View source for Jolly Roger

{{short description|Pirate flag}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 400
| perrow            = 2
| header            = Jolly Roger
| image1            = Åland piratflagga (color fix).png
| image2            = Åland piratflagga.jpg
| footer            = A typical Jolly Roger flag. This 19th-century Barbary Corsairs flag is one of two known authentic Jolly Rogers in the world, currently residing at the [[Åland Maritime Museum]] in [[Finland]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cabinet of Curiosities |url=https://sjofartsmuseum.ax/en/cabinet-of-curiosities/ |website=sjofartsmuseum.ax |date=February 2018 |publisher=Åland Maritime Museum |access-date=9 August 2024}}</ref> The flag in its current condition is lighter, while the color corrected version is darker.
}}
[[File:Nicholas Cammillieri - Combat du Corsaire 'La Mouche' (cropped).jpg|thumb|Painting showing a French First Republic privateer flying a black Jolly Roger, signed and dated “Nicolas Cammillieri pinxit 1811”, with the inscription: “On the 14 Germinal year 7 of the French Republic (3 April 1796), in the Bay of Colonia on the coast of Spain, 4-hour long fight of the privateer Mouche, armed with an 8-pounder swivel gun, under Captain Jean Adrian, against a 16-nine-pounder gun cutter, to recapture the prize called Lavantoroso (?) which said privateer had captured the previous night while [the cutter] was escorting [the contested prize]”.]]

The '''Jolly Roger''' was the [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] flown by a [[piracy|pirate ship]] preceding or during an attack, during the early 18th century (the latter part of the [[Golden Age of Piracy]]). The vast majority of such flags flew the motif of a human skull, or “Death's Head”, often accompanied by other elements, on a black field, sometimes called the ''"Death's Head flag"'' or just the ''"black flag"''.

The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today{{snd}}the [[skull and crossbones]] symbol on a black flag{{snd}}was used during the 1710s by a number of pirate captains, including [[Samuel Bellamy]], [[Edward England]], and [[John Taylor (pirate)|John Taylor]]. It became the most commonly used pirate flag during the 1720s, although other designs were also in use.

== Etymology ==
[[File:Jolly Roger at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.jpg|thumb|This red flag, captured by the [[Royal Navy]] in 1780 and now on display at the [[National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth]], is the only other surviving authentic Jolly Roger flag.<ref name="portsmouthflag">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-16164191 |work=BBC News |title=Rare Jolly Roger goes on display at Portsmouth's navy museum |date=14 December 2011}}</ref>]]

Use of the term ''Jolly Roger'' in reference to pirate flags goes back to at least [[Charles Johnson (pirate biographer)|Charles Johnson]]'s ''[[A General History of the Pyrates]],'' published in Britain in 1724 and in fact has no connection to the given name [[Roger]].<ref name="Johnson">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5ou7Bm11IgEC&pg=PR7 |title=Pirates |isbn=978-0851779195 |last1=Johnson |first1=Charles |year=2002|publisher=Conway Maritime }}</ref>

Johnson specifically cites two pirates as having named their flag "Jolly Roger": [[Bartholomew Roberts]] in June 1721<ref>Charles Johnson (1724), ''A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates'', p. 250.</ref> and [[Francis Spriggs]] in December 1723.<ref name="Johnson 1724, p. 411–12">Johnson (1724), pp. 411–12.</ref> While Spriggs and Roberts used the same name for their flags, their flag designs were very different, suggesting that already "Jolly Roger" was a generic term for black pirate flags rather than a name for any single specific design. Neither Spriggs' nor Roberts' Jolly Roger consisted of a skull and crossbones.<ref>Bartholomew Roberts' Jolly Roger in June 1721 is simply described as "their black flag", which may or may not be the same Roberts is described as flying earlier on pp. 243–44, the man standing on a Barbadian's head and a Martinican's head. Spriggs' Jolly Roger is described as follows: "a black Ensign was made, which they called ''Jolly Roger'', with the same device that Captain Low carried, ''viz.'' a white Skeliton in the Middle of it, with a Dart in one Hand striking a bleeding Heart, and in the other, an Hour-Glass."</ref>

Richard Hawkins, who was captured by pirates in 1724, reported that the pirates had a black flag bearing the figure of a skeleton stabbing a heart with a spear, which they named "Jolly Roger". This description closely resembles the flags of a number of Golden Age pirates.<ref name="cordingly117">David Cordingly (1995). ''Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates'', New York: Random House, p. 117.</ref>

An early reference to "Old Roger" (a humorous or familiar name for the devil, or death) is found in a news report in the ''Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer'' (London, Saturday, 19 October 1723; Issue LVII, p.&nbsp;2, col. 1):

<blockquote>
“Parts of the West-Indies. Rhode-Island, July 26. This Day, 26 of the Pirates taken by his Majesty Ship the ''[[HMS Greyhound (1719)|Greyhound]], Captain Solgard'', were executed here. Some of them delivered what they had to say in writing, and most of them said something at the Place of Execution, advising all People, young ones especially, to take warning by their unhappy Fate, and to avoid the crimes that brought them to it. Their black flag, under which they had committed abundance of Pyracies and Murders, was affix'd to one Corner of the Gallows. It had in it the Portraiture of Death, with an Hour-Glass in one Hand, and a Dart in the other, striking into a Heart, and three Drops of Blood delineated as falling from it. This Flag they called ''Old Roger'', and us'd to say, ''They would live and die under it''.”<ref name="Old Roger">[https://archive.today/20130704044751/http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1207A&L=ADS-L&P=R7450&I=-3&d=No+Match;Match;Matches Old Roger is Jolly Roger], ''Linquistlist'', [[American Dialect Society]]</ref>
</blockquote>

It is sometimes claimed that the term derives from "Joli Rouge" ("Pretty Red") in reference to a red flag used by French [[privateer]]s. This is sometimes attributed to red blood, symbolizing violent pirates, ready to kill.<ref>{{cite dictionary |title=Jolly Roger, n. |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=June 2016}}</ref> Another origin includes a phonetic version of the name of a supposed Indian pirate called "Ali Rajah."<ref name="Rogozinski - Wordsworth pirates">{{cite book |last1=Rogoziński |first1=Jan |title=The Wordsworth Dictionary of Pirates |date=1997 |publisher=Wordsworth Reference |location=New York |isbn=9781853263842 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uM9uAAAACAAJ |accessdate=11 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Historians discount both of these origins for lack of any period reference or mention. "Roger" as a term also applied to both a scoundrel or rogue, as well as for a police officer; it also was a slang term for [[penis]].<ref name="Little - Golden Age" /> In addition "Johnny Roger" was a nickname for [[Woodes Rogers]], the former privateer who became Governor of New Providence charged with ending piracy in the region.<ref name="Little - Golden Age" />

== History ==
The first recorded uses of the skull-and-crossbones symbol on naval flags date to the 17th century.  It possibly originated among the [[Barbary pirates]] of the period, which would connect the black colour of the Jolly Roger to the Muslim [[Black Standard]] (black flag). But an early reference to Muslim corsairs flying a skull symbol, in the context of a 1625 [[Barbary slave trade|slave raid]] on Cornwall, explicitly refers to the symbols being shown on a [[Green in Islam|green flag]].<ref>Giles Milton, ''White Gold '' (2004), p. 9:
"The flags on their mainmasts depicted a human skull on a dark green background - the menacing symbol of a new and terrible enemy. It was the third week of July 1625, and England was about to be attacked by the Islamic corsairs of Barbary."</ref>
There are mentions of English privateer [[Francis Drake]] flying a black flag as early as 1585, but the historicity of this tradition has been called into question.<ref>Mary Frear Keeler (ed.), ''Sir Francis Drake's West Indian Voyage, 1585–86'' (1981), [https://books.google.com/books?id=DhWfsDLFC34C&pg=PA161 p. 161], footnote 3: "No reference to black flags on Drake’s ships, mentioned also by Castellanos (Castellanos, Juan de, Discurso de el Capitan Francisco Draque .. . 1586-1587, p. 173), appears in either Spanish official accounts or English narratives."</ref> Contemporary accounts show [[Peter Easton]] using a plain black flag in 1612; a plain black flag was also used by Captain Martel's pirates in 1716,<ref>Johnson, p. 66.</ref> [[Charles Vane]], and [[Richard Worley (pirate)|Richard Worley]] in 1718,<ref name="auto">Johnson, pp. 72, 147, 344.</ref> and [[Howell Davis]] in 1719.

