Avast Ye Scurvy Dogs! Even pirates need a bit o' love! Happy Valentines Day!

  • Pirate Valentine

    The celebration of Valentine's Day has been around since Roman times in the form of Lupercalia and the 14th February was officially designated the day for remembering St Valentine by Pope Gelasius in the 5th Century.
    But it was not until the 15th Century that people began to associate the day with romance. Chaucer apparently wrote about birds choosing their mates on 14th February as early as 1381 and the oldest existing Valentine poem was one written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife.
    What has this to do with pirates ye be askin'?
    Well, pirates and privateers did celebrate Valentine's Day and there are certainly some good historical romances associated with famous pirates.
    In his book - 'The Sea Rover's Practice - Pirate Tactics and Techniques, 1630-1730', Benerson Little (an historical consultant for Black Sails tv series) talks about how high days, holidays, celebrations and rites of passage were celebrated and regarded as a way of bonding the crew closer together.
    'accompanied invariably by much drinking and often by the firing of volleys of great guns or small arms,'

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  • One famous historical romance was that between 'Black Sam' - Samuel Bellamy - and Mary Hallett.
    According to Cape Cod legend, Black Sam took to frequenting a tavern in Eastham, where in 1715 he met the young Mary Hallett. He impressed her with tales of riches and maritime adventures and they fell in love. Mary's parent's however, being wealthy and respectable landowners and farmers, refused to even countenance the thought of the two lovers getting married.
    Samuel left in 1715 and vowed to seek his fortune, while Mary discovered that she was expecting a child. Some months later Mary was reportedly found in a barn with the dead child upon her lap. She was castigated by the villagers, whipped and cast out of the village. It is said that she lived a hermit's life scaring local children, calling down storms and mourning for her long absent love. She made her home in a small shack in an area of Wellfleet, which still bears the nickname Goody Hallet Meadow.
    Black Sam, meanwhile had managed to capture the English slave ship, Whydah, which was packed to the gunwhales with ivory, indigo, gold and silver. With two ships in his name and enough wealth to retire comfortably and wed his beloved Mary, Bellamy and his crew set sail back to Cape Cod. It was here, in April 1717, that Whydah was crushed by a fierce Cape Cod storm. Of 148 hands on board - 8 survived. Six of these were hanged and two escaped. It is not known what became of Bellamy himself, there are rumours that Mary was stood on the bluff, during the storm and that the two of them escaped to live their life together.

    http://piratesoflore.com/uploads/3/6/1/1/3611504/2995730.jpg?279

  • @katttruewalker Happy Valentine's Day to you, too! And to all the pirates on the Sea of Thieves! :D

  • "A woman. He fell in love."
    "No, no, no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with."
    "Same story, different versions. And all are true."

    ―Tia Dalma and Joshamee Gibbs

    In the days of myth and legend, the beautiful Calypso, daughter of Atlas, ruled the wine-dark seas, and all sailors everywhere both loved and feared her.
    But because she too had mortal blood, Calypso fell in love with a young sailor, named Davy Jones. And she rewarded that love by giving Davy Jones the sacred task of collecting all the poor souls who died at sea, and ferrying them to the worlds beyond.
    Now, because of that love, Davy Jones agreed to set foot on dry land once every ten years. And if this love was true to him, his task would be complete, and a new Captain of the Dutchman would be found.
    But whenever Davy Jones came ashore, Calypso was nowhere to be found, for the seas are fickle and unpredictable, as was the powerful goddess who ruled that domain.
    So, when the men of the sea - the Pirate Brethren - convened a great Conclave, Davy Jones plotted with them to tear the rule of the seas away from Calypso. With his help, the Brethren tricked the goddess and imprisoned her into the body of a mortal woman.
    Soon Davy Jones' grief and guilt at what he had done became so great, he ripped his own heart - a heart that had betrayed him - right out of his chest, and locked it away. He then returned to the seven seas; only now sailors everywhere would fear him to the death, for Davy Jones had turned fierce and cruel, with an insatiable taste for all things brutal.
    But then an ambitious mortal, who himself wished to rule the seas, came into possession of the hidden beating heart of Davy Jones. And this mortal knew that he could use that heart to make Davy Jones do his bidding.
    Soon an ancient and horrible creature of the darkest deep - known as the Kraken - appeared upon those seas. And this terrible beast brought the master of the Flying Dutchman ever more souls onto his cursed ship, dead sailors forever impressed into servitude.
    Now those Pirate Lords grew ever more fearful. But when they convened again, they only argued and fought among themselves, so afraid were they of Calypso's anger at their treachery.
    But one of the brethren did not wait for agreement. Tricked by the goddess herself, he took all the tokens of their betrayal, the powerful items that had imprisoned Calypso...and he then undid the spell that bound her to mortal flesh. Now the goddess was free - and her wrath indeed became horrible to behold, and even worse to experience.
    The enraged goddess Calypso gathered the waters of the ocean around herself in a giant whirlpool - a massive maelstrom - and a battle raged at the center of it. And it was in that very battle that Davy Jones' heart was pierced and he died, finally free for all eternity.
    With his death, Davy Jones was welcomed back into the dark embrace of the seas; for Calypso in her own way still loved him. And his ship, the Flying Dutchman, received a new captain, and all was as it was meant to be.

    Source: Story of Davy Jones and Calypso

  • @katttruewalker
    Happy Valentines day to all the Piratesses out there :)
    http://cdn3.volusion.com/eqaqv.gmkxg/v/vspfiles/photos/47831-2.jpg?1502799965

  • My heart goes Boom Boom for you @DrBullhammer!

    Be my Valentine!

  • Poetry time in honour of Valentines Day

    Roses are red,
    Violets are blue,
    The sea of thieves waits for you.

  • Well well well... Poor Mary, this is way too romantic for me... But hey, I'm one of the chosen ones who saw the original picture on the post :D

    Happy valentine's day everyone!

    Staf'

  • A few more stories here to celebrate the day!

    15 Gruesome Pirate Love Stories To Rock Your Boat

    https://s3.amazonaws.com/headstuffuploads/2016/04/jeanne_de_belleville.jpg

    Jean de Belleville also known as Jeanne de Clisson, the Lioness of Brittany wasn’t a pirate. She was a rural housewife and noblewoman, raising her two sons in the quiet countryside in a region that was under siege by the French. Her love for her husband was intense and everlasting. So when he was brutally murdered at the hands of French soldiers, she sought vengeance at the edge of a sword. Taking her young sons with her as companions, this former modest housewife left the sea bleeding red from her pain (see the above engraving of her ship in action). Jean de Belleville torched entire cities and brought French aristocrats to their knees. Although there was a bounty on her head, this maritime maiden was never captured. She simply drifted out of existence like the tide she rode in on.

  • Happy Piratey Valentines to my Pirate partner in crime, @KHARITES! The seas wouldn't be the same without ya 👌

  • @ii-mikez-ii

    Happy Valentines Day Ye Scurvy Dog!

  • @katttruewalker
    Thank You for posting the stories.

  • @katttruewalker nice bit if reading on my lunchbreak. Thanks! Hope you have a good day.

  • @KattTruewalker to you aswell.

  • To all me pirating mateys......

    If you were a booger, I'd pick you all first!

    HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

  • Eye am married
    To the sea.
    She holds
    dominion
    o'er me.

    Forever she sails me cupid sloop;
    ~The Two-headed Cherub'e~

    HERE's fer romantickly
    flotsam &jettison
    to be; a HEART
    for old sea-dog
    f***s like me..

  • @katttruewalker

    Happy Valentine's day!!!

  • Even scurvy pirates need love!

    Tell us yer tales!

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