Jack Sparrow's hanger

For other uses, see Jack Sparrow's sword (disambiguation)

"He roped a couple of sea turtles." The factual accuracy of this article or section is disputed. The dispute is about: if Jack owned more than one sword, hanger or saber. Please see this article's talk page to discuss possible changes.

"We are an unimaginative lot when it comes to naming things." The title of this article is conjectural. Although this article is based on canonical information, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

Jack Sparrow's sword
Production information
Creator	Tortuga blacksmith
Type	Hanger Saber
Cost	5 shillings
Usage
Owner(s)	Jack Sparrow
Behind the scenes
First appearance	The Curse of the Black Pearl
Latest appearance	On Stranger Tides

"And I half expected it to be made of wood."

―James Norrington on seeing Jack's sword for the first time

The sword favored by Captain Jack Sparrow was a rusty, worn out, old hanger or saber, with a blade longer than the standard cutlass that most pirates favor. For a pirate who got in trouble as much as Jack, it was important to keep his enemies a couple of extra inches away. Jack would have used this sword through some of his many adventures, where he would use it to battle or duel for his life. Otherwise, Jack would keep the sword in a leather scabbard, which protected the blade.

History

Early use

Little is known about this sword's making, or who made it, but it is known that it was forged in the town of Tortuga. At some point after having made a deal with the fearsome Davy Jones, Jack Sparrow bought this sword for five shillings. Jack would have used his sword on his many adventures in his pirate life, first seen during Jack's search for the Shadow Gold.

Blood of the Aztec Curse

"You think this wise, boy? Crossing blades with a pirate?"

―Jack Sparrow to Will Turner

Jack stabbed with his sword by Hector Barbossa.

Jack Sparrow had the sword after Hector Barbossa's first mutiny on the Black Pearl, and was marooned on Rumrunner's Isle. Ten years after the mutiny, he had the sword on his belt when he arrived to Port Royal. Jack wore his sword as he was chased by James Norrington's men of the Royal Navy, shortly after Norrington commented that he half-expected Jack's sword to be made of wood. While in a blacksmith's shop, Jack used his sword in a duel with Will Turner. Later, after some misadventures revolving around Elizabeth Swann's rescue in Isla de Muerta, Jack dueled with Barbossa in battle. During their fight, Jack stabbed Barbossa with his sword, and Barbossa returned the favor; but failed as both pirates were immortal from the Aztec curse, thereby letting neither die. They both grabbed their swords and continued fighting. Jack ultimately won the duel, and still had the sword until his appointment at Fort Charles.

Search for the Dead Man's Chest

Jack Sparrow fighting the Kraken with his sword.

After a series of misadventures, in which Jack did use his sword in, Jack began looking to settle his deal with Davy Jones by finding the Dead Man's Chest. He had the sword when Bootstrap Bill Turner gave Jack the Black Spot. And after he escaped the Pelegostos, he had the sword when he met with Tia Dalma, when he bargained with Jones again, and when he was recruiting more crewmen in Tortuga. Jack later used the sword in Isla Cruces, during a three-way fight with Will Turner and James Norrington. He later used the sword when he faced the Kraken, which led to his supposed death. As Jack was battling the Kraken, he went down with the Black Pearl.

A Pirate Lord's weapon

Even after death, Jack Sparrow still had his sword when he was sent to Davy Jones' Locker. After Jack escaped the Locker with a resurrected Hector Barbossa, he had kept the sword close to him throughout their latest adventure aboard the Black Pearl. The sword was with him during the Fourth Brethren Court and when he was taken aboard the Flying Dutchman. However, the sword perhaps earned its best honor when Jack dueled with Davy Jones atop the masts of the Dutchman in the Battle of Calypso's maelstrom. In his duel with the King of the sea, Jack used his sword to great effect, slicing off one of Jones' facial tentacles before disarming Jones, and then raising his sword to deliver a killing blow.

Jack after Davy Jones breaks his sword.

However, Jones simply raised his claw, caught the sword, and snapped it. Jack though was so attached to his sword that he sheathed it for future use, though it served little use when he confronted Jones a second time. The sword's last act in the battle was when it was used by a wounded Will Turner and Jack to finally stab the heart of Davy Jones, thus defeating Jones for good. After the pirates won the battle, Jack Sparrow sailed the Black Pearl to Tortuga, where he would fix his weapony, including a new and improved sword. It is unknown, however, if Jack reforged his old sword, or more likely acquired a new sword similar in design to his old one. Regardless, Jack Sparrow had the sword on his belt when Barbossa stole the Black Pearl from him once again, and had the sword lying on his dinghy as he sailed to the Fountain of Youth.

Quest for the Fountain of Youth

During the quest for the Fountain of Youth, Jack used his sword on a number of occasions. Jack used the sword during a duel with an impostor, who turned out to be Angelica, in the Captain's Daughter. He also used it during his mutiny on the Queen Anne's Revenge. The sword would hang on Jack's belt when the Revenge arrived to Whitecap Bay where a mermaid attack took place, during which Jack used his sword to save Angelica from a mermaid. Though Jack's sword was snagged away by a mermaid, Angelica found it after the attack and gave it back to Jack, who would continue wearing it on his belt.

