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- "Zombies, dey be very obedient, but, I'm afraid, not so clever."
- ―Tia Dalma
Zombies were re-animated corpses, undead beings somehow raised from the dead by magical means, such as witchcraft. Devoid of feeling, efficient, and enduring like machines, zombies make ideal slaves for any form of tough physical labor. A zombie could be described as a re-animated corpse, and can sometimes be controlled by people who dabbled in Voodoo magic. For instance, a zombie crew were under the command of the infamous pirate Blackbeard aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge.
History[]
Legend[]
Of Voodoo origin, the word initially referred to a curse cast by sorcerers allowing them to take control of a person's mind, therefore affecting his or her actions. However, due to significant influence of Voodoo on witchcraft mythology, this meaning soon morphed into that of a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead.
Tia Dalma's zombies[]
- "You've got a zombie? All the rage among mystics these days, are they?"
- ―Jack Sparrow to Tia Dalma
The mystic Tia Dalma was fluent in making zombies. In one of his tales of adventure, Jack Sparrow unknowingly led the EITC Admiral Royce and his men to a place where Tia Dalma was performing a voodoo ritual. When Royce revealed his intention to take Tia Dalma to his superior, Lord Cutler Beckett, Jack turned against him, and Tia Dalma summoned a group of zombies from the jungle, who eventually killed Royce and his men.[1]
Prior to the quest for the Shadow Gold, Tia Dalma sent one of her zombies, Alex, to join Jack Sparrow and the crew of the Black Pearl to find the scattered pieces of gold. As a zombie, Alex's eyes were filmed over and clouded. Whenever he walked, bits of skin and flesh would drop off him.[2]
Blackbeard's officers[]
- "That fellow seems odd. French, is my guess."
"He's been zombie-fied; Blackbeard's doing. All the officers are that way, keeps them compliant."
"And perpetually ill-tempered." - ―Jack Sparrow and Scrum
The zombies that served as Blackbeard's officers aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge were created through Greek fire and practiced rituals of the dark arts. Blackbeard's most notable officers were the Quartermaster and Gunner. When the Quartermaster was zombiefied, he was gifted with a second sight, thereby gaining the ability to predict the future.[3] After Blackbeard's death at the Fountain of Youth, all of his zombies died with him.[4]
Biology and appearance[]
- "The living and the dead aren't as separate as you think. Haven't you heard of a zombie before?"
- ―Jean Magliore to the crew of the Barnacle
From beyond the grave they have returned as empty vessels stirred to life, a zombie can be described as a re-animated corpse. Devoid of feeling, efficient, and enduring like machines, zombies make ideal slaves where they could be controlled by people for any form of tough physical labor. Sewn-up lips were one of the telltale signs that dark magic was at work, as some believed that the soul can escape the body through the mouth, so this precaution was taken to keep the spirit enslaved Zombies could sometimes be controlled by people, such as Blackbeard.[5]
As undead beings, zombies were immune to almost all sorts of conventional weapons. Sword stabs and pistol shots had no effect on them. Since they were technically walking dead, some of them were more or less decomposed. Some who were brought to life as zombies shortly after their death looked similar to normal human beings and retained more of their original personality than others.
Notable zombies[]
Behind the scenes[]
- On Stranger Tides was the first of the POTC films to include zombies.
- Hector Barbossa's cursed crew from The Curse of the Black Pearl were often mistaken as zombies, when they were actually referred to as living skeletons. In the original At World's End script, Jack Sparrow described Davy Jones' crew of the Flying Dutchman as zombies.
- In real-world history, the word "Zombie" and its derivations didn't actually exist during the reign of King George II of Great Britain, which is the time-frame in which the story On Stranger Tides is set. The word "Zombie", as "Zombi", first appeared in a history of Brazil by poet Robert Southey in 1819.
- One of the zombies designed for On Stranger Tides, but never used in the film, was named Black Caesar, like a real-life pirate who sailed with Blackbeard in 1718.
- In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, there are several zombie-related objects. These include weapons, like the Zombie Doll and Zombie Kabab Bayonet, and clothes, like Zombie Trousers and Zombie Shorts.
- In LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, zombies were created by Blackbeard using his sword.
- Zombies appear in Tim Powers' novel On Stranger Tides, which served as the basis for the fourth Pirates film. In the novel, the zombies are mindless walking corpses, but in the film, they look and act almost like normal people.
Appearances[]
- Jack Sparrow: The Pirate Chase (First mentioned)
- The Compass of Destiny! (First appearance)
- Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean
- Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East
- Legends of the Brethren Court: The Turning Tide
- Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters
- Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow
- 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
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources[]
External links[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ The Compass of Destiny!
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- ↑ There were no zombies aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge after the death of Blackbeard.
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, pp. 36-37: "Zombie Crew"
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren Court
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization), p.81