Pirate Flags Are Legendary - But What Do They Mean?

Pirate flags are not only legendary, they were real as well. In the real world of pirates, the flags were each customized for the pirate captain and crew. Each ship strove to set itself apart by having its very own pirate flag design.

Everyone has heard of and seen the famous Jolly Roger pirate flag, but there were countless variations on this design theme. Flags on the open sea had great significance for all ships back during the age of exploration. It was very important for ships to be able to distinguish friendly ships from unfriendly ships, and the flags were the indicator.

Eventually, pirates started making and flying their own flags. The pirate culture had its own codes of conduct, and pirate ships flew their own flags for purposes of intimidation. Backgrounds for pirate flags were red or black, but most people think of a black background as the traditional pirate flag background color. But before black flags came red flags. Both colors were important symbolically.

Red symbolized the shedding of blood, and that the pirates would give no mercy to those captured. But it didn't take long for black pirate flags to become more popular. The black background symbolized death, and was also flown on ships carrying plague victims to warn other ships. Eventually the pirate flags added symbols to their flags, including the famous skull and crossbones and other symbols like swords and hour glasses (to indicate to other ships that their time was up).

Blackbeard's flag was and is one of the more well-known flags. On a black background, it features a skeleton putting a spear through a heart, while holding in his other hand a toast to the devil. Blackbeard certainly got the intimidation factor right!

Christopher Moody was an 18th century pirate off the coast of South Carolina, and not much more is known about him, except that he was captured and hung. His pirate flag is memorable because it uses mostly gold on a red background. From left to right, the flag features a gold hourglass with black wings (symbolizing that the enemy's time was up), a white arm and hand holding a dagger, and a traditional skull over crossbones. The red background symbolized blood, and that Moody and his men had deadly intentions.

Emanuel Wynn was a French pirate, and some believe that he was the first pirate to fly the Jolly Roger flag, though there is no definitive proof. His flag had a skull atop crossbones, and an hourglass underneath.

The Black Bart flag is attributed to Bartholomew Roberts. It has on it a pirate balancing on top of skulls. Beneath the skulls are the letters "ABH" and "AMH" which are abbreviations for "A Barbadian's Head" and "A Martiniquan's Head."

Pirates as most people think of them were real, and they are a source of fascination to this day, as is evident in the number of pirate-themed games, movies, and Halloween costumes. The most widespread use of pirates today are in team sports. There are pirate mascots in almost every town, from t-ball to professional sports teams. Pirate flags are an integral part of pirate lore, with their ability to intimidate and their clever designs, which often have many layers of meaning due to the symbols depicted on them.