant to an old English magician before becoming a full-fledged vodun sorcerer known as the hunsi kanzo trying to perfect resurrection magic through the use of the Fountain of Youth. According to Terry Rossio, regarding his supernatural powers in the film, Blackbeard knows more than just Haitian Voodoo, but he does practice Haitian Voodoo.[8]
Appearances[]
- Jack Sparrow: The Age of Bronze
- Jack Sparrow: City of Gold
- The Price of Freedom (Mentioned only)
- The Compass of Destiny!
- Pirates of the Caribbean Online (First identified as dark arts)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (junior novelization) (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (First identified as Obeah)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
- Kingdom Hearts III (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide (First identified as voodoo)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
- The Pirates' Guidelines (First identified as hoodoo)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide
See also[]
External links[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Pirates' Guidelines
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, pp. 40-41: "Dark Magic"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Terry Rossio about Blackbeard, Voodoo, and Magic
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Peter Mountain Blackbeard at work on the dark arts
- ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Fourteen: Hard Bargains
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Pirates of the Caribbean Online
- ↑ The Compass of Destiny!