An early record of the skull-and-crossbones design being used on a (red) flag by pirates is found in a 6 December 1687 entry in a log book held by the {{Lang|fr|[[Bibliothèque nationale de France]]|italic=no}}. The entry describes pirates using the flag, not on a ship but on land.<ref>BnF, Manuscrit [https://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cc50290v Français 385], f. 25, digitised on [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b9060640j/f25.image Gallica]; For a translation in English, see [http://www.bonaventure.org.uk/ed/flags2.htm Pirate Flags] Pirate Mythtory. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050121042925/http://www.bonaventure.org.uk/ed/flags2.htm |date=21 January 2005 }}: "And we put down our white flag, and raised a red flag with a Skull head on it and two crossed bones (all in white and in the middle of the flag), and then we marched on."</ref>

[[File:Bonnet.gif|thumb|left|upright|1725 woodcut of [[Stede Bonnet]] with a Jolly Roger in [[Captain Charles Johnson|Charles Johnson]]'s ''[[A General History of the Pyrates]]'']]
[[File:BartholomewRoberts.jpg|thumb|right|1725 woodcut of [[Bartholomew Roberts]] with a Jolly Roger in Charles Johnson's ''A General History of the Pyrates'']]

During the 17th and 18th centuries, British privateers were required to fly a specific flag, the 1606 [[Union Jack]] with a white crest in the middle, to distinguish them from Royal Navy vessels.<ref>David Cordingly (1995). ''Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates'', New York: Random House, p. 220.</ref> Before this time, British privateers, such as Sir [[Henry Morgan]], sailed under the [[Red Ensign]].<ref name="cordingly117"/>
An early use of a black flag with skull, crossbones, and hourglass is attributed to pirate captain [[Emanuel Wynn]] in 1700, according to a wide variety of secondary sources.<ref>See, e.g., [[Angus Konstam]], ''Pirates: 1660–1730''; Douglas Botting, ''The Pirates''; {{cite web |url=http://www.bonaventure.org.uk/ed/flags.htm |title=Flags |access-date=2007-07-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115071330/http://www.bonaventure.org.uk/ed/flags.htm |archive-date=2008-01-15 }}; etcetera.</ref> Reportedly, these secondary sources are based on the account of Captain John Cranby of HMS ''Poole'' and are verified at the London [[Public Record Office]].

With the end of the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] in 1714, many privateers turned to piracy. They still used red and black flags, but now they decorated them with their own designs. Edward England, for example, flew three different flags: from his mainmast the black flag depicted above; from his foremast a red version of the same; and from his ensign staff the Red Ensign. Just as variations on the Jolly Roger design existed, red flags sometimes incorporated yellow stripes or images symbolic of death.<ref name="cordingly118">David Cordingly (1995). ''Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates'', New York: Random House, p. 118.</ref> Coloured pennants and ribbons could also be used alongside flags.

[[Marcus Rediker]] (1987) claims that most pirates active between 1716 and 1726 were part of one of two large interconnected groups sharing many similarities in organization. He states that this accounts for the "comparatively rapid adoption of the piratical black flag among a group of men operating across thousands of miles of ocean", suggesting that the skull-and-crossbone design became standardized at about the same time as the term ''Jolly Roger'' was adopted as its name. By 1730, the diversity of symbols in prior use had been mostly replaced by the standard design.<ref>cited after [[David Cordingly]] in ''Life Amongst The Pirates'' (1996), p. 135.</ref>

== Use in practice ==
Pirates did not fly the Jolly Roger at all times. The flag was intended as communication of the pirates' identity, which gave target ships an opportunity to decide to surrender without a fight. For example, in June 1720, when [[Bartholomew Roberts]] sailed into the harbour at [[Trepassey]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] with black flags flying, the crews of all 22 vessels in the harbour abandoned their ships in panic.<ref>{{cite book |author=Burl, Aubery |title=Black Bart |pages=133–34}}</ref>

=== Black and red flag ===
{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 229
| header            = Pirate signal flags
| image1            = BlackFlag.svg
| caption1          = black flag<br>([[Safe conduct|quarter given]])
| image2            = BloodyFlag.svg
| caption2          = [[bloody flag|red flag]]<br>([[no quarter]])
| caption_align     = center
| footer            = 
}}

The website ''Wondrium Daily'' claims that the Jolly Roger was part of a [[flag signal]] combination, comprising a "black flag", i.e. the Jolly Roger, and a "red flag", often called a [[bloody flag]].

* {{flagicon image|BlackFlag.svg|size=30x20px}} The "black flag" signaled that "[[Safe conduct|quarter]]" would be given if the target surrendered their cargo/valuables, meaning that all enemies will be guaranteed mercy after surrender or capture.<ref name="Pirate Symbolism">{{cite web |title=Pirate Symbolism: The Jolly Roger and the 'Arr' |url=https://www.wondriumdaily.com/pirate-symbolism-the-jolly-roger-and-the-arr/ |website=wondriumdaily.com |access-date=2022-09-19 |archive-date=2022-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170639/https://www.wondriumdaily.com/pirate-symbolism-the-jolly-roger-and-the-arr/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|BloodyFlag.svg|size=30x20px|link=Bloody flag}} The "red flag" signaled that "[[no quarter]]" would be given and the target's cargo/valuables taken by force, meaning that no mercy will be shown and no life will be spared in an attack.<ref name="Pirate Symbolism"/>

When closing on a target ship, the pirate ship would normally fly a [[false flag]] or no colours until they had their prey within firing range.<ref>This practice is considered deceitful today, but in the period of sail it was the standard practice for all ships. There was no other way to approach an enemy or victim on the open sea if they did not want to fight.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}</ref> Like other vessels, pirate ships usually stocked a variety of flags for various purposes.

When the pirates' intended victim was within range, the black flag would be raised, often simultaneously with a warning shot, communicating the pirates' identity to the target ship in order to persuade them to surrender without a fight. Surrendering without a fight meant that they would cooperate with the pirate's demands and allow them to rifle through their cargo, which was sometimes rewarded with some cargo being left alone. To signal "yes", the victim ship would have to take down their own flag, in naval terminology called "striking their flag".

Followed by warning shots, if the enemy did not strike their own flag to signal surrender, the pirates would raise the red flag, which would signal that the cargo would be taken by force and that "no quarter would be given" to prisoners. If the pirates had several ships, the raising of the bloody flag could also act as the signal "to attack" for the rest of the ships.<ref name="Pirate Symbolism"/> The pirate captain [[Jean Thomas Dulaien]] would wait for the enemy to fire three or more cannon shots after raising the red flag before giving the order to attack with no quarter given.<ref name="Little - Golden Age">{{cite book |last1=Little |first1=Benerson |title=The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths |date=2016 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. |location=New York |isbn=9781510713048 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2uIDAAAQBAJ |accessdate=2023-02-25 |language=en }}</ref>

An early claim of the black and red flag-combo was made in the mid-18th century by Richard Hawkins,<ref>Cordingly, p. 117. Cordingly cites only one source for pages 116–119 of his text: ''Calendar of State Papers, Colonial, America and West Indies'', volumes 1719–20, no. 34.</ref> however, the cited content may simply relate to different pirate captains, their ships, their chosen flag and particular operating practices. The bloody flag was already an established naval flag and was not unique to piracy.

