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Voodoo

Tia Dalma shack
"Witness my desperate search for the voodoo queen, Tia Dalma."
―Jack Sparrow to Will Turner about finding Tia Dalma[src]

Voodoo, also known as Haitian Voodoo, hoodoo, Obeah, and often referred to as the dark arts, was an African religion that developed into a set of spiritual practices, traditions, and beliefs found in the New World. Beginning as a tribal and spiritual belief brought over by enslaved Africans, elements of rituals with the traditional African magical and religious rites evolved into dark magic practiced in parts of the Caribbean. Practitioners of voodoo, if they were accepted into priesthood, may be termed as voodoo priest or priestess. Tia Dalma, the human incarnation of the goddess Calypso, was a mystic and a hoodoo priestess with fathomless powers. Blackbeard was a pirate who simply studied voodoo to his own ends.

History

"Esmeralda, you've been sailing around the Caribbean for a long time. You know about curses, and magic, and hoodoo, and Obeah. You know that, in the Caribbean, they really exist. Right?"
―Jack Sparrow to Esmeralda[src]

In the early 18th century, Voodoo was brought over by African slaves to the Caribbean. There, it mixed with Roman Catholicism and it became a religion with teachings of the Bible incorporated within it. It still used tribal and very spiritual techniques to worship and practice the magic. The knowledge of herbs, poisons, and the ritual creation of charms and amulets, intended to protect oneself or harm others, became key elements of Voodoo.[citation needed]

After the goddess Calypso was bound into her human form by the First Brethren Court, Calypso became Tia Dalma, a mystical priestess of voodoo[1][2] and hoodoo with fathomless powers who lived on the Pantano River.[3] The human incarnation of the goddess most notably helped Captain Jack Sparrow in his life as a young adventurer and an infamous pirate,[4][5] resurrected Captain Hector Barbossa back from the dead,[5] and made mystical crabs carry the Black Pearl in Davy Jones' Locker.[6]

BBandJackDollPromo1

At some point in his life, the fearsome pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach studied voodoo to his own ends, taking a passion for forbidden dark magic,[7] without becoming a voodooist nor being accepted into some religion or cult. He learned a variety of beliefs and techniques, and knew more than just Haitian Voodoo, but mainly practiced Haitian Voodoo.[8] As a brujo,[9] Blackbeard would use his powers to resurrect those he killed into his service through a ritual that creates zombie officers, fashioned voodoo dolls to bend people to his will, and darts dipped in a sleep-inducing elixir,[7] most of which was done while he was at work on the dark arts in the sinister captain's cabin of the Queen Anne's Revenge.[10][11] During the quest for the Fountain of Youth, voodoo darts were used on Jack Sparrow and Philip Swift, while a Jack voodoo doll allowed Blackbeard, his daughter, Angelica, and his zombie quartermaster to toy with Jack's emotions. The effigy of Jack was originally created by Blackbeard to force Sparrow to lead them to the Fountain.[12]

Notable Voodoo practitioners

Beliefs

"So, what's this about magic?"
"Well, a lot of that magic and Obeah lore in the Caribbean comes from the Africans that have been transported here, savvy?"
―Esmeralda and Jack Sparrow[src]

Besides being the practice of ancient magic, voodoo was also a religion. It began as a tribal and spiritual belief in Africa brought over by the slaves to the Caribbean. There, it mixed with Roman Catholicism and it became a religion with teachings of the Bible incorporated within it. It still used tribal and very spiritual techniques to worship and practice the magic.[13][14]

According to Voodoo beliefs, God was unreachable, so the Voodooists mainly prayed to lesser entities, the spirits known as loa. Some of the best known loas were Legba and Ogoun Ferraille.[15]

Dark Magic

Main article: Dark Magic

Similar in nature to Voodoo, Dark Magic differs from other forms of magic in the intent of the person using it. This is a difficult distinction to make in many cases, as most Voodoo magic was relatively neutral—it could be used for bad or good. Some magic, however, was evil in its intention through and through. This intention to do harm places this magic into the realm of the Black Arts. Having studied a variety of beliefs and techniques, Blackbeard knew more than just Voodoo, but he mainly practiced Voodoo.[7][8] He would be at work on the dark arts in the sinister captain's cabin of the Queen Anne's Revenge.[10][11]

Notable Voodoo Weapons

Behind the scenes

Voodoo was first identified in the 2006 reference book Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide,[1] later in the 2007 reprinted version,[2] detailing the voodoo priestess Tia Dalma in the 2006 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.[5] The term "hoodoo" was first mentioned in the 2007 book The Pirates' Guidelines.[3] "Obeah" was first mentioned in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[6] It was also identified as the "dark arts", beginning with Pirates of the Caribbean Online.[14]

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's first screenplay draft for At World's End, Captain Hector Barbossa orders Ragetti to bring up Tia Dalma's "effects", which happens to be a bag full of voodoo dolls representing Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, James Norrington, Davy Jones, Jack Sparrow(which is holding a small bottle), and Barbossa himself.[16] The scene was omitted by the final cut of the film.[6]

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay for On Stranger Tides, the term "voodoo" was used to describe a darts used on Jack Sparrow, as well as a doll fashioned by Edward "Blackbeard" Teach.[17] While the term "voodoo" was used in the film's visual guide[7] and junior novelization,[10] among other media,[9] it was never spoken in the final cut of the film.[12]

In Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides, the novel which was used as the basis for the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,[12] voodoo (or vodun) was heavily featured as Blackbeard was deeply educated in vodun as an assistant to an old English magician before becoming a full-fledged vodun sorcerer known as the hunsi kanzo trying to perfect resurrection magic through the use of the Fountain of Youth.[18] According to Terry Rossio, regarding Blackbeard's supernatural powers in the film, as a Brujo,[9] he knew more than just Haitian Voodoo, but he does practice Haitian Voodoo.[8]

Appearances

Sources

See also

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Pirates' Guidelines
  4. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, pp. 40-41: "Dark Magic"
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Terry Rossio about Blackbeard, Voodoo, and Magic
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Wordplayer.com: SCRIPTS Message Board: Critical analysis, posted by Terry Rossio (March 26, 2013)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Peter Mountain Blackbeard at work on the dark arts
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  13. ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Fourteen: Hard Bargains
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Pirates of the Caribbean Online
  15. ↑ The Compass of Destiny!
  16. ↑ PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, original draft
  17. ↑ Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
  18. ↑ On Stranger Tides