Calico Jack (Jolly Roger)
Calico Jack is a loose term for a popular modern variant of the pirate naval ensign Jolly Roger, whose motif consists of a skull above crossed swords (sabres).
The flag is named after the Golden Age pirate John Rackham, known as Calico Jack, who in modern popular culture is said to have flown it on his flagship, which originates from the 1959 book Bordbuch des Satans by Hans Leip.[1] The design rather derives from the pirate Bartholomew Roberts' Jolly Roger, which was described by two separate eyewitnesses to have flowen a "skull with a sabre or sword-arm on a black field".[2]
The flag is widely used in modern pirate media, even though it is not historical. It was the naval ensign of the pirate ship Black Pearl in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Benerson Little (2016). The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781510713048. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ "The Pirate That Had WAY Too Many Flags..." youtube.com. Gold and Gunpowder. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ "The Fanciful, Mythical "Calico Jack Rackham" Pirate Flag". benersonlittle.com. Retrieved 2025-04-04.