14 facts you didn't know about pirates

The pirates of the Middle Ages can be described by words: they are cruel, rude, brave, and reckless. But if you think they are a group of uncivilized and nasty thieves, then you are very wrong. In fact, they are a group of well-trained people who follow a set of strict rules and regulations. And they are progressives: Until the last century, many things considered taboo were openly followed by pirates, such as gay marriage. Want to know more? Read the content below.

1. There is also a female pirate brigade.

What matters is not your gender, but your wishes! Women are not considered unsuitable for pirate work. A good example of this is Anne Bonny (Anne Bonny) and Mary Read (Mary Read), a popular pirate pair that avenged pirate ships together in 1720. Some women like to wear clothes like men and hide their identity.

2. The earrings worn by pirates are a strange purpose.

Strangely, pirates believe that wearing earrings helps protect hearing. They have good reasons to protect it, because they often fire cannons and find that it almost makes a huge noise. When the gun was lit, the wax hanging from the earrings was used to plug the ears. The pirate's reasoning is very logical.

3. The pirate wears a blindfold and even his eyes are intact.

Do you think every pirate lacks an eye? In fact, the purpose of the blindfold is not to hide a missing eye, but to help them improve night vision. This is what they need for their work.

During a raid, they had to run between decks, above and below decks. The blindfold allows them to see clearly in the bright light on the deck and the darkness below.

4. The secret behind pirate earrings

Pirates are usually associated with large iron rings that hang ears. But before you mistake them for just a way of expressing fashion, remember that there is actually a purpose for wearing these precious metals.

The pirates wear them to ensure that if they die in any accident, whoever finds their body can use these earrings to pay for the burial. Some pirates even engraved the name of their home port on their earrings, hoping that kind souls can send their bodies home (of course, by selling their earrings to cover the cost).

Their earrings also have many superstitions. Pirates believe that wearing them can help prevent seasickness. They also believe that it can improve vision and help them prevent drowning.

5. The gay marriage of pirates.

Centuries before people acknowledged homosexuality, pirates allowed same-sex marriage as early as the 17th century. This connection between two men is called Matelotage, and the pirate couple share their property and stolen goods and are each other's legal heirs.

Usually only men on the deck will do this. Some say they have gradually developed a romantic relationship, while others think they will share their female prostitutes.

6. The real terror is the red flag, not black.

If you see a black flag, don't worry. But if you see a red flag, it will be a very dangerous sign. The red flag on a pirate ship is no different from death itself: it means that no mercy will be given to the ship that is raided, and everyone on the ship will die immediately.

7. Pirates are more disciplined than you think.

Pirates also have rules. Whether it is decision-making, housework distribution, or the division of spoils, their mutual understanding has strengthened their unity.

Not only that, they also held democratic elections and formulated rules and regulations to resolve the battle. Anyone who ignored the rules was severely punished. It seems that they are more civilized than many civilians.

The actual operation of pirates is legal. The crew was compensated according to the severity of the injury. A pirate who has lost a ruler gets more rewards. More importantly, the pirates who became disabled in the attack were never discarded, but were regarded as veterans, as brave and experienced members.

8. A secret drink made by pirates to treat diseases

Grog is a drink made by British sailors mixing water with rum. Then there is a pirate version of Grog. In addition to helping them avoid salt water, this drink can also be used to treat diseases.

The pirates recreated Grog by adding sugar and lemon juice to rum. The addition in a lemon juice actually prevents scurvy. It is said that half a bag of drinks is equivalent to 5 glasses of wine.

9. Pirates have health insurance.

By now, you might think that pirates are more modern than some of us. Hundreds of years ago, when no one had heard of the concept of health insurance, pirates were indeed following the concept. What's more noteworthy is that at that time, when medicine didn't make much progress, the pirates were convinced that if their fleet members were injured, he would benefit.

For example, 600 Spanish dollars (a currency popular at the time) will be paid for loss of payment. Blindness will be compensated with 200 Spanish dollars, and total blindness will be compensated with 2000 Spanish dollars; this is equivalent to today's 153,000 dollars. The crew can choose to accept compensation from money or slaves.

10. The burnt beard of the fiercest pirate

The infamous Blackbeard Edward Teach is considered one of the most terrifying pirates of all time. Before attacking a ship, he would weave hemp into a beard and set it alight. The smoke coming out of his beard would make him look like a demon, frightening his enemies. Do you think this is crazy or brave?

11. Most stolen goods include hard liquor and weapons.

If you still hope to find the buried treasure, we may have to disappoint you. Although it is generally believed that pirates rarely rob cash or gold, let alone bury gold.

They like booze and always need weapons, so these two things are on their priority list. They also took away food and clothing for the same reason.

12. Julius Caesar was once captured by pirates.

The famous Caesar was once captured by a group of pirates who had no idea about his power and value. They have no idea about his power and value. When they demanded a ransom of 20 pounds (worth about $600,000) to release him, the Roman emperor smiled and said that he was worth at least 50 pounds. Caesar has been on the ship, he read poems and poems to the pirates.

One of the most powerful rulers in history, famous for his justice and justice in war. However, despite developing friendly relations with the pirates, he "stayed" with them, and later he was punished by everyone on the cross.

13. They didn't walk the board.

Many people believe that the pirates let their hostages step onto the plank as a method of torture. However, this behavior seems to be mainly composed of fiction writers. Real pirates like to kill their hostages immediately.

Even if they chose to torture them, they adopted other methods, such as imprisoning prisoners on a secluded island, tying them together (tied a person to the stern and tow them), or whipped them with a whip.

14. The pirates gave us the first nautical term in history.

Yes, pirates have their own jargon, and many of their phrases are still widely used. The term "three winds and one blow" was coined by pirates and is still commonly used today to mean "drunk". Pirates use this phrase to mean that the ship may lose control and the sheets are ropes.

"Learning ropes" is another phrase used by pirates to tell someone how to use ropes and pulleys. In the modern world, this phrase means "to be familiar with the way something should be done".

 

Pirates are mysterious and strange. Their customs and traditions are even more bizarre. This era is over, but their story still exists. Do you have more stories to share? Please let us know in the comments. If you like our article, remember to follow us.