Jack Sparrow's bone trinket

"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 bone trinket
Object information
Made	Prior to 1708
Owner(s)	Unknown Wicked Wench crewman Jack Sparrow
Behind the scenes
First appearance	On Stranger Tides
Latest appearance	Dead Men Tell No Tales

"Is that your tooth?"
"Aye. I broke it, swallowed it, passed it, sifted it, retrieved it, polished it—fashion."

―Edward Teague and Jack Sparrow

This trinket was a trinket that appeared to be made of finger bones owned by the pirate Jack Sparrow. It consisted of a Chinese luck coin tied to some copper wire around one finger bone, and a barrel bead around another bone, a red bead, and a gold tooth at the bottom. Regarding the gold tooth, it was purportedly one of Jack's gold teeth that fell out and the pirate swallowed before retrieving it.

Following an adventure in which young "Jack the Sparrow" defeated Captain Armando Salazar by leading the Silent Mary into the Devil's Triangle, the crew of the Wicked Wench offered Jack tribute, which included this trinket. Although Jack kept it as one of the little dangly bits and beads tied in his hair, hanging off his signature red bandanna, Sparrow would actually not begin wearing the bone trinket until decades later, after his Piece of Eight was destroyed during the Fourth Brethren Court. Jack Sparrow eventually tied the bone trinket to his hair and bandanna, most notably wearing it during the quest for the Fountain of Youth.

History

Tribute

The trinket being one of the items presented as tribute to Jack the Sparrow.

"What's all this?"
"Tribute, sir."

―Jack Sparrow and Bowen

During the battle with Captain Armando Salazar's ship, the Silent Mary, the captain of the Wicked Wench died and gave command to young Jack Sparrow, who defeated Salazar by tricking him into sailing straight into the Devil's Triangle. The Wicked Wench crew then proceeded to offer Jack tribute, with one of the crewmen giving him this trinket. It consisted of a Chinese luck coin tied to some copper wire around one finger bone, and a barrel bead around another finger bone, a red bead, and a gold tooth.

Quest for the Fountain of Youth

Although Captain Jack Sparrow kept the finger bone trinket, as one of the dangly bits and beads to tie in his hair and hang just above his signature red bandanna with a story from his travels and adventures, he would actually not begin wearing it until decades later. As the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea, Jack wore his Piece of Eight off his bandanna until after the Fourth Brethren Court, where it was cut off and burned to a crisp during the incantation to release Calypso. After the War Against Piracy, Jack began the process of replacing his piece of eight with other trinkets.

Jack wearing the trinket during the quest for the Fountain of Youth.

By 1750, Jack Sparrow began wearing the bone trinket, tying it in his hair and above his bandanna. He notably found some beads on adventures that all tell a story, as well as a gold tooth at the bottom. Regarding the gold tooth, it was purportedly one of Jack's gold teeth that fell out and the pirate swallowed before retrieving it. Jack also had the trinket tied to where it wouldn't be cut off, like his piece of eight did. Though he wore his tricorne hat over it, Jack Sparrow would wear the bone trinket in his further adventures, most notably wearing it during the quest for the Fountain of Youth. After losing his hat in London, England, Jack's trinket would be most exposed through the rest of the voyage aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, through a jungle trek in a mysterious Caribbean island, and the remainder of the quest. For unknown reasons, Jack ceased wearing the trinket prior to the quest for the Trident of Poseidon, and instead wore a different one. It is unknown what he did with this trinket afterwards.

Behind the scenes

Jack Sparrow's bone trinket

"In the third film, when all the pirate lords had to release their pieces of eight, mine was the dingle hanging off my bandanna. So it was gone at the end of 3. I thought it would be interesting if Jack had reason to put another one on there. He found some beads on adventures, and they all tell a story. But there's also a gold tooth at the bottom. He lost one of his gold teeth—it fell out, and he swallowed it. And then...well, he waited for it!"

―Johnny Depp

• The name of this trinket is unknown, though fans have referred to it as the "Zombie Finger" trinket. This is most likely because the trinket first appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the first film in the Pirates to include zombies.
• In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for On Stranger Tides, Jack Sparrow and Captain Teague have a conversation, in which Jack revealed he broke, swallowed, sifted, retrieved and polished one of his teeth into his new trinket. While the scene never made it to the final cut of the film, it was retained in the behind the scenes footage. Although it is unknown if it remains canon, actor Johnny Depp had stated in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that one of Jack's gold teeth was used for this trinket. It is possible that the tooth being Jack's is the only difference in the trinkets.
• Despite the aforementioned backstory intended for On Stranger Tides, Dead Men Tell No Tales reveals "Jack the Sparrow" was given the bone trinket as tribute from the crew of the Wicked Wench. However, while an unnamed pirate was seen holding the trinket in his right hand, he is next seen putting a waist sash on the foredeck next to Bowen's sword.

Appearances

• The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (First appearance)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Sources

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