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Witch

Shansa the witch
"You know what 'witch' is? Woman who works magic, da?"
"Yes, I know what that is. But aren't witches supposed to be ugly?"
―Boris Palachnik and Jack Sparrow[src]

Witch was a term rooted in European mythology and superstition for a practitioner of witchcraft, magic or sorcery. Traditionally associated with malevolent magic, with those accused of witchcraft being the target of witch-hunts, the term "witch" could take on a different meaning and simply refer to an alluring woman capable of 'bewitching' others.

History

"The sea has turned to blood. A sailor washed ashore talking about the Trident. He was looking for Jack Sparrow. The same pirate who saved a witch from the gallows."
"She's no witch."
"But you are. And you're going to help us."
―John Scarfield and Shansa[src]

Young Jack Sparrow once referred to the magicks queen Madame Minuit as an "elusive witch doctress" while the crew of the Barnacle was in New Orleans.[1] Shortly before the battle of New Orleans, the pirate captain Laura Smith called Minuit a witch, but she did not like to be referred to as such.[2]

The Koldunya—which means "witch" in Russian—was a pirate ship that was captained by Boris Palachnik, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea.[3] During the quest for Zerzura, some crewmembers of the East India Trading Company merchantman Wicked Wench believed their passenger Ayisha was a witch.[4]

Many years after the sea goddess Calypso was bound into the human form of Tia Dalma, a known voodoo priestess and mystic,[5] the EITC official Sir Thomas Faye described Calypso as a sea witch in his reports.[6]

Prior to the quest for the Trident of Poseidon, according to Mr. Conway, being branded a witch was a crime punishable by death.[7] Despite being a woman of science, an astronomer and horologist, Carina Smyth was accused of practicing witchcraft and repeatedly called a witch.[8] Whereas Shansa was truly a sea witch in service to Captain Hector Barbossa and Lieutenant John Scarfield.[9]

Behind the scenes

Witch was first mentioned through young Jack Sparrow referring to Madame Minuit as an "elusive witch doctress" in the 2006 book Jack Sparrow: The Age of Bronze,[1] with the term "witch" by itself first being used in Jack Sparrow: City of Gold.[2] Despite her first appearance being the 2006 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,[5] the term "witch" was not used to describe Tia Dalma, a voodoo priestess and mystic as well as the human form of the sea goddess Calypso, until the 2007 book The Secret Files of the East India Trading Company.[6]

In Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours young Jack Sparrow lists the Sea Hag among the magical people who might owe him a favour.[10] The Sea Hag is an old maritime folk tale of an evil sea witch who kills sailors foolish enough to come close to her.[citation needed]

Witches make appearances or are referenced in video games. The Witch Doll was a voodoo doll and a crude item featured in Pirates of the Caribbean Online[11] In Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life, Jack Sparrow referred to the sirens as "those watery witches".[12]

The role of the witches in Dead Men Tell No Tales was much greater in Jeff Nathanson's 2013 early draft of the script. Four of them discovered the Eye of Poseidon on behalf of the French Royal Navy, only to be killed when they weren't needed anymore. The witch Melia sought to avenge their deaths by leading both Jack Sparrow and Admiral Scarfield's forces into a trap in the Devil's Triangle where she made an alliance with the ghost of Captain John Brand so they could find the Trident of Poseidon and use it to kill all of their enemies.[13] By the final version of the film, Shansa appeared as the only witch, with Carina Smyth being mistaken as one.[9]

Appearances

Sources

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jack Sparrow: The Age of Bronze, p. 62
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jack Sparrow: City of Gold, pp. 85-86
  3. ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Two: Lady Esmeralda
  4. ↑ The Price of Freedom, Chapter Eleven: Pirates and Rogues
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Secret Files of the East India Trading Company, The Brethren Court
  7. ↑ The Brightest Star in the North: The Adventures of Carina Smyth, p. 26
  8. ↑ The Secret of Galileo's Diary
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  10. ↑ Jack Sparrow: Dance of the Hours
  11. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean Online
  12. ↑ Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life
  13. ↑ Dead Men Tell No Tales script by Jeff Nathanson, second draft, 5/6/2013