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| I'm not sticking around to see what he wants. |
The single most colorful, bizarre, and arguably well-known pirate there is today. His name is Edward Teach (or Thach, or Thatch), he was probably born in Bristol, England, and he was known to be courageous, uncommonly bold, and ruthless. A devilish attitude was cultivated through his looks and actions, but scholars believe these claims are exaggerated. Daniel Defoe tells us how he got his name.
"...so our Heroe, Captain Teach, assumed the Cognomen of Black-beard, from that large Quantity of Hair, which, like a frightful Meteor, covered his whole Face, and frightened America more than any Comet that has appeared there a long Time.
This Beard was black, which he suffered to grow of an extravagant Length; as to Breadth, it came up to his Eyes; he was accustomed to twist it with Ribbons, in small Tails, after the Manner of our Ramilies Wiggs, and turn them about his Ears: In Time of Action, he wore a Sling over his Shoulders, with three Brace of Pistols, hanging in Holsters like Bandaliers; and stuck lighted Matches under his Hat, which appearing on each Side of his Face, his Eyes naturally looking fierce and wild, made him altogether such a Figure, that Imagination cannot form an Idea of Fury, from Hell, to look more frightful." pp. 84-5
Blackbeard first began his pirating ways under the watch of Captain Benjamin Hornigold in 1716. Part of the Bahamas' Flying Gang of pirates and former privateers (legal pirates as established by a letter of marque from the crown), Captain Hornigold put Blackbeard in command of a sloop in the Caribbean and they sailed in consort from the Bahamas, to the coast of Virginia, and back again. Hornigold then accepted a King's Proclamation, which pardoned him from his illegal activities. The Flying Gang then split into two factions: one, those who accepted the pardon; and two, those who kept a-piratin'. Blackbeard was among the latter group.
His pirating ways eventually brought him to the coast of the Americas, specifically the Carolinas. Setting himself up by first blockading the port of Charleston, then getting in with the governor of North Carolina, Charles Eden, he becomes a part of the local village and was welcomed into their lives. This sent the governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, into a rage, and he sent an illegal naval detachment of the HMS Pearl and Lime to rid the coast of Blackbeard. The first confrontation between Lieutenant Maynard, commander of the Pearl, and Blackbeard went as follows:
Blackbeard: Damn you for Villians, who are you? And, from whence came you?
Maynard: You may see by our Colours we are no Pyrates.
(Blackbeard bid him send his Boat on board, that he might see who he was; but Maynard replied that he could not spare his boat, but would come aboard with his Sloop)
Blackbeard: (took a glass of Liquor, and drank to him with these Words:) Damnation seize my Soul if I give you Quarters, or take any from you.
Maynard: I expect no Quarters from you, nor will I give you any. (p. 80)
And so a battle ensued around Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, with Blackbeard sustaining heavy wounds (five bullets and 20 slashes by sword) before he was ultimately beheaded by Maynard. The head was then hung from the boltsprit, and the body thrown overboard, which legend has it swam several circles before finally vanishing into the bay.
Now, let us get into the REAL reason behind this post: Blackbeard's flag! Here is the usual flag of Blackbeard, top, and my redesigned one, below:
Quite the difference. Blackbeard's flag is said to have a skeleton holding either a goblet (to drink to the Devil) or an hourglass (to remind you your time is running out) in one hand, a spear in the other, and a heart with three drops of blood.
I changed several things in the new flag. First, there was absolutely no evidence to support this skeleton with horns. Blackbeard was not depicting the devil, he was depicting a figure of death. The skeleton itself is also more lifelike and human, versus ... whatever the other one is supposed to be.
With conflicting sources on whether it was a goblet or hourglass, we decided on making it a goblet-y-looking-hourglass. The skeleton's hand, wrapped around the base, hides its true identity. The usual flag holds a goblet.
Third, the hand holding the spear became more lifelike. And fourth, the three drops of blood are actually dripping from the heart, instead of arranged around it. It makes more sense to have that, instead of spatters, as the drops of blood and heart are reminders of a slow, bleeding death. Lovely, right?
Blackbeard is big business in North Carolina. National Geographic even wrote an article about him (you know you're big when that happens!). Here are some related links that you may find of interest:
- Blackbeard: Pirate Terror at Sea (National Geographic)
- Blackbeard the Pirate (North Carolina Maritime Museum)
- Coastal North Carolina, home to Blackbeard (Local area)
- Rewriting Blackbeard's History (Article published a day ago in NC)
- The Legend of Blackbeard (Tour in Beaufort, NC)
- Teach's Hole (Pirate Specialty Shop and Blackbeard Exhibit)
- Blackbeard and the Queen Anne's Revenge (Facebook)
A couple of summers ago I worked for Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth as a Teaching Assistant on a Pirate History Class. Granted the class was for 3rd grades, but these kids had to pass a history exam, a writing exam, and I think a reading exam in order to be allowed to enter into this program. So yes, I have helped put together a curriculum on pirate history, and of course Blackbeard was one of the kids favorites.
ReplyDeleteWe had a whole week dedicated to flags and their meaning. Its interesting to think that the ideas of the flags generally presented to the public do not necessarily depict what the original flag had. What sorts of sources were used to determine that the traditional designs were incorrect? I'd be very interested to learn more about how writings differed and how the "incorrect" designs ended up being those that people associate with each pirate.
On the other hand I have to say what does redesigning the flags accomplish? does it bring new understanding to who Blackbeard was and what his intentions were? Are the nuances going to teach us something new? How will the redesigned flags be used to educate people on pirates and pirate lore?
Honestly, I think someone is doing well if they are even aware that different pirates had different flags and they were not all the generic skull and crossbones that Disney has so well disseminated to the masses. (On a separate note, why is that the generic flag?) The third graders were certainly surprised by the variance in flags, as were their parents when the final projects were presented. I do think there is value in teaching what the different symbols on the flags mean and how that represents the pirate who designed the flag, but when it comes down to it is being 100% accurate being a little too nit-picky?
I love your redesigned flags, but I wanted to know if your interpretations are what you think they actually looked like instead, or are they just artistic improvements over the previous examples?
ReplyDeleteI ask because of your comment about the anatomy, and how it's not lifelike. I would say to keep in mind that we're talking about some drunken guys here, cutting and sewing fabric. Not likely that most of them would pass home ec even sober. Also, this was before the time of a good knowledge about the human body - it was possible the pirates had an almanac with "The Anatomy" in it, but that might be about it.
That being said, I want to echo that I do love the redesigned flags, you have great artistic flair.