Yo Ho Ho and A Bottle Of Rum

Think of your favorite pirate character from either a movie you've seen or a story you have read. Are you picturing Johnny Depp from Pirates of The Caribbean? Or maybe Captain Hook from Peter Pan? Perhaps even Black Beard?

The traits and personalities of those pirates that we see in movies and children's storybooks always portray a scruffy, one-eyed, peg legged man. Well, I'm here to tell you that real pirates weren't wobbling around on a wooden leg bantering on about lost treasure and their shivered timbers.

Real life pirates were ruthless, murdering savages. This facade of romance and heroism is a fabricated persona straight out of Hollywood. 

Here I want to give you a vivid example of what the true nature of a pirate was like. In a book I am reading titled, "Under the Black Flag" by David Cordingly, the true stories i read were shocking and horrific. One example is the capture and torture of John Turner in 1806.

Turner who was Chief Mate of a ship named Tay, was held captive for 5 months by Chinese pirates. Aside from the cruel torture John endured he had witnessed even worse. Turner documented the torture of a Chinese soldier who was nailed to the ship deck with large nails. The soldier was then "beaten with four rattans twisted together, till he vomited blood; and after remaining sometime in this state, he was taken ashore and cut to pieces." These same pirates then took another officer, cut out his heart, soaked it in alcohol then ate it.

This is only one of many rapacious and sickening acts that pirates committed. Also one of many of which are never portrayed in todays movies and TV shows. Of course the cleaned up stereotypical version of pirates is more appealing to people than the atrocious truth but people should be aware of the brutal truth. I hope reading this helped you see how pirates are just glorified criminals in todays world.