How did the pirate flag originate? How to draw a pirate flag

Arrrrr, land rats. I can’t set foot on the ground, the sand, the sea - that’s life, that’s freedom. Treasures, eternal drunken swimming, racketeering and blackmail, big guns and... Rum, rum, rum. Oh yes, kids, now you will find out. Do you know what is more beautiful than open space, hidden treasures, the rigors of everyday life on the deck and a bottle of rum? Piracy originated in those days when people realized that the sea was not a bad way of transportation. The downside is that there is nowhere to go. Plus - sirens, huge ferocious squids. In general, not boring. But there are always people who will think What? - and they will sink the ship, taking with them everything that is luminous and golden. And women. And alcohol. And when you are doing something exciting, you need to name it. This is where the concept of piracy came into being.

But this was not enough. We need symbolism, something that distinguishes pirates from ordinary mortals. This is how the Jolly Roger appeared - a skull and knuckles on a canvas. If suddenly, completely unnoticeably and quietly, a boat with a flag with an hourglass on it sailed up to you, this meant very interesting thing. It read: We do not take prisoners for ransom. They will die. Everyone will die, that is.

Now closer to the water. There are several things that you landlubbers might know, but it would be of no use, since you don’t know everything correctly. Listen here:

If you think that all pirates were one-eyed because they wore eye patches, you are ignorant, monsieur. All because there was no electricity, there was only water all around, and the hold was as dark as night in Uganda. To do this, one eye sees in the dark, the other in the light of God's day. Simple and brilliant.
If you think that pirate earrings are all the rage, you are twice as ignorant, sir. The life of a pirate is hard, you can die at any second, but who will arrange the funeral? Who will invite classmates and ex-lovers for the repose of the soul? Nobody. And who will pay? But this issue was resolved in this way - the earrings were expensive, and their price was quite enough to bury the pirate with honors. Or to feed one African tribe for a week.
Well, if you think that software piracy is when someone surfs the Internet on their modem and steals files, then forgive me, of course. And although modern piracy is not so seafaring and joyful, it brings no less hemorrhoids ordinary people. And on native Rus' Almost everyone uses the product of isolating pirate organizations.

But don't worry, pirates still exist. Have you ever heard of ship hijackings? Pirates are here to stay, as long as maps of undiscovered treasures exist. Try your luck and draw a pirate girl. Come on, try it. Take a risk.

How to draw a pirate with a pencil step by step

Step one. Yes, the girl is a pirate. And there were such things. Using sticks we draw a little man with a saber and a hat. We miss some sticks, it’s a girl. Step two. The stereotype says that pirate girls were like modern models Victoria Secret, which means she still has the same figure. We draw with contours beautiful shapes, long legs and a large saber. And a feather in your hat, of course. Step three. We remove unnecessary lines, putty, contours. We leave beautiful body to be torn to pieces by a pencil. A little fluff on the legs, ribbons on the hat, various bells and whistles, and so on, as you can see. Step four. More, more gadgets! We'll fix the belt there, more trinkets in the chest area, belt, wrists. Pirates loved to carry all the loot, no matter what was there. Stylish, promising, extravagant. Step five. Let's try to make a beautiful face. Well, and most importantly - Roger on the hat. Now it’s clear that this is a pirate. You can also take a look here, I highly recommend trying it.

Modern children, just like their peers many years ago, dream of raising a pirate flag over their schooner and becoming formidable conquerors of the depths of the sea. Books, films and computer games on this topic do not lose their popularity and become the basis for children's games.

Why is the “Jolly Roger”, as the pirate flag is commonly called, considered the main symbol sea robbers, for what reason was this name assigned to it, when and where did it appear, and what do the symbols depicted on it mean? Let's try to figure this out.

Before answering the questions posed, let's remember who was considered a pirate, what these people were like.

Who are they?