The black and red flag tactic was, however, not universal, such as the case of [[Charles Vane]]: "[he] took down his St. George's Flag, and hoisted a black Flag with a Death's Head in it, which is their Signal to intimate, that they will neither give or take Quarter."<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers">{{cite book |last1=Fox |first1=E. T. |title=Jolly Rogers, the True History of Pirate Flags |date=2015 |publisher=Lulu.com |location=Raleigh NC |isbn=9781326448172 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fcy7CgAAQBAJ |accessdate=3 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Function in practice ===
In view of these models, it was important for a prey ship to know that its assailant was a pirate, and not a privateer or government vessel, as the latter two generally had to abide by a rule that if a crew resisted, but then surrendered, it could not be executed:

<blockquote>An angry pirate therefore posed a greater danger to merchant ships than an angry Spanish coast guard or privateer vessel. Because of this, although, like pirate ships, Spanish coast guard vessels and privateers were almost always stronger than the merchant ships they attacked, merchant ships may have been more willing to attempt resisting these "legitimate" attackers than their piratical counterparts. To achieve their goal of taking prizes without a costly fight, it was therefore important for pirates to distinguish themselves from these other ships also taking prizes on the seas.<ref>{{cite book |page=10 |date=2008 |url=https://www.peterleeson.com/Pirational_Choice.pdf |title=Pirational Choice: The Economics of Infamous Pirate Practices |author=Leeson, Peter T. }}</ref></blockquote>

Flying a Jolly Roger was a reliable way of proving oneself a pirate. Just possessing or using a Jolly Roger was considered proof that one was a criminal pirate rather than something more legitimate; only a pirate would dare fly the Jolly Roger, as they were already under threat of execution.<ref>{{cite book |page=12 |date=2008 |url=https://www.peterleeson.com/Pirational_Choice.pdf |title=Pirational Choice: The Economics of Infamous Pirate Practices |author=Leeson, Peter T. }} "Ships attacking under the death head's toothy grin were therefore considered criminal and could be prosecuted as pirates. Since pirates were criminals anyway, for them, flying the Jolly Roger was costless. If they were captured and found guilty, the penalty they faced was the same whether they used the Jolly Roger in taking merchant ships or not – the hangman's noose... For legitimate ships, however, things were different. To retain at least a veneer of legitimacy, privateers and Spanish coast guard ships could not sail under pirate colours. If they did, they could be hunted and hanged as pirates."</ref>

== Design ==
Before 1700, pirates flew a plain black flag together with the red (“bloody”) flag, the use of emblems first taking the scene in the 18th century.<ref name="Pirate Colors">{{cite web |title=Pirate Colors |url=https://streetsofsalem.com/2011/06/09/pirate-colors/ |website=streetsofsalem.com |date=9 June 2011 |access-date=2022-09-19}}</ref>

Jolly Roger variations possibly existed as a type of personal calling card to be associated with a certain pirate crew's reputation and thus make enemies surrender more easily, however, this is not mentioned by period sources.<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/> Flag motifs could often not be made out at longer ranges, thus, flag details was more likely an internal mark of identity for the crew. Historically, most pirates reused the same designs as their peers, possibly to partake in the reputation of others, eventually leading to designs such as the skull and crossbones becoming the norm.<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>

Pirates sometimes used a national flag to symbolize their nationality or their allegiance to a nation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historici.nl/pdf/vocglossarium/VOCGlossarium.pdf |title=VOC-Glossarium |publisher=Instituut voor Nederlandse Geschiedenis |language=Dutch |date=2000 |access-date=29 July 2021 }}</ref>

=== Common elements ===
{{Multiple image | perrow = 2 | total_width = 229
| image1 = Joli Rouge icon.svg
| image2 = Death Skeleton 04.svg
| image3 = Pirate Hourglass.svg
| image4 = Sword arm.svg
| footer = {{ubl|Upper left: [[Skull and crossbones]]|Upper right: [[Skeleton]]|Lower left: [[Hourglass]]|Lower right: Sword arm}}
}}
Key elements commonly found on a Jolly Roger flag typically include (some rarer than others):
* [[Skull and crossbones]] – The skull, historically called "death's head" (compare {{langx|de|[[totenkopf]]}}),<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors">{{cite web |title=Hoist the Colors: History of the Pirate Flag |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auGOEwHOxu4 |website=youtube.com |date=21 October 2022 |publisher=Gold and Gunpowder |access-date=2024-05-03}}</ref> represents death and danger, emphasizing the pirates' ruthless and deadly reputation. The crossbones are often positioned behind or beneath the skull and create an "X" shape. They symbolize crossed swords or bones, signifying violence and conflict
* [[Human skeleton]] – the period depiction of the [[Personifications of death|personification of death]], sometimes carrying out symbolic gestures of suffering and death, such as stabbing a heart with a spear, wielding weapons and even [[signal instrument]]s<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
* [[Hourglass]] – symbolizing that the life of the attacked is running out<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
* Bundle of arrows – an older regal or state symbol alluding to the proverb that arrows can be easily broken one by one but are unbreakable if tied together, however, in the case of the Jolly Roger, more likely to symbolize implements of death<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
* Sword – symbolizing implements of death<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
* Sword arm – symbolizing implements of death, a common naval motif outside piracy (see the Dutch [[Bloody flag]])<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
* Pistol – symbolizing implements of death<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
* Cannon – symbolizing implements of death<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
* [[Powder horn]] or [[signal instrument|signal horn]] – symbolizing implements of death<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>

=== Historical designs ===
All illustrations presented here are merely artistic interpretations based on surviving descriptions and do not faithfully represent actual flags.
<!-- Only add flags with proper period sourcing and preferrably with the period quote. -->

