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A search on "origin of jolly roger" set us on our way. The first web page result took us to the Romance Reader's Corner for a bit of pirate lore. Several message-board posters suggested that the original skull-and-crossbones flag was derived from the french jolie rouge, meaning "pretty red," and refers to a red pennant also known as the jolie rougere, flown by 17th and 18th century French buccaneers in the Caribbean. One source states: In many parts of the Caribbean, the "Jolly Roger" was the equivalent of a happy face: it meant the pirate ship was willing to take prisoners. The appearance of a red flag, however, signified no
prisoners, and the pirates would slaughter crew and passengers to a man. Another reader mentions that roger was synonymous with rogue in 18th century parlance, while others write about the distinctive flags of their swashbuckling favorites, including Bartholomew Roberts (the notorious Black Bart) and "Jolly Roger Rickrack, the simply gorgeous terror of six of the seven seas." A classic site for corsairs and connoisseurs named Pyrate's Providence presents compelling images of pirate flags. The Jolly Roger page confirms that blood red flags were flown by hard-hearted pirates to indicate that they'd be taking no prisoners (sparing no lives).
This red flag was more frightening than the buccaneer's basic white skull on black ground. A skull and crossbones was meant to inspire terror, a horned skull suggested a tormented death; other signature flags depicted grisly variations on a morbid theme. At the Pirates web site, a trove of information and pirate booty, we learned that jolly roger is associated with "Old Roger," a known nickname of the devil himself, but that the French derivation of the term is more widely accepted.
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