Pirates wore an earring in their ear not for beauty at all

There are many descriptions of pirates from different eras in literature and cinema. Thanks to numerous sources, we have an image of a sea robber with an eye patch, a parrot on his shoulder, with a wooden leg and hung with jewelry. However, rings, bracelets and medallions on a gentleman of fortune might not be, but a massive gold earring in his ear is simply mandatory. But it turns out that for a severe sea wolf, this is not a stylish accessory, but a special item that had an important practical significance.

An ordinary person knows very little about the life of seafarers of the 17th and 18th centuries. He knows even less about how the pirates lived. But there are scientists who have devoted their lives to the study of maritime customs. They explore preserved historical sources to tell us how they ate and what they drank, what they dressed in and what songs the conquerors of the seas sang. These people know the true purpose of the pirate earring, which, it turns out, there were several.

Everyone knows the catch phrase "I carry everything with me". It was this rule that pirates were often guided by, whose fate often depended on chance. Shipwreck, captivity and other unpleasant situations in the life of sea robbers were not uncommon. Often in such cases, they could only count on those things that were with them at the time of force majeure.

Gold was always in the price, so when he was away from his comrades and a chest with belongings, a pirate could always sell an earring or exchange it for something he needed. Of course, the heavier and more exquisite the decoration was, the more money could be earned for it. It is also important that an object that is worn directly on the body is more difficult to steal. And the Spanish wore silver earrings to check the quality of the water. If the decoration thrown into the pond was getting dark, it means that the water was dirty or poisoned.

It's no secret that people used to believe in many signs and adored talismans. The more dangerous and unpredictable a person's life was, the more superstitious he was. Seafarers were among the record holders in the number of different prejudices. For pirates, the earring in the ear was a kind of talisman. They believed that this decoration brings good luck in battle and protects from death in the depths of the sea.

The robbers endowed only gold jewelry with magical power. The precious metal, in their opinion, helped to preserve health and attracted wealth. Very often, in order to enhance the magical effect of the accessory, it was charmed by various sorcerers and healers. Also for this purpose, precious stones were inserted into earrings in different combinations.

Some researchers believe that an earring made of precious metal was used by pirates as a funeral payment. These people literally lived under the slogan Memento mori ("Remember death"), because bony could come for them at any moment. The jewel attached to the body became a kind of insurance policy for the sailor. A person who found a dead body washed up on the shore could take an earring as payment for a decent funeral.

Some robbers were even more far-sighted. They ordered earrings engraved with their name and hometown. In this case, there was a hope that honest people, finding a dead man, would send him home. One gold earring in the 18th century was enough to pay for the funeral or delivery of the body, of course, within reason.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, there was a strict dress code in most European countries. In England, France, Spain, Germany and Portugal's aristocrats issued discriminatory laws. They forbade people of the lower classes to wear certain things. According to the "luxury laws" violators could be punished with fines or corporal punishment.

In colonial America, in 1634, a law was passed prohibiting people with a fortune of less than 200 pounds from wearing certain items of clothing and jewelry. These included lace collars, buttons and buckles made of precious metals, ribbons for hats, gold rings and earrings. The precious earring in the ear of a free sailor was a kind of protest. Thus, the pirate showed that he was outside the law and ignored stupid rules.