==== Black flags ====
:''Sub-articles: [[Old Roger (Jolly Roger)]], [[Flag of Blackbeard]]''
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120">
File:Pirate Flag of Emanuel Wynne.svg|Interpretation of [[Emanuel Wynne]]'s pirate flag, described by Captain St. John Cranby of ''HMS Poole'' as "a sable ensigne with Cross bones, a Death's head, and an hour glase".<ref name="Grey - Eastern Seas">{{cite book|last1=Grey|first1=Charles|title=Pirates of the eastern seas (1618-1723): a lurid page of history|date=1933|publisher=S. Low, Marston & co., ltd|location=London |url=https://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/library/documents/1D30004CA384A81381DD3C8F45CAE3B216713B01.html|accessdate=26 June 2017}}</ref>
File:Old Roger.svg|Interpretation of the "[[Old Roger (Jolly Roger)|Old Roger]]" design, as described for several pirates, such as [[Edward Low]],<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" /> [[Charles Harris (pirate)|Charles Harris]],<ref name="Little-The Golden Age of Piracy">{{cite book |last1=Little |first1=Benerson |title=The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths |date=2016 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. |location=New York |isbn=9781510713048 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2uIDAAAQBAJ |accessdate=15 September 2017 |language=en }}</ref> and [[Francis Spriggs]];<ref name="babel.hathitrust">{{cite web |title=The Political state of Great Britain. V28 1724. |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435073201824;view=1up;seq=160 |website=HathiTrust |accessdate=13 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> see [[Old Roger (Jolly Roger)]].
File:Pirate Death's Head Flag.svg|Interpretation of a death's head flag used by various pirates such as [[Blackbeard|Edward "Blackbeard" Teach]],<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" /> [[Stede Bonnet]],<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" /> [[Charles Vane]],<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" /> [[Thomas Anstis]],<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" /> Captain Kennedy,<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" /> [[Christopher Condent]],<ref name="Fox - Own Words Vol2">{{cite book |last1=Fox |first1=E. T. |title=Pirates in Their Own Words Volume II: Contemporary Newspaper Accounts of the 'Golden Age' of Piracy, 1690-1727 |date=12 July 2022}}</ref> and [[Howell Davis]].<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:Pirate Flag of Stede Bonnet (alternate).svg|Interpretation of [[Stede Bonnet]]'s flag from ''[[A General History of the Pyrates]]'', described as "On the morning of the [8th of April] a large Ship and a sloop with Black Flags and Deaths Heads in them and three more sloops with Bloody Flags all bore down upon the said ship Protestant Caesar". Also a description of Blackbeard's flag.<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:Flag of Edward England.svg|Interpretation of [[Edward England]], [[John Taylor (pirate)|John Taylor]] and [[Samuel Bellamy]]'s Jolly Roger as described by Thomas Baker of Bellamy's crew: “..they spread a large black flag, with a Death's Head and Bones across, and gave chase to Cap't. Prince under the same colours”.<ref name="piratestrategy">{{cite web |title=The Pirate Ship ''Whydah'': Pirate strategy |url=http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/pirates/pirateship_3.asp |work="Real Pirates" museum exhibit website |publisher=The Field Museum |access-date=21 January 2013 |location=Chicago, Illinois |year=2009 }}</ref>
File:Samuel Bellamy Flag.svg|Another flag used by Samuel Bellamy, described as “A black Ensign, with Death holding an Hour-Glass in one Hand and a [speaking] Trumpet in the other”.<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) 2.svg|Another of Levasseur's pirate flags, described as “A black flag in which is represented a corpse which holds in one hand a saber which he holds raised, at his feet a man on his knees.”<ref name="ReferenceA">Baylus Brooks, Dictionary of Pirate Biography</ref>
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) 3.svg|Another of Levasseur's pirate flags, described as “… made of black cloth and was painted in the middle a skeleton flanked by scattered bones and crossed cutlasses”<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.academia.edu/42774133 | title=THE PIRATE OF COTINGA ISLAND: THE HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF a MYSTERIOUS SHIPWRECK IN THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL. MAHSNews report Fall 2021 | date=January 2020 | last1=Hostin | first1=Geraldo }}</ref>
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) 4.svg|Another of Levasseur's pirate flags, described as “They made it of black silk. In its centre, there was the figure of a naked man with a cutlass in his right hand, and the left one holding a decapitated{{sic}} head by the hair.”<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.academia.edu/42774133 | title=THE PIRATE OF COTINGA ISLAND: THE HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF a MYSTERIOUS SHIPWRECK IN THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL. MAHSNews report Fall 2021 | date=January 2020 | last1=Hostin | first1=Geraldo }}</ref>
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) 5.svg|Another of Levasseur's pirate flags, described as a “Black flag in which for figure there were four skulls and two bones in cross with white tears”.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Olivier Levasseur (La Buse) 6.svg|Another of Levasseur's pirate flags, described as a “black flag with a skeleton holding an hourglass and a sword, teardrops, and a man lying down”.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj9U9KHKMyY | title=Olivier Levasseur: History's Luckiest, Unlucky Pirate | website=[[YouTube]] | date=24 May 2024 }}</ref>
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Bartholomew Roberts (early).svg|Interpretation of [[Bartholomew Roberts]]' Jolly Roger as described by an eyewitness in the [[Boston Gazette]], 22 August 1720: “a Black Flag with Death's head and a cutlass in it”.<ref name="G&G: Roberts flags">{{cite web |title=The Pirate That Had WAY Too Many Flags... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XO8tvGFS1A |website=youtube.com |date=12 March 2022 |publisher=Gold and Gunpowder |access-date=2024-05-03}}</ref>
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Bartholomew Roberts (Trepassey).svg|Interpretation of [[Bartholomew Roberts]]' Jolly Roger as used during the battle of [[Trepassy]] harbour, 1720, as described by eyewitness William Matthew: “a death's head and an arm with a cutlass”.<ref name="G&G: Roberts flags"/>
File:Edward Low Flag.svg|Interpretation of [[Edward Low]]'s second flag, described as “a black Flag, with the Figure of Death in Red”<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:Pirate Skeleton Flag.svg|Interpretation of a flag used by various pirates such as [[John Cole (pirate)|John Cole]],<ref name="Hughson - Carolina Pirates">{{cite book |last1=Hughson |first1=Shirley Carter |title=The Carolina Pirates and Colonial Commerce, 1670-1740 |date=1894 |publisher=Johns Hopkins Press |location=Baltimore MD |isbn=9780722249987 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2vWcQAAACAAJ |accessdate=13 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref> [[George Lowther (pirate)|George Lowther]],<ref>George Francis Dow and John Henry Edmonds, Pirates of the New England Coast</ref> [[Richard Worley (pirate)|Richard Worley]],<ref name="ReferenceB">Benerson Little, The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths</ref> and [[James Skyrme]].<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" /> 
File:Richard Worley Flag.svg|Richard Worley's death's head flag.
File:Pirate_flag_of_Howell_Davis_2.svg|Alternate flag of Howell Davis, which ”represented a man asleep and a skeleton with one hand a clock, a sword of the other.”<ref name="Brooks-SailingEast">{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Baylus C. |title=Sailing East: West-Indian Pirates in Madagascar |date=2018 |publisher=Lulu.com |location=NC |isbn=978-0-359-04792-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dGVyDwAAQBAJ |access-date=28 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
File:Pirate_flag_of_Howell_Davis.svg|Another Howell Davis flag; "gun" here means carriage-gun or cannon: “their Standard, which they hoisted at Main-topmast-head, with a Gun and Sword.”<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:Unknown Jolly Roger.svg|Interpretation of a flag Commodore Roggewein described in 1721 as "a black flag, with a Death's head in the centre, a powder horn over it and two bones underneath".<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers"/>
File:Flag of Christopher Condent.svg|Interpretation of a flag used by an unknown pirate crew, described as “two unidentified pirates (1718) at Barbados and Saint-Domingue flying multiple ‘death’s heads’ on a black field”.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> It is incorrectly associated with [[Christopher Condent]].
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate captain Napin (Napping).png|[[Captain Napin]] "had in his flag a Deaths Head and an hour glass" - ''Boston News Letter'' of August 12, 1717<ref name="Cordingly - Under the Black Flag" />
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Thomas Nichols.png|[[Thomas Nichols (pirate)|Thomas Nichols]] "had in his flag a dart and a bleeding heart." - ''Boston News Letter'' of August 12, 1717<ref name="Cordingly - Under the Black Flag" />
File:John_Phillips_Pirate_Flag.svg|''Boston News Letter'' described the flag of [[John Phillips (pirate)|John Phillips]] as "Their own dark flag, in the middle of which an anatomy, and at one side of it a dart in the heart, with drops of blood proceeding from it; and on the other side an hour-glass."<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:William Moody Old Roger.svg|Flag associated with [[William Moody (pirate)|William Moody]]. Described as “A black Flag, having a white Man painted in it, with three Arrows, whose Points were turn’d toward a red Heart, and underneath it were some red Spots, resembling Blood.”<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:William Moody pirate flag 2.svg|Another flag associated with [[William Moody (pirate)|William Moody]]. Described as a “Heart pierc’d by an Arrow.”<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:Pirate flag described by William Falconer (1783).svg|Interpretation of a pirate flag described by William Falconer (1732–1769) as, "[t]he colours usually displayed by pirates are laid to be a black field, with a death's head, a battle-axe and hour-glass."<ref>William Falconer (1783), ''An Universal Dictionary of the Marine'', s.v. "Pirate."</ref>
File:Captain Jean Adrian Pirate Flag 3.svg|Interpretation of the Jolly Roger flag depicted on a 1811 painting of a 1796 battle, flown by the [[French First Republic]] privateer 'La Mouche', captained by a "Jean Adrian".<ref>[[c:File:Nicholas Cammillieri - Combat du Corsaire 'La Mouche'.jpg]]</ref> The flaming grenades are speculative, based on inexplicable white dots on the original.
File:Jeremiah_Cocklyn_Flag.svg|Another of Jeremiah Cocklyn's flags, described as “the skeleton of a human body such as Death used to be represented by, and in the other Side a morthead with two bones across and a sandglass…”<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers"/>
File:Jeremiah_Cocklyn_Flag_2.svg|Another of Jeremiah Cocklyn's flags, described as “a Man’s arm with a dagger in his hand and on the other side a morthead and glass…”.<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers"/>
File:Captain Dulaien Flag.svg|Flag of [[Jean Thomas Dulaien]], described as “The flag was black, with a skull and crossbones below on the hoist and a naked man holding a cutlass in one hand and over the skull and bones and an hourglass in the other, on the fly.” There is no evidence of [[Walter Kennedy (pirate)|Walter Kennedy]] flying this flag; after he mutinied against Bartholomew Roberts, Kennedy and the rest of the crew retired from piracy and sailed to Ireland.<ref name="Little"/>
File:Jolly Roger pirate flag of Jean Thomas Dulaien (alternate design).svg|Another flag design by Dulaein, described as “Figures of heads cut off (ie skulls) with a cutlass, piles of bones and hourglasses”. Made out of a fabric called “Ras de St. Maur” - a fine fabric either of wool or silk made in the town of St. Maur - Flag measurement: 22&nbsp;ft 9in long, 14&nbsp;ft 9in wide<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers"/>
File:Flag (Jolly Roger) of pirate Philip Lyne.svg|Pirate flag of [[Philip Lyne]] described as “their Black Silk Flagg before them, with the Representation of a Man in full proportion, with a Cutlass in one Hand and a Pistol in the other”<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers"/>
File:Captain Kennedy Flag.svg|Pirate flag of Captain Kennedy, described as a “black Ensign [with] the Figure of a Man with a Sword in his hand and an Hourglass before him, with a Death’s head and bones.” Not to be confused with [[Walter Kennedy (pirate)|Walter Kennedy]] where there is no evidence of him ever flying a distinct pirate flag.<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers"/>
</gallery>

