Piracy is fanned by romantic and adventure myths. Thanks to books and films in the minds of many people, an interesting image of a person trying to be happy has developed. However, many stereotypes about pirates regarding lifestyle and appearance are an absolute fiction.
Piracy is a dangerous criminal profession
Piracy is fanned by numerous legends, myths and stereotypes. Most often, when mentioning the sea robber, thoughts skip to the images created by directors and writers. Funny Captain Jack Sparrow, Silver with a wooden leg, the bearded Edward Teach and other heroes amuse someone, scare someone, disgust someone. However, few remain indifferent to them.
But the fictional screen / literary pirate life consists of many stereotypes. One of the most common: pirates are romantic natures and unrecognized geniuses. This myth is dispelled by numerous historical documents proving two things.
First: either very poor people or very greedy agreed to piracy. The main motive was personal enrichment and the opportunity to earn extra money. The second feature: pirates became very rare very rich. As a rule, they did not go in search of treasures, but engaged in prosaic robbery, attacking merchant ships. If a pirate was caught at the crime scene, he was threatened with a gallows. When arrested on shore - guaranteed hard labor or the same rope.
The second stereotype concerns ships. The screens most often show huge pirate ships with many sails and an awesome black flag with a skull and crossbones. Real pirates have never used a large transport to "work", because it is notable for poor maneuverability. The robber ships were small, brisk and had excellent driving performance.
The third stereotype relates to the field of activity of pirates. It is believed that people who have taken this path are distinguished by their courage and crazy courage, so they resolutely attack every oncoming ship indiscriminately. However, the robbers looked exclusively for profit, so their main goal was merchant ships. Pirates have always tried to avoid warships.
Stereotypes about pirate appearance
Many cinematic pirates flaunt in multilayer outfits, hung with all kinds of accessories. In reality, this was practically not. The pirate had to constantly do any work on the ship, so the priority was comfortable and convenient costumes that did not hamper the movements.
The following stereotype relates to physical attractiveness: a wooden prosthesis instead of a leg and a hook instead of a hand. The first image is more of a myth. As a rule, if urgent amputation of the leg was required, a cook (cook) conducted it on the ship. This operation most often ended in death (from infection or heavy bleeding), rather than ordering a prosthesis. But the stereotype of the hook is a reality. Moreover, only pirates of the highest rank could afford such a functional and convenient thing for battle.
Thanks to Treasure Island, a talking parrot is considered one of the main pirate companions. However, this stereotype is only a literary fiction. Pirates were practical people, so no animals and birds were kept on ships. First, livestock must be fed and watered with something. Secondly, they can interfere with work in every way. Thirdly, they need to be looked after and cleaned.
So what is the truth?
Some prevailing stereotypes are true. For example, the fact that the pirates wore a blindfold on one of the eyes. But this accessory was not used at all to close a wound or an empty eye socket. Thanks to the darkness that one eye was getting used to, a pirate could easily engage in an unexpected battle both in daylight and in a dark hold.
Pirates often grew long beards. This was due not so much to the style as to the inability to put oneself in order. The stereotype of the dishonesty of robbers is also true. Swimming in the sea / ocean was often unsafe, and there were practically no bathrooms on the pirate ships.
Drinking stereotypes are also true in their own way. Pirates drank for several reasons: to keep warm before going to bed, get rid of physical pain after a fight, forget about seasickness, when celebrating a victory. Some had to drink to maintain morale, as opponents rarely gave up without a fight.
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