I’ve often wondered about that classic totem of pirate lore, the Jolly Roger. I’d read somewhere that the skull and crossbones on a black background was just the stuff of kids’ stories, that pirates didn’t really use such a flag. Why would they be dumb enough to announce to others that they were pirates, allowing their enemies time to retreat, or to arm themselves for a battle?
According to a book I’m reading right now called Women Pirates by F. O. Steele, pirates did, in fact, raise flags when attacking enemy ships. The skull and crossbones on a black background was just one of many flags pirates favored. Some flags were red, others some other form of black and white. An hourglass meant that time was running out. A dagger announced a tough fight. The idea was to intimidate victims into surrendering without a fight, which could be as messy and deadly for the pirates as for their victims. As pirate captains gained notoriety, they designed their own flags.
Eventually, says Steele, the collection of pirate flags came to be known as the Jolly Roger, which may be a derivation of the French phrase “jolie rouge” (pretty red).