==== Bloody flags ====
{{main|Bloody flag}}
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120" perrow="4">
File:Jean Thomas Dulaien Pennant.svg|Alongside the black flag, Dulaien also flew a red pennant.<ref>Scourge of the Indies. Buccaneers, Corsairs, and Filibusters</ref>
File:Pirate flag of Bartholomew Sharp.svg|Interpretation of [[Bartholomew Sharp]]'s pirate flag, described as "a red Flag, with a bunch of white and green Ribbons".<ref name="ReferenceC">Exquemelin, Buccaneers of America vol. 2</ref>
File:Red flag.svg|A plain red flag used by [[John Coxon (pirate)|John Coxon]].<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
File:Florida Straits pirates flag.svg|Interpretation of an unknown pirate flag from the [[Florida Straits]] described as in 1822, "hoisted a red flag with death's head and cross under it."<ref name="Essex Institute">{{cite book |last1=Bradlee |first1=F C |title=Historical Collections of the Essex Institute |date=1922 |publisher=Essex Institute |location=Salem MA |pages=299–300 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ci4wwZkst-IC&dq=%22hoisted+a+red+flag+with+death%27s+head+and+cross+under+it%22&pg=PA299 |access-date=14 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> The "cross" might have referred to crossed bones.
File:Filibusters Jolly Roger.svg|Interpretation of a French [[Filibuster (military)|filibuster]]s flag from 1688 described as a “red flag with a death’s head at the center and two crossed bones below the head, in white, in the middle of the red”.<ref name="G&G: How did pirates make their flags?">{{cite web |title=How did pirates make their flags? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMpPCAGcQX0 |website=youtube.com |date=1 December 2023 |publisher=Gold and Gunpowder |access-date=2024-01-04}}</ref> 
File:Bloedvlag.svg|Bloody flag used by the 17th century Dutch navy, possibly in return by Dutch pirates considering the motif's appearance on black flags during the following 18th century.
File:Unknown Spanish Pirate Flag.svg|''Bacchus'' under Capt. Stevens in 1731 encountered "a Spanish ''Guarde Costa'', which fir'd a Gun at her, and she return'd; upon which they hoisted a red Flag, with a Death's Head."<ref name="The Gentleman's Magazine">{{cite book |last1=Urban |first1=Sylvanus |title=The Gentleman's Magazine 1731-06: Vol 1 Iss 6 |date=June 1731 |publisher=Open Court Publishing Co |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_gentlemans-magazine_1731-06_1_6/page/264/mode/2up |access-date=28 March 2025 |language=English}}</ref>
File:Flag of the privateers in the service of the League of the Free Peoples 1.svg|Flag of the [[privateers]] in the service of the [[League of the Free Peoples]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beraza |first1=Agustín |title=Las banderas de Artigas |date=1957 |publisher=Instituto Histórico y Geográfico del Uruguay |location=Uruguay |language=Spanish}}</ref>
</gallery>

==== Blue flags ====
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120">
File:Blue Flag.svg|A plain blue flag used by [[Claes Gerritszoon Compaen]] and [[Laurens de Graaf]]. {{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}
File:Old Roger (Blue).svg|According to one source, [[Charles Harris (pirate)|Charles Harris]] used a blue version of the [[Old Roger flag]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Little|first1=Benerson|title=The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths|date=2016|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.|location=New York|isbn=9781510713048|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2uIDAAAQBAJ|accessdate=28 September 2017|language=en}}</ref>
</gallery>

==== Green flags ====
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120" perrow="4">
File:16th Century Barbary Corsairs Flag.svg|A green [[Barbary corsairs]] flag with a skull on it.<ref>Giles Milton, ''White Gold '' (2004), p. 9: "The flags on their mainmasts depicted a human skull on a dark green background - the menacing symbol of a new and terrible enemy. It was the third week of July 1625, and England was about to be attacked by the Islamic corsairs of Barbary."</ref>
File:BarbarosSancagi.svg|[[Hayreddin Barbarossa#The Flag (Sanjak) of Hayreddin Barbarossa|The flag of Hayreddin Barbarossa]].
File:Rectangular green flag.svg|A plain green flag used by [[Peter Harris (buccaneer)|Peter Harris]].<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
File:Edward Low The Green Trumpeter flag.svg|Described by [[George Roberts (mariner)|George Roberts]] after his capture by [[Edward Low]]: “After which, [Low] ordered a Consultation Signal to be made, which was their Green Trumpeter, as they called him, hoisted at the Mizen-Peek: It was a green silk flag, with a yellow figure of a man blowing a Trumpet on it.”<ref name="Defoe - four years voyages">{{cite book |last1=Daniel Defoe |first1=George Roberts |title=The four years voyages of capt. George Roberts. Written by himself. |date=1726 |publisher=A. Bettesworth |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/fouryearsvoyage00robegoog/page/n4 |accessdate=13 January 2019 |language=English}}</ref>
</gallery>

