Pirate Lore

From “Treasure Island” to the new movie “Pirates of the Caribbean,” the idea of pirates seem to embody a spirit of independence, daring and devil-may-care attitude that appeals to people of all ages.  In fact, pirates then and now were usually murderers and criminals of the sort most people would least want to associate with. 

What is it then that makes them so attractive to the imagination? 

They lived outside the bounds of society and they had both resources and opportunities as unavailable to their contemporaries as to us.   They could travel wherever they wanted and had no permanent home beyond their ship.  They lived outside the law and could take whatever they wanted from anyone—Navy vessels, merchantmen, fishing boats, and even coastal settlements.  Often evil, they could sometimes be surprisingly generous.  They lived by their wits, did not have “real jobs,” and answered only to themselves.  It sounds ideal.

In fact, people who took up piracy lived only two years, on average, after they made their decision. If they were not lost at sea, or killed in a brawl with other pirates, they were often captured and hanged.