Davy Jones

Graveyard of sailors and pirates

When a pirate says that someone was sent to Davy Jones' Locker, it means that the person has died or drowned at the sea. This idiom was first mentioned in a book of Tobias Smolett, "The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle" in 1752. It is a nautical term for the graveyard of sailors and pirates at the very bottom of the ocean.

The legend of Davy Jones was very popular among the pirates and symbolizes the horrible spirit of the deep. The pirates liked to mention him in theirs phrases. Also, the name commonly appears in the popular nautical novels.

• To be sent to Davy's Locker - To die at the sea
• To awaken Davy Jones - To cause a storm
• To see you to Davy Jones - To threaten to kill someone
• To be in Davy's Grip - To be close to death, or frightened.

Who was the real Davy Jones? No one really knows! However, there are a few legends about him.

• First one is that he was a pub owner in London, who used to drug unfortunate drinkers in his ale locker, and sold them as slaves to the pirates.
• From Saint David who is the patron saint of Wales and the guardian of Welsh sailors.
• Jonah, sailor from the Bible who was swallowed by a whale, but survived.
• A West Indian word for a spirit or a ghost
• The Fearsome, notorious pirate who enjoyed to make prisoners walk a plank