10 Wild Pirate Myths Hollywood Wants You to Believe — but Completely Made Up

The idea of setting sail toward a mysterious island in search of buried treasure has captured imaginations for centuries. On screen, pirates are bold, free-spirited adventurers chasing fortune and glory across the open sea. In truth, though, life among real pirates was far grittier — and far removed from the thrilling tales we’ve grown up believing.

1. They did not wear tricorn hats or bandanas.

In Hollywood films, pirates are often depicted wearing tricorn hats or elaborate headpieces adorned with feathers. In reality, though, no real privateer would have chosen such impractical attire. Tricorn hats were certainly fashionable for landlubbers, but the large pointed front brim would have obscured one’s view — a serious drawback when it was necessary to duck under swinging rigging, tackle blocks, and spars on a ship heaving across the sea. Moreover, those hats were hardly suited to life at sea, as a single strong gust of wind could easily send them flying overboard.

As for the colorful bandanas frequently shown in movies — those didn’t even exist at the time. Instead of these stylish accessories, real pirates typically wrapped plain scarves around their heads, tying them at the forehead to prevent sweat from dripping into their eyes. In colder regions, they preferred snug, close-fitting caps with small brims to stay warm while working on deck.

2. Wearing an eye patch could be a matter of life or death.

While some pirates did wear an eye patch to hide the loss of an eye, most wore it to see better in the dark during a battle. On these occasions, a pirate would be fighting in the sunlight, and the next moment he would find himself below deck, where it was dark.

Since it takes the human eye 25 minutes on average to adapt to the change from light to dark, it was most strategic to prepare one eye to see in the dark by switching the patch from one eye to the other.

3. They believed earrings to have healing powers.

Sailors proudly wore earrings as a token of their voyages, but they also wore them for reasons that might seem a bit absurd today. For example, they believed that the precious metals in the earrings had healing properties capable of fixing bad eyesight, and that pierced ears prevented seasickness.

Moreover, they thought that a man wearing a gold earring could not drown, as this accessory was a kind of protective talisman.

4. They used a wooden stick as a toothbrush.

When we think of a pirate, the image of a man chewing on a wooden stick with a thug expression may come to mind. The truth is that this was not done to look more intimidating, but as a way to keep their teeth clean.

Although wooden sticks were a common method of taking care of oral health, they did not always have one at hand. So there is no doubt why pirates have a reputation for having foul-smelling breath.

5. They wore the same clothes for months.

At that time, clothing was very expensive, so most pirates wore one outfit until it rotted. They didn’t even take it off to sleep, for although some could afford to have pajamas, this was not practical because the crew had to always be ready to attend to any unforeseen events on the ship.

In addition, another reason for wearing dirty clothes was that, being at sea, it was impossible to wash them. Besides, they needed the captain’s permission to clean them, and they had to wait until the weather was warm enough for the clothes to dry quickly.

6. They used a hole in the ship as a bathroom.

Going to the bathroom in the middle of the sea was not an easy task. Sailors used latrines located on the sides of the bow, that is, the front of the ship. So we can only imagine the challenge of not falling overboard. Only the captain had a private toilet near his cabin.

Another option was to relieve themselves in a bucket and then dump the contents overboard.

7. Blackbeard intimidated prisoners by setting his beard on fire.

The famous Blackbeard earned his nickname because of his thick beard, which gave him a fearsome appearance, and he relied on his image to get what he wanted. He was even said to intimidate prisoners by weaving hemp into his beard and setting it on fire.

8. Food was disgusting.

How can we forget Captain Barbossa and his juicy green apple? In the movies, it may have seemed that the pirates had a varied stock of food, but in reality, the food on board was limited to what would not perish over the course of extended voyages.

For example, bread would get stale, and after a short time at sea, it would become infested with weevils. Beef dried out to such an extent that sailors used it to make buttons and belt buckles. Even the pirate Henry Morgan and his crew, stranded in 1670, had to eat shredded and fried leather bags.

9. The earrings protected them from the noise of the cannons.

While these sea adventurers may have been wrong about many of the benefits of wearing earrings, there is one thing they were right about. Earrings protected them against hearing loss. The pirates who fired the cannons of ships dangled wads of wax on their earrings to use as earplugs.

10. They did not bury their treasures and did not create secret maps.

While pirates did capture and plunder valuable cargo, they rarely buried their loot — instead, they tended to spend it quickly. Contrary to popular belief, pirates also didn’t create secret maps to track hidden treasure. So where did this myth come from?

Stories like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island helped cement the idea, with maps marked by an “X” showing the location of buried gold, silver, and jewels becoming iconic elements of pirate lore.

That said, there is one intriguing exception for those still dreaming of real buried treasure.

“Captain William Kidd did bury some treasure once, but just once,” writes Robert Blyth in Buried Treasure: A Pirate Miscellany. “This was hidden on Gardiner’s Island, near Long Island, New York in 1699. It remains unclear how much treasure he buried. At least some of it was uncovered and sent to London as evidence at his trial for piracy and murder. Despite many searches, nothing else has yet been found. Presumably Kidd expected to recall where he’d stashed the valuables, so he probably felt no need to draw a map.”

Be sure to check out our other article, where we reveal some fascinating ballroom dance secrets that might leave ordinary people completely puzzled.