Did you know that pirates wore earrings out of necessity, and not just for beauty? (5 photos)

Modern Hollywood is replete with images of pirates from the so-called Golden Age of Piracy (roughly between 1650 and 1720), sporting expensive and extravagant outfits and covered from top to bottom with various jewelry.





Of course, people usually have an inherent need to decorate their appearance, and jewelry is the best choice for this. However, did you know that for pirates, some types of jewelry were more than just an addition to the natural aesthetic beauty of their owners?

Yes, we are talking about earrings that pirates wore for several necessary reasons, not just for beauty.

Reason #1 - Pirates wore earrings as a sign of their maritime achievements



Anyone familiar with the geography or history of piracy has probably heard of Captain Francis Drake, an English naval officer, navigator and privateer (licensed pirate).

The strait connecting the southern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans is named after him. The powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current passes through the Drake Passage, which is why strong storms form there, where winds over 30 m/s and waves over 20 meters are not uncommon.

This strait is also home to the southernmost point of the South American continent, the Diego Ramirez Islands, as well as the legendary Cape Horn.

It was believed that only an incredibly experienced crew was able to circumnavigate Cape Horn, and most of the ships in this place crashed and died.

Francis Drake was the first to officially cross this strait in 1578 on his ship “Golden Hind”, in honor of which he deserved the fact that this strait was named in his honor.

Since then, a maritime tradition has formed in England, which allowed any sailor who passed the Drake Passage and rounded Cape Horn to wear a gold earring in his ear. By order of Queen Elizabeth, English sailors who passed through the strait were allowed to drink a glass of whiskey in the taverns of English ports at Her Majesty's expense, and also receive a gold earring award, which was an official confirmation of the sailor's talent and achievements.

Pirates adopted this tradition and each crew that was able to achieve a similar achievement received a gold earring from their captain. The captain specifically spent his personal money on purchasing and presenting gold earrings to his crew. Crossing the equator was one of the greatest maritime achievements for a true sailor. The earring reminded them that they could overcome any obstacle they faced.

Reason #2 - Pirates wore earrings for practical and superstitious reasons





Wearing your wealth on your body is an ancient practice common on many continents. Pirates lived and died for money. Their creed, their faith, and their entire life and daily activities were driven by the need to acquire money and protect what they had from thieves like them. Jewelry was an ideal solution as it made it harder for a person to steal something you wear on your body compared to a purse of coins or a chest that could go down with the ship.

But of course, not every pirate wore earrings, because he dared to prove his sailing skills to someone, or tried to “carry everything valuable with him.” Earrings worn by pirates were often worn by them due to various superstitions.

For example, pirates believed that earrings made eyesight sharper and served as magical talismans that prevented seasickness.

The precious metals from which most earrings are made were believed to have magical healing properties that would keep the pirates who wore them healthy, at sea and on land. For example, Spanish sailors and pirates wore silver earrings to throw into the water (for example, in lakes on uninhabited islands). If the silver tarnished, it meant the water was undrinkable or poisoned.

Reason #3 - Pirates wore earrings as payment for their funerals in case they died at sea



From the Black Death epidemic to the Age of Gallantry, the concept of Memento mori came into fashion in Europe. Memento mori is a Latin phrase that roughly means “Remember that you will die” or simply “Remember to die.” The Memento mori theme was so incredibly popular throughout Europe that it was used in everything from arts and crafts in this genre to simple decorations associated with the symbolism of death, etc.

The theme of memento mori was particularly influential in piracy, where skulls were worn not only on jewelry (on rings), but on pirate flags.

The pirates lived under the slogan Memento mori (in fact) one day at a time. For a pirate pirate, the earring was a kind of physical insurance policy, guaranteeing that he would receive a decent burial if he died at sea and was washed ashore or died on shore. The person who finds his body will be able to use the earring as payment for his services to ensure the pirate a proper burial.

Some pirates went so far as to engrave their names and home ports on their earrings to ensure that their bodies could be sent back to their families if they died somewhere far from home and were found by random people.

One silver and gold earring was enough to cover the funeral expenses of one person during the Golden Age of Piracy.

It was a good way to acknowledge and prepare for my mortality. Historians have unearthed evidence to support this, such as engraved names and hometowns on pirate rings.

Reason #4 - Pirates wore earrings to once again demonstrate that they were outlaws



The wealthy and powerful class throughout Europe made unjust laws that determined how common people were expected to dress and live in the 17th and 18th centuries, led by Great Britain. These Sumptuary Laws were enforced ruthlessly, and violation of them resulted in huge monetary fines or long, unfair prison sentences. These laws made it easy to determine a person's social status and privileges by appearance and could be used for social discrimination. They also prevented commoners from imitating the appearance of aristocrats and could be used to stigmatize disadvantaged groups.

In Colonial America and the Caribbean (where piracy flourished), there was a ban introduced in 1634, which stated that only people with a personal fortune of at least two hundred pounds could wear lace, silver or gold buttons, hat bands, belts, frills, capes , gold rings, earrings and other jewelry.

Since the pirates were free-spirited people, they did not believe in such senseless dictates, so they fought the unjust system in their own way, by wearing expensive clothes and jewelry, which they stripped from merchants after attacking merchant ships, appearing in public as a challenge to the ruling class and city ​​authorities.

The earrings were a particularly noticeable and even revealing statement from the pirates that they openly flouted the laws, and that unjust laws could not stop them from living on their terms.