Sir Eric

Sir Eric, are you thinking of Joseph Campbell by any chance? I have a copy of The Power of Myth sitting right here in my cube.

That's the one! (Now hoping I remembered me "details" correctly...lol)

I agree that the themes are simular... but then again they're very archetypical as well. Of course at the moment I can't remember the name of the author or the name of the book, but there is a gentleman who traced many of the legends and myths of various cultures and found components and themes that were common among them, and that many of those themes and components are still used in todays novels, movies and plays... he even used Star Wars as an example and compared it to Authurian legend (Luke = Aurthur, Obi-Wan = Merlin, Solo = Lancelot etc. etc.) so in a way, it's not surprising that such comparisons exist.

It all has something to do with a theory that basicly says that all of humanity is on a common journey to enlightenment that manifests itself in archtypical fantasies. Apparently if you look hard enough, you can find these elements in just about anything, although in some cases it's a lot more difficult than in others. Cool stuff when you think about it. I know I have the book at home... I'll see if I can't find it this evening.

I was fortunate enough to catch Barbossa's line... in the theatre I was at when he appeared on screen there was this stunned silence and a collective gasp of surprise... and then an eruption of applause at the blackout. It was pretty cool.

Aye... that be me. :)

It's a time tested and somewhat mostly true axiom that the second act of a story is usually the weakest. Act one is always engaging because you're meeting the characters, learning who they are, what they want etc etc. Act two is usually nothing more than a set up for act three.

Bring on act three says I!

I enjoyed the movie thoroughly... I guess I find it hard to see anything in a movie series that contains undead pirates, magic compasses, ghost ships and sea monsters as ludicrous or silly... for me that's the fun of the whole shebang. Reality sucks... that's why I go to movies to begin with.

I figured the jar of dirt was to keep Davey's heart surrounded by land so he couldn't take it back. It's obviously important for some reason or another, because he's pretty pissed off that it's gone missing. I admit that I missed the matching locket stuff. I was trying to figure out if the tune played by the music box was something I remembered or not. Does anyone know the tune it was playing?

And... since all the ladies are drooling over the various men, I think I'll go ahead an say here and now that Elizabeth in pants is far sexier than Elizabeth in a dress... or "no dress at all" as Jack would say.

And I LOVE cliff-hanger endings myself. Reminds me of the old silver screen days when you'd go to the theater every week to see what happened next. Of course, in this case, we have to wait 10 months.

I thought I was having a baaaaaaaaaad flashback

Reviving an old thread instead of creating a new one... besides, the nature of my question fits here best... hope someone can help.

A buddy of mine found an article that described the origin of the Cat-o-nine-tails as the following:

Since ancient times ships have always carried a cat on board to control the vermin on board. However on some ships the cat was also used as a form of punishment for the crew. The cat was swung by it's tail across the victims back, it's claws leaving deep cuts. By the 17th century this practice was banned by law as being too cruel to the cat. From then on a type of whip was used instead, with nine leather thongs studded with iron, which left deep wounds across the back.

For some reason I just couldn't buy this... firstly because the style of whip or flogger has been around for millenia, and secondly because I couldn't see anyone winging a live cat around by the tail for more than a few seconds before the flogger was almost as bloody as the flogee. So I did some counter research and found this:

. The cat-o’-nine-tails once used in the British army and navy is no longer employed there, but garotters and some other offenders are still scourged. Probably the punishment was first used on board ship, where ropes would be handy, and several ropes are called cats, as “cat-harpings,” for bracing the shrouds, “cat-falls,” which pass over the cat-head and communicate with the cat-block, etc.

Which sounds more reasonable. Now I turn to you, and ask... who can tell me the etymology for the term "cat-o-nine-tails"?

We were indeed the group with the interesting stocks (called a "Shrew's Fiddle")

We managed to catch one of the Salty Kiss shows... first time I'd seen your group, and enjoyed it very much! Next time I'll make sure to walk up and introduce myself. Cheers!

Aye... The Ministry Of Petty Offenses will also be in attendance doing our strolling gags. I also understand the Blue Gryphon Buccaneers will be down from Sioux Falls as well... looks to be a rather largish horde of Pirates invading for the weekend!

Poor Renaissance festivals... they're just being taken over by us sea dogs lately it seems.

Although there are those on these boards who will dispute how well researched and accurate the book actually is, I very much enjoyed it myself, and learned a lot from reading it. I even used it as one of the monographs that I had to write a reveiw on for my World History from 1450 class a couple semesters ago. (I love it when I can use pirate topics for college credit! LOL)

Worth the read, and a good book to have in yer library mate!

