- "The sea has turned to blood. A sailor washed ashore talking about the Trident. He was looking for Jack Sparrow. The same pirate who saved a witch from the gallows."
"She's no witch."
"But you are. And you're going to help us." - ―John Scarfield and Shansa about Carina Smyth
Witch was a term rooted in European mythology and superstition for a practitioner of witchcraft, magic or sorcery. Traditionally associated with malevolent magic, with those accused of witchcraft being the target of witch-hunts, the term "witch" could take on a different meaning and simply refer to an alluring woman capable of 'bewitching' others.
History[]
- "You know what ‘witch’ is? Woman who works magic, da?"
"Yes, I know what that is. But aren’t witches supposed to be ugly?" - ―Boris Palachnik and Jack Sparrow
Shortly before the battle of New Orleans, the pirate captain Laura Smith called Madame Minuit a witch, but the voodoo practitioner did not like to be refered to as such.[1]
The Koldunya—which means "witch" in Russian—was a pirate ship that was captained by Boris Palachnik.[2] During the quest for Zerzura, some crewmembers of the EITC merchantman Wicked Wench believed their passenger Ayisha was a witch.[3]
During the quest for the Trident of Poseidon, despite being a horologist, Carina Smyth was accused of practicing witchcraft and repeatedly called a witch. Whereas Shansa was a sea witch in service to Captain Hector Barbossa and Lieutenant John Scarfield.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
- The role of the witches in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was much greater in Jeff Nathanson's 2013 early draft of the script. Four of them discovered the Eye of Poseidon on behalf of the French Royal Navy, only to be killed when they weren't needed anymore. The witch Melia sought to avenge their deaths by leading both Jack Sparrow and Admiral Scarfield's forces into a trap in the Devil's Triangle where she made an alliance with the ghost of Captain John Brand so they could find the Trident of Poseidon and use it to kill all of their enemies.[5]
- In the video game Pirates of the Caribbean Online there was a Voodoo Doll called Witch Doll.
- In Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours young Jack Sparrow lists the Sea Hag among the magical people who might owe him a favour. The Sea Hag is an old maritime folk tale of an evil sea witch who kills sailors foolish enough to come close to her.
- In Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life, Jack Sparrow refered to the sirens as "those watery witches".
Appearances[]
- Jack Sparrow: City of Gold (First mentioned)
- The Price of Freedom (Mentioned only)
- Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East (Mentioned only)
- The Star of the Seas
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War (First appearance)
- The Brightest Star in the North: The Adventures of Carina Smyth (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
External links[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Jack Sparrow: City of Gold, p. 85 - 86
- ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Two, Lady Esmeralda
- ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Eleven, Pirates and Rogues
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
- ↑ Dead Men Tell No Tales script by Jeff Nathanson, second draft, 5/6/2013