In reality, sea robbers were not as funny as they are portrayed in the animated film “Abrafax under the Pirate Flag.” The word "pirate" is quite ancient, and scientists believe that it originated in the 5th century BC. Translated from Latin, it means “sea robber trying his luck.” Over time, other names appeared: buccaneer, privateer, filibuster, privateer, buccaneer, corsair.

Robbery "in law"

Privateers, filibusters, corsairs and privateers practiced pirate robberies of ships of other powers during the war, receiving special letters of marque for this - official permission from one or another royal house. For such a license to rob, they all paid a certain percentage to the state, thus replenishing the treasury. When attacking enemy ships, they were required to raise the flag of the country that gave them permission. But the raised black pirate flag meant the presentation of an ultimatum to surrender. If the enemy did not intend to do this, the privateers raised a red flag, which warned that there would be no mercy.

After the end of the wars, many hired robbers did not want to leave such a profitable business. They continued to rob the merchant ships of both their former enemies and their former masters.

How it all began

For the first time, the “Jolly Roger” as a pirate flag, according to documentary evidence, began to be used by Emmanuel Vine at the end of the 17th century. early XVII I centuries. The image on his flag known to us today was supplemented hourglass, which meant the following: “Your time is running out.” Subsequently, many leaders of sea robbers developed their own unique version of the drawing “ Jolly Roger" Raising such a flag warned the captains about who they were dealing with.

The oldest surviving pirate flag, the photo of which you see below, is located in Portsmouth National Museum England. He was captured in battle off the African coast in 1780. And today you can see small bullet holes with burnt edges on it.

What colour is he?

The pirate flag, familiar to us from movies and cartoons, is black. However, this was not always the case. Initially, the pirates used a red cloth, which meant that everyone would be destroyed and no mercy should be expected. In addition, sea robbers could use both national flags to intimidate or reduce the vigilance of their opponents, and banners of other colors, identifying themselves to their allies.

Why is it called that?

Many people wonder why the pirate flag is called the “Jolly Roger”. Today there are several theories trying to explain this.

The first of them says that during the plague and other infectious diseases, a black flag with two white stripes was raised on ships, warning other ships of the danger. Later the stripes became crossed. They were joined by a human skull, which is what the sea robbers used.

Another version is based on the documented fact that in France the privateer flag was officially called Joyeux Rouge - “jolly red”. The British pirates rethought and heard this: Also remember the fact that at the end of the 17th century in Great Britain laws were passed against vagrancy - rouge laws, and the word “roger” can be understood as “swindler”, “beggar”, “tramp”. In addition, in the northern provinces of England and Ireland, “Old Roger” was sometimes called the leader of the dark forces.

There is another hypothesis: the pirate flag received its name thanks to King Roger II of Sicily (1095-1154). This ruler became famous for his many victories both at sea and on land, under which crossed bones were depicted.

Popular symbols

For us, the obligatory design that adorns the pirate flag (the picture is shown below) is a human skull and two crossed bones on a black background.

Indeed, this symbol of death was the most widely used, both among sea robbers and on tombstones in England. No less common signs that reminded everyone that a grave awaited everyone were skeletons, hourglasses, swords and spears, crossed swords and sabers, raised glasses and wings. These were popular symbols that anyone could decipher. So, wings meant fleeting time, and a full glass meant a toast to death. Similar images were found both individually and in various combinations.

Personal Rogers

As already mentioned, the skull and crossbones is one of the oldest and the most famous options"Jolly Roger" It is worth noting that it was in this form that it was used by Edward England, a sea robber from Ireland who engaged in robbery in the Indian Ocean in the first quarter of the 18th century. Many captains tried to create their own easily recognizable pattern on the flag.

Thus, the rather famous Welsh captain Bartholomew Roberts, who traded in the Caribbean in the 18th century, decorated the pirate flag (the picture is just below) with himself, standing on two skulls above the abbreviations AMN (A Martiniquar's Head - “Martinican skull”) and ABH (A Barbadian's Head - “Barbadian skull”).

For some reason, this Welshman very much disliked the inhabitants of these islands, and, correctly understanding this hint, the ships from those parts preferred to surrender without a fight.