==== Striped flags ====
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120" perrow="4">
File:Pirate flag of Richard Sawkins.svg|A pirate flag used by [[Richard Sawkins]], described as "a red Flag striped with yellow...".<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
File:Edmund Cooke Flag.svg|A flag used by [[Edmund Cooke (pirate)|Edmund Cooke]], described as "red Colours striped with yellow, with a Hand and Sword for his devise".<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
</gallery>

==== White flags ====
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120" perrow="4">
File:Olivier (La Buse) Levasseur Pirate Flag.svg|Interpretation of the pirate flag of [[Olivier Levasseur|Olivier "La Buse" Levasseur]], described as a "white ensign with a figure of a dead man spread in it"; one of the few mentions of a black-on-white Jolly Roger flag.<ref name="Woodard - Republic of Pirates">{{cite book|last1=Woodard|first1=Colin|title=The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down|date=2008|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|location=Orlando FL|isbn=978-0547415758|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W5sIuoBrFwYC|language=en}}</ref>
File:Pirate Deaths Head Flag (Levasseur Reversed).svg|Another flag of Olivier Levesseur, described as a "Death’s head in black in ye middle of a white ensign."<ref name="Cordingly - Under the Black Flag">{{cite book|last1=Cordingly|first1=David|title=Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates|date=2013|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|location=New York|isbn=9780307763075|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fnoi6SM1u5cC|accessdate=28 July 2017|language=en}}</ref>
Flag of buccaneer Edward Davis.svg|Flag of buccaneer [[Edward Davis (buccaneer)|Edward Davis]], described in Burney's History of the Buccaneers (1816): "as he was furnished with a French commission, and France was still at war with Spain, he carried aloft a white flag, in which was painted a hand and sword."<ref>History of the Buccaneers</ref>
Pirate flag of John Rackham.svg|The pirate flag of [[John Rackham (pirate)|John Rackham]], described as a "white pendant".<ref name="rackhamtryals">{{cite book |title=The Tryals Of Captain John Rackham and Other Pirates |date=1721 |publisher=Robert Baldwin |location=Jamaica |url=https://archive.org/details/the-tryals-of-captain-john-rackham |access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref>
File:Unknown White Pirate Flag.svg|Flag of an unknown pirate crew, described as “a white Pendant at the Topmast-Head, with a naked Man and a Sword in his Hand”<ref>St. James's Evening Post, 25 October 1716</ref> and "a white Streamer in the Top-mast, with a naked Man brandishing a Sword".<ref>Evening General Post 24 Nov. 1716</ref>
File:Flag of the privateers in the service of the League of the Free Peoples 2.svg|Flag of the [[privateers]] in the service of the [[League of the Free Peoples]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beraza |first1=Agustín |title=Las banderas de Artigas |date=1957 |publisher=Instituto Histórico y Geográfico del Uruguay |location=Uruguay |language=Spanish}}</ref>
</gallery>

==== Yellow flags ====
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120" perrow="4">
File:Jolly Roger flag described by William Betagh.svg|Described by privateer [[George Shelvocke]] as "a yellow field and black human skeleton."<ref name="Betagh">{{cite book |last1=Betagh |first1=William |title=A Voyage Round the World |date=1727 |publisher=T. Combes, J. Lacy, and J. Clarke |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fte9QAAACAAJ |accessdate=13 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
</gallery>

==== National flags ====
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120" perrow="4">
File:Prinsenvlag.svg|The [[Prinsenvlag]] used by Dutch pirates.<ref>{{cite web |title=VOC-Glossarium |url=https://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/pdf/vocglossarium/VOCGlossarium.pdf |website=Resources Huygens ING (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences)}}</ref>
File:Flag of England.svg|The [[Flag of England]] used by [[John Quelch (pirate)|John Quelch]]
File:Pirate Flag of Thomas Cocklyn.svg|[[Jeremiah Cocklyn]]'s pirate flag, described as “[[Flag of England|St. George’s cross]] with four balls in the quarter”.<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
File:Pirate Flag of Thomas Anstis.svg|[[Thomas Anstis]]' pirate flag described as “hoisted a [[Flag of Great Britain|Union Flag]], with Four blazing Balls”.<ref name="G&G: Hoist the Colors"/>
File:Flag of New Granada (1811-1814).svg|The flag of the [[United Provinces of New Granada]], which was later adopted and used by [[Jean Lafitte]] from 1817 to 1821 at [[Galveston Island]], [[Spanish Texas]], [[New Spain]]

</gallery>

=== Apocraphal and unsubstantiated designs ===
{{further|Crossed Swords Jolly Roger}}
These are flag designs commonly attributed to historical pirates but which have no factual basis. Some are modern inventions while others are real flags but mistakenly attributed to specific pirates. Some of these first appeared in the early 20th century in the journal [[The Mariner's Mirror]] but were not attributed to specific pirates until 1959 in [[Hans Leip]]'s ''Bordbuch des Satans'', which also included some never-before-seen designs such as Bonnet's and Rackham's.<ref name="Little - Golden Age" />
<!-- Only for flags popularly (and incorrectly) attributed to Golden Age pirates. -->

