There are many legends on how the Jolly Roger has obtained its name. One legend is that it gained its name from the French name for the red flag, the jolie rouge (pretty red). It was the French description of a bloody banner flown by privateers. One legend states that "Calico Jack" Rackham flew the first flag and another legend says that around 1700 the first flag was flown by Emmanuel Wynnes.
The most important use of this banner was to strike fear into the hearts of the victims it attacked. Pirates often flew "false colors" of any country in order to trick their victims. They used their "truer" colors to scare and threaten potential victims or threats.
There were many different interpretations of the Jolly Roger. Typically, a white flag was flown when the pirate was in pursuit of a potential victim. In some cases the victim would take down their flag and give in to the pirates but in others the victims refused the black and white flag was flown by the pirates to show that they meant business. If a red flag was flown by the pirates, this would symbolize that no quarter would be given once the ship was caught. In other words, no lives would be spared.
The flags usually held a design that contained symbols used to indicate a certain message. A skull could be used as a sign of death. Additions to a plain skull meant different things. For example a skull with horns was used to indicate a tormented death. Other symbols included spears, bleeding hearts, darts, a raised hand holding a dagger, and an hourglass. Normally a spear or dart was used to designate a violent death in comparison to the bleeding heart which signified a slow and painful death. A raised hand holding on to a dagger was used to specify that the pirates were willing to kill but didn't have any exact methods in mind. The hourglass gave a threat that time was running out or the capture was unavoidable.
Many pirates designed their own flags. Strangely enough Blackbeard managed to include practically everyone of these main symbols into his flag. His flag had a skeleton holding a spear in his right hand (mirroring- actual left) over a bleeding heart and held a wine glass in the other. Captain Bartholomew Roberts had two flags. One had a pirate and skeleton holding a wine flask together. In the skeleton's hand was a skull. His other flag had a pirate standing on two skull hands and the letters ABH under each skull. Captain Stede Bonnet had a skull with a bone lying underneath it in a horizontal position. On one side of the skull there was a heart and on the other their was a dagger. A skull with a set of crossbones going threw with and a wine flask underneath it was the design on Captain Edward England's Jolly Roger. An arm holding a sword was put on Captain Thomas Tew's flag. Captain Jack Rackham, who is credited with inventing the Jolly Roger, had a skull with a set of crossed swords underneath it. Captain Walter Kennedy's Jolly Roger had an uncommon design. On his flag he had a naked man holding an hourglass in one hand and a sword in the other. The sword was positioned over a skull and crossbones. Captain Emanuel Wynne, who in some circumstances is credited with inventing the Jolly Roger, has the traditional skull and crossbones. Let's see if you have been paying attention, arrrgh!! Try this game, landlubber : Match the Flags arrrgh!!!
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