Jack using his sword at the Fountain of Youth.

While Jack wore the sword on his belt during the main quest to the Fountain, he would use it in the later half of the journey. Jack used it during his reunion and brief alliance, in which he would fight against the Spanish, with Hector Barbossa. After finding the Fountain, Jack used his sword during the battle that took place, in which he would confront Scrum and Angelica. Jack would continue wearing this sword on his belt.

Design and usage

Jack Sparrow's sword

It may not be an admiral's sword, but in Jack's hands, it was a lethal weapon. Jack was taught swordsmanship by an Italian fencing master in exchange for a captured cargo of silk. Most pirates prefer the cutlass, but Jack felt it important to have a slightly longer sword, to keep enemies a few extra inches away.

Behind the scenes

• Jack Sparrow's sword first appeared in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Although the sword was classified as a saber in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide and The Complete Visual Guide, it was mostly classified as a cutlass or hanger, and was given several different names across media. The Master Replicas series named it as "Jack Sparrow's cutlass" or "Jack Sparrow's sword". In the Disney+ series Prop Culture, swordsmith Tony Swatton called it the "Jack Sparrow Hero Sword".
• For the original prop in The Curse of the Black Pearl, the film crew went to great lengths to maintain authenticity from head to toe—Jack Sparrow's sword (as used by actor Johnny Depp in the film) is an original that dates from the 1750s. In the "Captain Jack: From Head to Toe" special feature in the DVD/Blu-ray release for Dead Man's Chest, property master Kristopher E. Peck said the original sword was from the 1740s, bought by the first film's property master Charles Stewart and first assistant director Peter Kohn on a trip to a store called Blunderbuss Antiques in London. According to Peck, of the hundreds of swords built for the movie, the balance of Jack's sword "feels the best. [...] Heavy in the backhand, so you're quick with the blade." There's also a crook at the end of the sword's scabbard that Peck was always trying to straighten out, but Depp was like, "No, no, no. I like that." On that note, Peck said, "That's how you know it's Johnny's scabbard for his sword." In Prop Culture, Jack Sparrow's "hero sword" would be described as built in 2002, having a steel blade and guard with a period hardwood grip.
• Because the swords used by Jack Sparrow in The Curse of the Black Pearl and the back-to-back production of Dead Man's Chest and At World's End were spoken of as the same sword, it can be assumed that these swords are one and the same, but as of yet unconfirmed. Jack's sword in the latter film, however, got snapped by Davy Jones' crab claw during the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, and was used in Will Turner's action of stabbing the heart of Davy Jones. However, with no explanation, only the handle of Jack's sword is seen in the ending scene(s) at Tortuga and Jack's dinghy. Production-wise, the details regarding the fate of Jack Sparrow's sword was not decided, with the Tortuga ending scene of At World's End was filmed in April 6, 2005, whereas the Maelstrom battle sequence was shot mid-September to early December 2006. There is currently no in-universe reason behind this error other than fan speculation about Jack having his old sword reforged, or that he simply acquired a new sword. However, screenwriter Terry Rossio stated his opinion on the subject that Jack, being a pirate, and having no particular sentimental attachment to any particular sword, would simply acquire a new sword, rather than go to the trouble of re-forging. One reason being the "difficulty of finding the proper facilities - they might exist, but they wouldn't be easily used by a wanted pirate." The second reason, of which Rossio is partly of the belief, is that his version of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales would introduce a "sword of special significance for Jack." Although the concept of Jack Sparrow's bane never made it to the final cut of the film, it was retained in Rossio's unproduced screenplay.
• Throughout On Stranger Tides, Jack Sparrow repeatedly lost and recovered his sword. In the same film, the sword's blade seems to be shorter than in the previous films, supporting Rossio's aforementioned theory. This is most notably noticeable during the battle at Whitecap Bay, where Jack loses his sword and remained swordless through the aftermath. But after Blackbeard gave the order to the Queen Anne's Revenge crew ("Back to the ship. We head for a protected cove. Now."), Jack immediately had his sword in his hand without any indication of how he retrieved it. According to what was written in a screenplay draft of On Stranger Tides, Angelica tosses Jack back his sword. Blackbeard notes the gesture, turns his back and moves on --, which occurred after Blackbeard's aforementioned line. There were at least one clip from a featurette, as well as a promotional image of Angelica holding Jack's sword, both of which prove the scene was filmed.
• In Kingdom Hearts II, the name of Jack Sparrow's sword was "Skill and Crossbones".

Appearances

• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean
• The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure
• The Price of Freedom
• 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
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First appearance)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (comic)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
• Pirates of the Caribbean Online (trailers and tv spots only)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: A Storm at Sea
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Non-canon appearances

• Kingdom Hearts II
• Kingdom Hearts III
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game

Sources

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide
• Prop Culture