<gallery widths="180px" heights="120" perrow="4">
File:Pirate Flag of Blackbeard (Edward Teach).svg|This [[Flag of Blackbeard|flag]] may be is incorrectly attributed to [[Blackbeard]]; the “horns” on the skeleton are unknown in period sources, and Blackbeard flew only a "Deaths Head".<ref>{{cite web|title=Did You Know Blackbeard's Flag is a Modern Design?|url=https://www.qaronline.org/blog/2017-10-06/did-you-know-blackbeards-flag}}</ref>
File:Pirate Flag of Rack Rackham.svg|The [[Crossed Swords Jolly Roger]], is popularly attributed to [[John Rackham (pirate)|John Rackham]],<ref>Botting, p. 48, Konstam, ''The History of Pirates'', p. 98.</ref> this flag is a modern invention, and Rackham was not documented as having flown a Jolly Roger.<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:Pirate Flag of Stede Bonnet.svg|Traditional depiction of [[Stede Bonnet]]'s flag.;<ref>Botting, p. 48; Konstam, p. 99</ref> Bonnet was only ever described (in the ''Boston Newsletter'' in June 1718) as having flown a “Death’s head.”<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers" />
File:Flag of Henry Every red.svg|Popular version of [[Henry Every]]'s Jolly Roger. Supposedly, Every also flew a version with a black background.<ref>The red version of this flag appears in [[Angus Konstam]], ''Pirates: 1660–1730'', Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1998, {{ISBN|1-85532-706-6}}, p. 44.</ref> There is no period evidence to support this as an authentic flag of Every’s.<ref name="Fox-Jolly Rogers"/>
File:Henry Every Crossbones Flag.svg|The 1724 book ''[[A General History of the Pyrates]]'' credited Every with flying a black flag emblazoned with two crossed bones forming an X.
File:Henry Every Chevron Flag.svg|According to the ballad "A Copy of Verses," Every's "shield" was red with four gold [[Chevron (insigne)|chevrons]] and bordered in green.<ref>{{cite wikisource |title=A Copy of Verses |wslink=A Copy of Verses, Composed by Captain Henry Every, Lately Gone to Sea to seek his Fortune |last=Every |first=Henry |year=1694 |publisher=Theophilus Lewis |location=London}}</ref> This may have been intended to describe his flag. Although red was a popular colour for pirate flags of the time, the meaning of the four chevrons is not certain; it may have been an attempt (justified or not) to link Every with the [[Every baronets|West-Country gentry clan of Every]] whose coats-of-arms showed similar chevrons.<ref name="Saint-GeorgeGeorge1876">{{cite book|last1=Saint-George|first1=Sir Henry|last2=George|first2=Henry St.|last3=Camden|first3=William|title=The Visitation of the County of Somerset in the Year 1623|url=https://archive.org/details/visitationcount05britgoog|access-date=22 August 2017|year=1876|publisher=Harleian Society|page=[https://archive.org/details/visitationcount05britgoog/page/n46 35]}}</ref> 
File:Flag of Christopher Moody.svg|Supposedly a flag of [[Christopher Moody]]’s, this was a generic "sea rover" design dating to the late 17th or early 18th centuries and was not attributed to "Christopher" Moody until the 1930s.<ref name="Fox - Pirates in their Own Words">{{cite book|last1=Fox|first1=E. T.|title=Pirates in Their Own Words|date=2014|publisher=Lulu.com|location=Raleigh NC|isbn=9781291943993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_pPkBgAAQBAJ|accessdate=17 June 2017|language=en}}</ref>
File:Bartholomew Roberts Flag.svg|Said to be Roberts' first flag, showing himself and [[Personifications of death|Death]] holding an [[hourglass]].
File:Bartholomew Roberts Flag1.svg|Said to be Roberts' new flag, showing him holding a sword and standing on two skulls, representing the heads of a Barbadian and a Martiniquian.
File:Bartholomew Roberts Flag1A.svg|Said to be an early rendition of Roberts' second flag with [[Saint George's Cross]] in the [[Canton (flag)|canton]].
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Bartholomew Roberts.svg|Said to be a later rendition of Roberts' second flag, showing him holding a flaming sword.
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Bartholomew Roberts (Johnson).svg|One of Roberts' flags described in Johnson's General History: "The Flag had a Death in it, with an Hour-Glass in one Hand, and cross Bones in the other, a Dart by it, and underneath a Heart dropping three Drops of Blood."
File:Jolly Roger flag of pirate Bartholomew Roberts (Defiance).svg|One of Roberts' flags described in Johnson's General History: "it had the figure of a skeleton in it, and a man portrayed with a flaming sword in his hand, intimating a defiance of death itself."
Pirate Flag of Thomas Tew.svg|Tew's personal standard is often depicted as a black flag with a white arm holding a short [[scimitar|sword]]. Buccaneers [[Edmund Cooke (pirate)|Edmund Cooke]] and [[Edward Davis (buccaneer)|Edward Davis]] used a similar design, except Cooke used a red-and-yellow striped field while Davis used a white field with a black arm holding a sword on it. However, there is no evidence from period sources that Tew ever flew this flag, which is a 20th-century attribution.<ref name="Little">{{cite book |last1=Little |first1=Benerson |title=The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths |date=4 October 2016 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-5107-1304-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yTWCDwAAQBAJ&q=benerson+little+golden+age |access-date=12 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
File:John Quelch Flag.svg|[[John Quelch (pirate)|John Quelch]]'s Old Roger flag is described as having "in the middle of it an [[human anatomy|Anatomy]] with an [[Hourglass]] in one hand and a [[dart (missile)|dart]] in the Heart with three drops of Blood proceeding from it in the other."<ref name="Gosse">Gosse, P: "The Pirates' Who's Who Giving Particulars Of The Lives and Deaths Of The Pirates And Buccaneers", page 253. Lenox Hill Pub, 1968</ref> However, there is no evidence whatsoever that Quelch flew any flag other than the Flag of St. George or possibly a privateer's flag of St. George quartered on a red background similar to today's British merchant colors. Courtroom testimony from the crew maintained that the [[flag of England]] had been flown at all times.
</gallery>

== Modern military use{{anchor|Military use}} ==
{{Cleanup split|Use of the Jolly Roger by submarines|date=June 2015}}
{{Further|Use of the Jolly Roger by submarines|Skull and crossbones (military)}}

=== By British submarines ===
{{Anchor|Use by submarines|By submarines}}
[[File:HMS Utmost -1-.jpg|thumb|right|The personnel of the British submarine {{HMS|Utmost|N19|6}} showing off their Jolly Roger in February 1942. The markings on the flag indicate the boat's achievements: nine ships torpedoed (including one warship), eight 'cloak and dagger' operations, one target destroyed by gunfire, and one at-sea rescue]]

Following the introduction of [[submarines]] in several navies circa 1900, Admiral Sir [[Arthur Knyvet Wilson|Arthur Wilson]], the [[First Sea Lord]] of the British [[Royal Navy]], stated that submarines were "underhanded, unfair, and damned un-English", and that he would convince the British Admiralty to have the crews of enemy submarines captured during wartime [[hanging|hanged]] as pirates.<ref name=RichardsSmith10>Richards & Smith, ''Onslow's Jolly Roger'', p. 10</ref>

In September 1914, the British submarine {{HMS|E9||6}} successfully torpedoed the German cruiser [[SMS Hela|SMS ''Hela'']].<ref name=Compton62>Compton-Hall, ''Submarines at War 1939–45'', p. 62</ref> Remembering Wilson's statements, commanding officer [[Max Horton]] instructed his submariners to manufacture a Jolly Roger, which was flown from the submarine as she entered port.<ref name="RichardsSmith10"/><ref name="Compton62"/> Each successful patrol saw Horton's submarine fly an additional Jolly Roger until there was no more room for flags, at which point Horton had a large Jolly Roger manufactured, onto which symbols indicating ''E9''{{'}}s achievements were sewn.<ref name=Compton62/> A small number of other submarines adopted the practice:<ref name=Compton62/> {{HMS|E12||6}} flew a red flag with the skull and crossbones on return from a foray into the [[Dardanelles]] in June 1915,<ref name=DJsub/> and the first known photograph of the practice was taken in July 1916 aboard {{HMS|H5||6}}.<ref>Mackay, ''A Precarious Existence'', p. 115</ref>

The practice restarted during [[World War II]]. In October 1940, following a successful patrol by {{HMS|Osiris|N67|6}}, during which she sank the Italian destroyer [[Italian destroyer Palestro|''Palestro'']], the submarine returned to [[Alexandria]], but was ordered to remain outside the [[Anti-submarine net|boom net]] until the motorboat assigned to the leader of the [[British 1st Submarine Flotilla|1st Submarine Flotilla]] had come alongside.<ref name=DJsub/><ref name=Admiralty33>Admiralty, ''His Majesty's Submarines'', p. 43</ref> The flotilla leader wanted to recognize the boat's achievement, so had a Jolly Roger made and delivered to ''Osiris''.<ref name=Admiralty33/>{{Efn|One account states that Horton, now Commander in Chief Submarines, was visiting at the time of ''Osiris''{{'}} return, and influenced the flotilla leader's decision.<ref name=DJsub>''Submariners – Traditions and Values'', at ''Defence Jobs''</ref>}} After this, the commanders of submarine flotillas began to hand out the flags to successful submarines.<ref name=Admiralty33/> Although some sources claim that ''all'' British submarines used the flag,<ref name=Sumner>Sumner, ''The Royal Navy 1939–45'', p. 12</ref> the practice was not taken up by those submarine commanders who saw it as boastful and potentially inaccurate, as sinkings could not always be confirmed.<ref name=Compton62/> During the war, British submarines were entitled to fly the Jolly Roger on the day of their return from a successful patrol: it would be hoisted as the boat passed the boom net, and remain raised until sunset.<ref name=Admiralty33/>

