Be Prepared, Mateys!

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Aye, a lass with copper aloft be fair, 'tis true. But a ship's no place for the wimminfolk! P'raps ye best go ashore and tend yer posies while we men go after the booty! :arrr:
 
uh, not to be too technical, but 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here' isn't pirate! It's on the signpost over the entrance to Hell in the Inferno.

<insert 'how appropriate'-themed remark here>

--Stephen
 
Arrrgh-Bring me a servin' wench to bid me me pleasures!

Aye, if it's a large treasure chest and amazin' booty ye seek, fix yer gaze upon dat damsel Heather:D
 
silence882 said:
uh, not to be too technical, but 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here' isn't pirate! It's on the signpost over the entrance to Hell in the Inferno.

<insert 'how appropriate'-themed remark here>

--Stephen

Hey Stephen,

Never one to resist a challenge, I set about to find the source of the connection between Dante's Inferno and Pirates. I have come close, but not quite close enough for my tastes. Maybe someone can help fill in the gaps here if they truly exist.

It seems that Pirate history has been romanticized and glorified to the point of legend. Most pirates were nothing more than murderers and rapists with boats. Their careers often lasted no more than a couple of years before they were caught and executed.

Much of today's Pirate lore is muddied and interpretive, including the Jolly Roger flag that you see in the logo above. Only one Pirate flew the Skull-N-Crossbones version of the pirate flag (the dread Pirate England) but you often see it associated with Pirates in general.

So, with that said, I have traced the source of the "abandon hope" quote and its tie to Pirates all the way back to the 1960's. : ) Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride featured the line being spoken by the evil Pirate Captain. Now it seems that popular culture has run away with the line. Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas has animatronic skeletons that utter the line, and a derivation of it can be heard in the POTC movie. Most Pirate themed websites also feature the line.

An since ye be so willin to question the Captain, I fear it be time for ye to be walkin the plank!

:arrr:
 
H'arrrgggh, Rrrron! Ye be fresh, scurvy dog! :rollhappy:
I was expecting at least *one* "me beauty" today though.... :(

Re: my co-Cap'n.'s message, tis true, the official "Talk Like a Pirate Day" web site also uses that phrase. I emailed them a photo of our temporary banner, you know, PR and all that. I was surprised that Google hasn't jumped on this yet. Perhaps we need a petition!
 
PHRAG said:
Hey Stephen,

Never one to resist a challenge, I set about to find the source of the connection between Dante's Inferno and Pirates. I have come close, but not quite close enough for my tastes. Maybe someone can help fill in the gaps here if they truly exist.

It seems that Pirate history has been romanticized and glorified to the point of legend. Most pirates were nothing more than murderers and rapists with boats. Their careers often lasted no more than a couple of years before they were caught and executed.

Much of today's Pirate lore is muddied and interpretive, including the Jolly Roger flag that you see in the logo above. Only one Pirate flew the Skull-N-Crossbones version of the pirate flag (the dread Pirate England) but you often see it associated with Pirates in general.

So, with that said, I have traced the source of the "abandon hope" quote and its tie to Pirates all the way back to the 1960's. : ) Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride featured the line being spoken by the evil Pirate Captain. Now it seems that popular culture has run away with the line. Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas has animatronic skeletons that utter the line, and a derivation of it can be heard in the POTC movie. Most Pirate themed websites also feature the line.

An since ye be so willin to question the Captain, I fear it be time for ye to be walkin the plank!

:arrr:

You've laevigatumed! The original meaning of the phrase has been altered over time and now everyone uses it willy-nilly (yes that hyphenate is in the dictionary, which is scary).

Pirates were thugs, thieves and murderers. They were mostly wiped out by the start of the 19th century, when privateering revved up. I think we should have talk-like-scottish-gentry day instead!

On a side note, it is now my goal to turn every paph species into a verb with an appropriate meaning.

--Stephen
 

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