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17-019
JOLLY ROGER FLAG

List Price: $22.90
Our Price: $19.95
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Flag Size: 3' x 5'
Material: 100% nylon

Ideal for display,
reenactment or theatrical use.


The most imposing and recognizable symbol of pirates today is the white skull and crossbones emblem on black, usually referred to as the "Jolly Roger.

PIRATE Accessories Page: 1 2 3 4backNext Pirates of the Caribbean collectible

The term "Jolly Roger" came into common use in the early 1700s. Pirates would hoist their version of the Jolly Roger as a way to announce to other ships that surrender was expected. Most merchant ships, upon seeing the Jolly Roger, did just that. The skull-and-bones was an old symbol of death, and not peculiar to piracy. It was used as a cap-badge by several European armies as early as the sixteenth century.

The Jolly Roger, Old Roger, or just plain Skull and Crossbones is the definitive symbol of the pirate. Although no one knows for certain, it is believed that the name derives from joli rouge, which means "Pretty Red" in French. This was taken to describe the blood red flags flown by particularly harsh pirates. No matter where the name came from, the essential use of this banner was to strike fear into the hearts of the crew under pirate attack. While pirates often flew "false colors" of any given country, inevitably they used "truer" colors to communicate and threaten potential victims.

Jolly Roger Flag  
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