I have a feeling some poor unsuspecting folk are going to wind up with their property all dug full of holes by over-enthusiastic treasure hunters with questionable map skills!

Sir Eric, if you were at Siouxland, we most certainly crossed paths. No doubt at the mead tent. Will ye be at the MNRF?

I'm sure you're right! And we will be at MNRF... but not sure which weekend yet :)

I've met Merrydeath, but that was before I even came to this forum...

I can't say I've met Jib, but I did see him at Siouxland a week or so ago (we were the pirates who started snapping our fingers Saturday when you guys kicked into "She Was The Prize")

I have a feeling I've met others, but associating faces with names on a board can be... difficult :)

Oh, we will DEFINATELY be attending the Kansas ...er...Sity? Renaissance Festival, (I always thought it was KCRF) and so the extra little drive is of no consequence. An after-faire pirate get together sounds like a LOT of fun.

However... as I mentioned, all weekends in September are a no go for us... we're booked solid. Our first available weekend would be the 6-7-8 of October.

I've heard the call as well... count me in mates! Would love to get together and meet over a pint or two! And since Lawrence be only an hour's sail from me door, that makes it even easier! However... be warned that our crew be engaged in various actions every weekend in September... August be a better month fer me in that regard.

More than likely saw ye up there mate... meself and me wife were trampin' about the grounds ourselves most 'o the weekend.

I was quite impressed with the Blue Gryphon encampment... been friends of Captain Briggs for a while now, and this was the first faire I'd gotten to where the whole camp was set up. I don't suppose you were lucky enough to get a sample of the rum beef they'd been cookin' on Sunday by any chance? Great stuff!

Also enjoyed the Pirates of Portabello... fun show, although I wish they had sang one or two more songs. Those two ladies sure could sing!

Didn't get to sit in on My Lady Cutlass... but I think I saw them at a bit of a distance while I was visiting the pillory... were they the ones with the digeree-do?

I've mentioned this before... I'm an entertainer, not an educator. Our troupe doesn't even try to present pirates in any sort of historical perspective whatsoever... we just try to make people laugh until snot comes out their noses. Our fabrics are wrong, our boots are wrong, our weapons are wrong. However, it is crucial that our audience look at us and know us for pirates the INSTANT they see us. We get 20 minutes tops to entertain well enough that people might be willing to toss a buck in our hat, and we can't waste time explaining what we're supposed to be.

That being said, I beleive that there need to be more authentic, educational pirate groups and individuals at midwest faires and festivals... mostly because of groups like ours running about in "Hollywood" mode. I admire and respect people who strive for accuracy in every little detail, and wish there were more of such in the midwest.

Y'know, when we host pirate nights on the river boat in Omaha, it's amazing how many people come out in costume or garb. We had about 250 or so of them last time, and they really go all out... in fact some of the patrons looked better than us! (LOL) It was obvious that many of them did NOT simply rent a costume or stop by Nobbies on the way to the boat. I'd guess that in our last crowd of 250 there were at least 25 or 30 closet pyrates who only garb when they know they have numbers.

... to allow enough intellectual snobs to gather in one place and harrumph in unison about a great number of things that we now know are incorrect.

This was such a worthy stament it needed to be quoted! How true!!

There is this classic bit that a LOT of pirate comedy troupes are doing variations of these days... where you take a few volunteers and "teach" them how to be pirates. Dress them in silly pirate props (Long John Silver paper hats, floppy noodle swords, gaudy hooks etc.) and have them do silly things that mimick pirate activities. Five minutes isn't much time for a skit... but I've seen it incorporated into songs as well.

Have fun!

I'm a huge fan of foreign films, and quite honestly, I'd rather see a subtitled film than a dubbed one.

One example that springs to mind immediately is "Brotherhood Of The Wolf," having bought the DVD and watched it both with subtitles and with dubbed English, I can say that IMO the subtitled version simply "sounds" better. Maybe it's just because I'm a sucker for the tonality of the French language.

Lots of foriegn films that have been remade by Hollywood simply loose their appeal to me... La Femme Nikita, The Vanished... great films that Hollywood managed to mangle quite efficiently. I'd much rather see a subtitled foreign film than suffer through the Americanized, "English" version.

Young Frankenstien has a pretty funny character with a proesthetic hand... and it's a funny flick overall.

Man hit by Pirate Ship at Disney

You feel sorry for the fella... but really, keelhauling is supposed to be something other people do to you... not something you do to yourself!

I think they're beautiful. Is that okay?

Yes, it's okay. I thought they were pretty cool myself!

I have a feeling O'Malley probably fell into that "well protected" catagory.

And yah, I've never seen a pirate movie where the pirates board a prize and come away with little more than a change of clothes, some fresh water and a new cabin boy.