An earring is one of the essential accessories of pirate images. An interesting fact that can have several explanations.
Largely influenced by stories about piracy and the works of art that came from them (in literature, painting or film), the image of the pirate was formed around his full beard, but also certain favorite accessories. We are obviously thinking of the wooden leg, the blindfold, but also the earring that contributes to his taste for beautiful clothes. Although this tradition is often debated among historians, it did not come out of nowhere. Many sources agree that the popularity of this gem among pirates is due to several reasons.
What virtues were associated with earrings among pirates?
A lots of legends and stories circulated for centuries about pirates, their customs and beliefs. Especially because of all the superstitions related to the sea, both their playground and the place where they risked their lives every day. Earrings, usually made of precious metals, for some of them, she took on the image of a lucky charm that protects them from the dangers of the sea, but not only. According to some sailors, the earring also allowed them to see better in the waves: the ear was pierced to press an acupuncture point that was supposed to be cure bad eyesight.
Why did sailors and marines have earrings?
Above all, there are more prosaic reasons behind this that may explain pirates’ attraction to earrings. They could initially impose themselves as a marker of social success, an experienced pirate who shows off the fruits of his many booty with a golden buckle. For historian Gail Selinger, the earring also allowed pirates to keep some of your gold with you without the risk of it being stolenrespecting their habit of always hiding their prey, for example burying it under the sand. After all, the earring could have had a more terrible function: since it remained permanently attached to the pirate’s ear, she was in no danger of being separated from his corpse, even if the body sank into the ocean. A precious silver or gold earring can also be a financial aid to a pirate’s family for their burial after the shipwreck.
Meaning: what was the symbolism of the earrings of pirates and corsairs?
For Gail Selinger, the earring also had political dimension and fit the distinct taste for piracy for twisting established values. At that time, namely, the jewel was a mark of wealth primarily reserved for nobles and aristocrats, legislation that in some countries such as England even prohibits ordinary people from wearing jewelry. Wearing earrings was therefore seen as an act of rebellion and defiance towards the ruling class and its culture of control. True to their ideal of freedom, the pirates nevertheless exposed themselves to heavy fines and even imprisonment for the simple fact of wearing earrings in public.
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