Grandmama

"Set topsails and clear up this mess."

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"I love a nice, gory battle! Anytime!"

―Grandmama, to Jack Sparrow and his crew.^[src]

Grandmama was the grandmother of Jack Sparrow, and former Pirate Lord of the Atlantic Ocean.

Biography

Early life

"Youngest Pirate Lord ever I was. And the prettiest."

―Grandmama, to Carolina^[src]

In her youth, Grandmama was an infamous pirate captain, garnering enough respect to eventually be named Lord of the Atlantic Ocean. She was present during the second meeting of the Brethren Court, where Morgan and Bartholomew first set down the Pirate Code. She also had the distinction of being the youngest Pirate Lord ever until her grandson joined as Lord of the Caribbean. During the time of the Shadow Lord's threat, Grandmama was the only Pirate Lord from the Second Brethren Court still alive.

Family life

"Dear old Grandmama has tried to kill me on three separate occasions."
"That was her way of showing you she loved you, Jackie."

―Jack Sparrow and Teague^[src]

At some point, Grandmama became a mother and grandmother to Edward Teague and Jack Sparrow, though that part of her life was mostly shrouded in mystery as Teague grew up and took over responsibility for running the clan. Jack Sparrow's family had a tendency to break out into brawls with each other whenever they gathered, with Grandmama herself often having to fend off attacks from "Quick Draw" McFleming with the daggers she kept in her girtle. At some point she and her son developed a friendship with double-dealing navy officer Joshamee Gibbs, who was present at her seventy-fourth birthday party. When Teague had a son of his own, Jack, Grandmama took an influential role in the discipline of her grandchild, whom she dealt with rather harshly (though Teague insisted this was how she demonstrated her caring for Jack). She'd routinely give Jack thrashings so severe she nearly beat him to death three times, and had him locked up in the brig when her cousin Mabeltrude the Violent Visionary prophecied that he'd set her ship on fire when he was eight. Her incessant torturing of Jack was a major part of the reason why he decided to run away from their home in Shipwreck Cove when Grandmama was eighty-two. Despite her perpetual cruelty towards Jack, it appeared she had a genuine love for her grandson deep down, as she nearly died of a broken heart upon learning he had run away.

Wild Waters

"Every day with Grandmama is a new adventure."

―Jack Sparrow, to Jean Magliore^[src]

Shortly after Jack Sparrow and his crew arrived in Libertalia, they encountered Teague, who insisted on bringing them back to the family manor where Grandmama awaited them. Grandmama greeted her grandson and the majority of his crew quite frostily, with the notable exception being Hector Barbossa, whom she quickly began flirting with.

At Teague's request, Grandmama and their guests all sat down to supper together in the manor's exuberently luxorious dining hall. As Grandmama and Teague learned of Jack's recent encounters with the other Pirate Lords, Grandmama began discussing her own days as a former member of the Brethren Court to Jack's impressed crew. At Diego de Leon's inquiry she also disclosed her true personal feelings towards Bartholomew ("...everything a pirate should be...fierce, quick to anger, violent, conniving, the whole package") and Morgan ("a pretty useless pirate").

Later, when Gentleman Jocard led a raid on Teague's manor, Grandmama was able to make skilled use of her daggers against the intruders even in the thick darkness. With her help, Teague, Jack, and the Black Pearl crew were able to subdue Jocard's men and explain that they were not, as Jocard had thought, hosting King Samuel. As a plan was formulated between Jack, Carolina, and Jocard to break into Samuel's fortress, Grandmama decided she wanted to be part of the action.

When Jack, Jocard, and their crews met up at the dock to initiate their surprise attack, Grandmama showed up and despite Jack's objections, insisted on joining their quest, asserting that they "need a real pirate on this mission". When Jocard's Portuguese fiancé, Sarah, arrived at the dock to guide them through the harsh Libertalian jungles, Grandmama suddenly threw off her coat, let out a blood-curdling scream, and tackled Sarah to the ground. After a furious fight that led to both women rolling into the waters below, Diego and Carolina eventually managed to haul Grandmama off the other woman long enough for Marcus, Jocard's first mate, to help Sarah back onto the dock. Grandmama insisted that Sarah was actually Teresa, the mother of King Samuel, whom she remembered meeting right after Teresa had given birth to her son, but Sarah waved off Grandmama as senile. As Grandmama attempted to attack her once more, Sarah conceded that her family was distantly related to the mother of King Samuel but that she died long ago (though even this was an exaggeration of the actual truth). Grandmama continued to remain wary of Sarah as she guided their party to King Samuel's fortress.

Grandmama's suspicions of Sarah were ultimately warranted, as it turned out she was in fact Samuel's half-sister and was leading her fiancé and the rest of the pirates into a trap at the fortress. After Jocard, Barbossa, Jean, Diego, and Carolina were captured in an ambush by Samuel's men, Grandmama quickly came to the rescue, setting off the same elaborate decoy-ship rouse Jack had already tricked Samuel and his men with so she could sneak into the fort herself. After skewering several pirates on her way up to the chamber where her mates were being held, Grandmama quickly freed them all from their bonds with a dagger before leading the charge into the throne room. After commenting that she knew Sarah "looked too much like that hag Teresa", Grandmama fearlessly launched herself at a crowd of guards, and Barbossa chased after her. Together, they managed to fend off the men surrounding the throne and capture the traitor Sarah.

Once her grandson managed to take down King Samuel and acquire his vial of Shadow Gold, Grandmama and the rest of the party sailed back to Libertalia, where her son awaited them. As Teague wished his son goodbye before his final departure from the pirate utopia, Grandmama added a not-so-subtle "good riddance" before beginning to stomp away, indicating that her adventure with Jack did little to change her ultimate esteem of him.

Grandmama also participated in the Day of the Shadow.^[8]

Personality and traits

"How old is she?"
"Safer not to ask."

―Jack Sparrow and Edward Teague on Grandmama^[src]

Grandmama was a very old pirate with sharp black eyes, a spiderweb of wrinkles across her face, and a strong, husky voice. She was known for wearing a set of false teeth, two of which were gold and one of which had a small ruby set in (which often gave Jack nightmares as a child). Even when lounging around her manor, she was typically seen sporting a bright red pirate bandanna over her thick gray curls. Whenever embarking on an important pirate mission, she'd break out her old-fashioned Pirate Lord getup (which Jack observed was the strangest looking pirate outfit he'd ever seen) which included a long white shirt bursting with lacy frills. Her weapons of choice were the many daggers she kept hidden away in her girdle, although she was prone to throwing anything within reach when attacked or annoyed. She also enjoyed using her gleaming wooden cane to beat her grandson with whenever she felt he went out of line.

Grandmama was a generally cantankerous woman, especially when it came to her grandson, who often annoyed her. The only times she appeared truly happy were when she was flirting or given the chance to participate in a "nice, gory battle'. She was an exceptionally quick-witted and intuitive individual, as seen in her ability to quickly deduce that Jack was seeking out Pirate Lords, pick up on the complicated feelings between Carolina and Diego, figure out that Sarah was untrustworthy, and understand the potential merit to Jean's prophecies. She and her grandson appeared engaged in a perpetual competition over which of the two was actually the greatest pirate in the family.

Behind the scenes

Grandmama was first mentioned as "grandmother" in the book Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours,^[9] later identified as "Grandmama" in Sins of the Father, both written by Rob Kidd and published in 2007.^[1] Grandmama later made her first appearance in the 2009 book Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters.^[2]