Before Kenny Rogers amazed the world with his songwriting prowess and his world famous roasted chicken recipe, there was another Roger who swept through the world with his sea adventures and nautical exploits. No, I'm not talking about a famous captain, or explorer that has a Roger on his or her name. I'm talking about Jolly Roger, the universal symbol for pirates and wannabe pirates for that matter. And between Kenny and Jolly, I would say the latter Roger has had more appearances in Hollywood these past few years. With movies such as The Pirates of the Caribbean, there's no doubt the world has this special fascination for pirates and the life of one.
The Jolly Roger was created with the collaborative efforts of four famous pirates namely Edward England, John Taylor, Sam Bellamy and John Martel. Those four were notorious for their adventures in the seas of Africa and India. Their idea for a pirate symbol however, extended farther from these seas wherein their lives as pirates were mostly spent. Eventually, their design became the generic symbol for pirates and piracy, and did spread menace all over the world of sea navigation
Since its rise to popularity, a lot of different versions of this pirate symbol have emerged. Every famous pirate captain had his own version. However despite the numerous versions, the famous element of the original design was carried over. This element being the figure of the skull over crossed bones on a black background. The same design you would see on the labels of toxic substances these days, such as poisons and other industrial fluids.
Probably you can make your own Jolly Roger design if you have a yacht or a small boat, just be careful though, you might attract attention from the coastguard. Better buy some Pirate Nautical Pennants. Surely those coast guard guys own some too, and pirate fans don't arrest pirate fans. Rawr!
by:
The Flagman