Christopher Mudin, who pirated in the Carolina area at the beginning of the 17th century, decorated his pirate flag, the photo of which you see below, with a skull and crossbones, an hourglass with wings and a hand with a raised sword.

The flag, better known as Blackbeard, features a skeleton holding an hourglass and a spear pointing at his bleeding heart.

Who raises pirate flags today?

Don’t think that the “Jolly Roger” is raised today only at children’s or adult parties. Introduced back in the First world war The tradition of submariners entering the port after a successful operation with the pirate flag raised is alive today in many fleets. And even during the war with Iraq, many British submarines raised the “Jolly Roger” when returning to base.

Such flags symbolically told the history of the ship, as well as its achievements. The submarine crew made the pirate flag with their own hands, adding various details to it after successful operations. Today's collection of modern "Jolly Rogers" in the English Museum of the Royal Navy includes fifteen copies, which are characterized by their own unique symbols. For example, red rectangles represent military ships, and white rectangles represent merchant ships. The image of the dagger indicates that the submarine took part in some kind of espionage or secret operations off enemy shores.

If you want to learn how to draw a pirate flag with a pencil step by step, take a few simple steps.

Step 1. You will start sketching out the shape of the skull's head like so. Be sure to make the cheekbones and gum bones clearly defined as well.

Step 2. Starting from the middle you will start drawing with holes for the eyes or eye sockets like so. Next, sketch out the shape of the nose hole, then draw in your skeletal teeth.

Step 3. Here you will be able to finish the skull by drawing the lower jaw, then sketch in the rest of the teeth, which is also known as the lower jaw.

Step 4. Now that the head is done, you can draw out the bone style saber or sword. The hilt is made of bone, the guard is made of bone, and even the sword is sharpened by bone,

Step 5. Finally, draw another sword the same way you drew the first one. Everything remains the same, just different sides. Erase the mistakes and you are done with the pirate flag design.

Step 6. Here is the line art now that you are done. Now you can paint this pirate flag with a skull also known as the Jolly Roger, or a skull and crossbones.

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How to Draw a Pirate Skull and Crossbones Step by Step

Step 1
And so let's start drawing our skull) Let's start by drawing an egg. This will be our basic skull shape.
Step 2
Now we must draw the eye sockets so that they are symmetrical to each other and do not move in any direction, then we draw the nose.
Step 3
So, we need to draw the cheekbones on our skull and also not forget about the brow ridges, marking them with a curved line as shown in the figure. The main thing is not to rush, but to try to do everything evenly and cleanly, depending on who))
Step 4
We begin to schematically depict the jaw; the shape of the lower jaw is somewhat similar to a door handle. Next you need to add some details, such as the sockets for the teeth.
Step 5
Draw the teeth as shown in the picture
Step 6
Let's draw a crack on the forehead and start drawing the approximate location of the crossing bones. If you draw with a pencil, then you always have a chance to erase lines or shapes that didn’t turn out, that’s what the eraser is for))
Step 7
We finish with the bones of our skull and move on to the next step
Step 8
Let's go over the detailing of the skull and bones. Add some curved lines along the edges of the bones.
Step 9
Our skull head is almost ready. All we have to do is erase the unnecessary lines. Don't forget to add a bullet hole to the skull.
Step 10
Here is the final result of our work. And now, march to scrub the deck, Karamba!!! P.S. I hope this lesson will be useful to beginners who want to learn how to draw. If this post helps anyone, I will certainly translate more lessons and make my own. Thanks to all))

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How to draw a skull pierced by a dagger with a snake step by step

