Ghost Pirates are cursed spirits of criminal sailors condemned to wander and sail the high seas forever due to a curse or some any conjuring.
Appearance[]
They are described as ghostly figures or as skeletal-looking living corpses. In many stories they were who in life had their desire to find a treasure but not to mention that the treasure would supposedly be cursed. In other versions they were Pirates who died in battle, or who died along with their ship due to a storm.
Folklore[]
- Henrik Van der Decken: The Classic legend of the Flying Dutchman, has Captain Hendrik Van der Decken (or Willem Depending on the version) as its protagonist, although he was not a pirate himself (depending on the version) he was a dutch ship captain who sailed around the cape of good hope, in South Africa, when he was surprised by a violent storm.
- The Ghost of Blackbeard: The cruel pirate Blackbeard (real name Edward Teach) was a large man who lived up to his nickname with a thick black beard that reached almost to his waist. He used to style his beard in braids adorned with black ribbons, and on his shoulders he carried a bandolier with three pistols. For twenty-seven months, Blackbeard terrorized the sailors of the Atlantic and the Caribbean, boarding ships to escape with their cargo, and killing the crew of those ships that dared to put up any resistance. He used to carry out the attacks at dawn or dusk, hiding in the shadows. The pirate ship flies the flag of a country friendly to the victim's, and then hoists the pirate flag at the last moment. When the victims surrendered voluntarily, he spared their lives; on the contrary, his cruelty had no limits nor did he know mercy when he had to subdue his enemies. In November 1718, Blackbeard retired to his favorite refuge on Ocracoke Island. There, an uncontrolled pirate party was held, where alcohol flowed between large bonfires. The party went on for days, and several North Carolinians sent a message to Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia. Governor Spotswood immediately ordered two ships, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy, to set sail for Ocracoke and capture the pirates. On November 21, 1718, Maynard and Blackbeard engaged in a bitter battle. One of Maynard's ships blocked the escape route of Blackbeard's ship. Blackbeard steered The Adventure, such was the name of his ship, very close to the shore. It seemed that the pirate would run aground, but at the last second the ship found its way through a narrow channel. One of the Navy ships ran aground on a sandbar trying to emulate the pirate. Blackbeard fired his cannons at it, inflicting heavy casualties among Maynard's men. The crew members who had survived the shrapnel hid below deck, hoping to fool the pirates into thinking they had won. When the pirates boarded the ship, Maynard and his men attacked them. The clash was bloody. Blackbeard and Maynard came face to face, shooting each other. Blackbeard missed, but Maynard caught up with the pirate. Still wounded, Blackbeard disarmed the soldier with his sword and prepared to deliver the final blow, but one of Maynard's men slashed his throat from behind. Blackbeard continued to fight as blood poured from his neck. It took five more shots and twenty cuts before the pirate dropped dead. Maynard must have thought that the only way to ensure Blackbeard's death was to behead him. The head was hung from the bowsprit and the pirate's body was thrown overboard. According to legend, as the body fell into the water, the head dangling from the bowsprit called out, "Come on Edward!" and the headless body swam three times around the ship, before sinking to the bottom. From that day until today, they maintain, the ghost of Blackbeard haunts Ocracoke Island in search of his head. Sometimes the headless ghost floats on the surface of the water, or swims below it. On certain occasions, people report seeing a strange light coming from the shore of Ocracoke Island. On nights when the ghost light appears, if the wind blows inland, you can still hear Blackbeard's ghost pacing up and down and roaring,-“Where's my head?”
- Davy Jones: A legendary pirate of sea stories. He is known for the legend of the Davy Jones's Locker, which is found at the bottom of the sea, where the lost sailors are found.
-“You will be sent to the Davy Jones's Locker” is a euphemism for death at sea, while Davy Jones is a nickname meant to represent the demon of the sea. The origins of the name are unclear and many hypotheses have arisen around it. In many legends Davy Jones is the ghost of a captain with a curse, he and his crew can only set foot on dry land once every ten years.