Step 1
We will begin our drawing by drawing sketch lines of the base of the skull. To do this, draw a circle, then draw a line in its lower part, and draw an oval in the upper part. Then at the top of the circle we draw a semicircular line, as you see in our example.
Step 2
Let's start drawing the snake's face. To do this, draw the upper and lower jaws of the snake, as in our sketch.
Step 3
Let's draw the snake's face in more detail. To do this, draw its eyes, nostrils, upper and lower fangs, and then draw a long tongue for the snake.
Step 4
Draw the curved body of the snake. After we draw it, we move on to drawing a sketch of the skull.
Step 5
Let's start by drawing the top of the skull and then gradually move on to drawing the cheekbones, brow bone and upper jaw.
Step 6
Now that we have drawn the skull shape, drawing the facial details of the skull will be much easier. And now we are drawing eyeballs and the bone of the bridge of the nose. Special attention Pay attention to drawing the eyes of the skull, as they give the tattoo a particularly mesmerizing look.
Step 7
We draw the teeth, and then the blade of the dagger, which pierces right through the skull.
Step 8
Draw the lower part of the skull. Afterwards we draw the areas for the teeth, and only then draw the teeth of the skull. As you draw, make sure that the lower teeth are the same size as the upper teeth.
Step 9
We draw the back surface of the skull and add small structural details to it, which will give the skull an even more terrifying look.
Step 10
And finally, we finish drawing the bone handle of the dagger, and then around the skull we finish drawing the snakes encircling the body, as you see in our example.
Step 11
That's all! You've just drawn this scary skull and all you have to do is color it the way you see fit. That's all for me, see you soon!

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How to draw a skull with a rose rosary and a cross

Step 1
Start drawing with the shape for the skull.
Step 2
Now start drawing the outline of the skull.
Step 3
Start drawing then the rose part.
Step 4
Then finish drawing the rose and add petals to it.
Step 5
Add a couple of petals and detail the rose.
Step 6
Draw the teeth.
Step 7
Then draw the shape of the eye and detail the skull.
Step 8

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How to draw a skull with roses step by step

Here we will show you step by step how to draw a skull with roses.

Pirate, in 1700. Mention of this event appears in British Admiralty records of the era. A report by Captain John Cranby dated July 18, 1700 tells of how the British fleet pursued Wynne's pirate ship near the Cape Verde Islands. The flag description contains , bones, an hourglass and a black background. The hourglass on the flag meant that only a quick surrender would save the pirate victims from death.

Flag symbolism

Bones have symbolized death since the times Ancient Rome. They were laid out in catacombs, graves, and crypts of the Middle Ages. Initially, the symbolism of bones meant prolongation of life, life, since the skeleton of a deceased person is preserved much longer than other tissues. Later, the skull and crossbones and their images became a reminder to the living that everyone will die someday. Thus, they came to symbolize death.

Why are the bones on the flag crossed? One explanation for this is the connection with the Christian image. Another variant refers to the depiction of the crucifixion of Christ, which very often included a skull and crossed bones, immediately at the feet of the crucified Jesus. It was a symbol of triumph over death and, at the same time, a reminder of the excavation of the site of the crucifixion - Golgotha, which means “skull” in Greek.

It was precisely because the symbol began to be often used by pirates that it gradually disappeared from the crucifixion by 1800. The idea of the coexistence of the brutal behavior of pirates and the Christian crucifixion in one symbol became unacceptable.

"Jolly Roger" or "handsome red"

The name of the famous pirate flag is shrouded in an aura of mystery. According to one version, Jolly Roger (which translates as “Jolly Roger”) comes from the French joli rouge. But the French phrase is very different in meaning from English: it means “beautiful red.” This is because even before the Jolly Roger came into fashion, some pirate flags were blood red. This color meant that the pirates would not spare anyone they attacked. But this is only one of the versions.
In the era of Queen Elizabeth, which came from French rouge became Roger's name. This name did not mean “tramp” and applied to all asocial elements of society, and especially to the pirates who plied the waters of the English Channel on ships.

Another version claims that the pirates called the devil Old Roger. Hence the name of the flag. They called him cheerful because the skull on the flag seemed to be smiling.

Various interpretations and Hollywood's pirate flag modern culture make it difficult to discover its true origin. Keep in mind that the Jolly Roger is quite short: this flag design was popular with pirates for about the first 20 years of the 18th century.