[[File:ORP Sokol2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Polish submarine [[ORP Sokół (1940)|ORP ''Sokół'']] returning to base in 1944. A Jolly Roger flag and two captured [[Nazi flag]]s are flying from the periscope mast]]
Symbols on the flag indicated the history of the submarine, and it was the responsibility of the boat's personnel to keep the flag updated.<ref name="Compton62"/><ref name="Admiralty33"/> The [[Royal Navy Submarine Museum]] (which, as of 2004, possessed fifteen Jolly Rogers) recognizes 20 unique symbols.<ref name="RichardsSmith11"/> A bar denotes the torpedoing of a ship: red bars indicated warships, white bars represented merchant vessels, and black bars with a white "U" stood for [[U-boat]]s.<ref name="RichardsSmith11">Richards & Smith, ''Onslow's Jolly Roger'', p. 11</ref><ref name="Allaway110">Allaway, ''Hero of the Upholder'', p. 110</ref> A dagger indicated a '[[cloak and dagger]]' operation: typically the delivery or recovery of shore parties from enemy territory.<ref name=Sumner/><ref name="Allaway110"/> Stars (sometimes surrounding crossed [[cannon]]) stood for occasions where the deck gun was fired.<ref name="Sumner"/> Minelaying operations were shown by the silhouette of a sea mine: a number inside the mine indicated how many such missions.<ref name=Sumner/> A lighthouse or torch symbolized the boat's use as a navigational marker for an invasion force; the latter more particularly associated with [[Operation Torch]].<ref name="Allaway110"/><ref name="FOTWroger">{{cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/gb%5Esubm.html |title=Use of Jolly Roger by submarine service |date=20 January 2012 |work=Flags of the World |access-date=22 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131221215007/https://www.fotw.info/flags/gb%5Esubm.html |archive-date=21 December 2013 }}</ref> Rescue of personnel from downed aircraft or sunken ships was marked by a [[lifebuoy]].<ref name=Sumner/> Unique symbols are used to denote one-off incidents: for example, the Jolly Roger of {{HMS|Proteus|N29|6}} included a can-opener, referencing an incident where an Italian destroyer attempted to ram the submarine, but ended up worse off because of damage to the destroyer's hull by the submarine's [[diving plane|hydroplane]]s, while {{HMS|United|P44|6}} added a [[White stork#Storks and delivery of babies|stork and baby]] when the boat's commander became a father while on patrol.<ref>Allaway, ''Hero of the Upholder'', pp. 110–01</ref><ref>Simpson, ''Why Would Anyone Want to Swing a Cat?'', pp. 163–64</ref> Flying the Jolly Roger continued in the late 20th century and on into the 21st. {{HMS|Conqueror|S48|6}} raised the flag decorated with the silhouette of a cruiser{{Citation needed|date=January 2014|reason=Source does not state a silhouette was included}} to recognize her successful attack on the Argentine cruiser [[ARA General Belgrano|ARA ''General Belgrano'']] during the [[Falklands War]].<ref name=RichardsSmith11/> Several submarines returning from missions where [[BGM-109 Tomahawk|Tomahawk cruise missiles]] were fired fly Jolly Rogers with [[tomahawk (axe)|tomahawk axes]] depicted, with crossed tomahawks indicating an unspecified number of firings, or individual axes for each successful launch.<ref name=RichardsSmith11/><ref name=RichardNT>Norton-Taylor, ''Cruise missile sub back in UK''</ref> The Jolly Roger has been adopted{{when|date=January 2014}} as the logo of the [[Royal Navy Submarine Service]].{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

=== By other units ===
[[File:Ghost Battalion1484148954706.jpg|thumb|Ghost Battalion colors at Quang Tri. The Seabees had 11,000 graves to move in order to construct that airfield. (U.S. Navy)]]

The practice, while commonly associated with British submarines, is not restricted to them. During World War II, Allied submariners working with Royal Navy fleets adopted the process from their British counterparts.<ref name=Compton64>Compton-Hall, ''Submarines at War 1939–45'', p. 64</ref> While operating in the Mediterranean, the Polish submarines [[ORP Sokół (1940)|ORP ''Sokół'']] and [[ORP Dzik (P52)|ORP ''Dzik'']] were presented with Jolly Rogers by General [[Władysław Sikorski]], and continued to update them during the war.<ref>Bartelski, ''Sokol – Operational history''</ref><ref>Bartelski, ''Dzik – Operational history''</ref> At least one British surface ship recorded their [[U-boat]] kills through silhouettes on a Jolly Roger.{{sfn|Williamson|2007|p=59}} The Australian submarine {{HMAS|Onslow||6}} flew the Jolly Roger in 1980, following her successful participation in the [[Exercise Kangaroo 3|Kangaroo 3]] wargame as an [[opposing force|opposing submarine]]: the flag bore the silhouettes of the seven surface ships involved, as during the exercise, ''Onslow'' had successfully 'sunk' all seven.<ref name=RichardsSmith11.12>Richards & Smith, ''Onslow's Jolly Roger'', pp. 11–12</ref>

During the Vietnam war an urgent airfield was needed at [[Quảng Trị]] by the United States forces. U.S. Seabee Battalions 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 74, 121, and 133 all sent detachments of men and equipment to get the job done. Construction of the airfield necessitated the removal of 11,000 graves. Those detachments dubbed themselves the Ghost Battalion and chose the Jolly Roger for the Battalion's colors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Naval History and Heritage Command, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum, The Ghost Battalion|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/seabee/explore/civil-engineer-corps-history/the-ghost-battalion.html}}</ref>

During the [[Vietnam War]], United States Marine Corps Radar Technicians with [[Marine Air Control Squadron 4|MACS-4]] stationed at [[Monkey Mountain Facility|Monkey Mountain]] stole a Jolly Roger from a nearby bar and flew it from atop their radar. It has since been used by Aviation Radar Technicians as a symbol of their history and identity.

The [[Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion]], part of the [[Estonian Land Forces]], uses the Jolly Roger as its insignia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kuperjanovi jalaväepataljon (In Estonian)|date=9 February 2024 |url=http://www.mil.ee/et/kaitsevagi/maavagi/2-jalavaebrigaad/kuperjanovi-jvp}}</ref>

Three distinct U.S. Naval Aviation squadrons have used the name and insignia of the Jolly Roger: VF-17/VF-5B/VF-61, VF-84, and VF-103, since redesignated as [[VFA-103]]. While these are distinctly different squadrons that have no lineal linkage, they all share the same Jolly Roger name, the skull and crossbones insignia and traditions.

At least twice in 2017, the [[USS Jimmy Carter|USS ''Jimmy Carter'']], an American attack submarine modified to support [[special forces]] operations, returned to its [[home port]] flying a Jolly Roger.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/news/a28209/navy-spy-sub-jolly-roger-uss-jimmy-carter/ |title=Why a U.S. Navy Spy Submarine is Flying the Jolly Roger |date=2017-09-14}}</ref> The flag was traditionally an indicative of a successful mission.

The three American destroyers named [[USS Kidd|USS ''Kidd'']] have all flown the Jolly Roger; they were named for [[Isaac C. Kidd|US Navy Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd]], not for [[William Kidd]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mizokami |first1=Kyle |title=The Reason Why This U.S. Navy Destroyer Flies a Pirate Flag |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a34147216/why-us-navy-destroyer-flies-jolly-roger-pirate-flag/ |website=Popular Mechanics |access-date=14 June 2021 |date=2020-09-25}}</ref>

The Jolly Roger is also commonly used by private [[Private military companies|PMC]] contractors, in form of patches velcroed on uniforms and tactical jackets.

==In popular culture==
{{further|Pirates in popular culture}}
[[File:Drawing of Act I Finale.jpg|thumb|right|The Jolly Roger raised in an illustration for [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'']]
[[File:Paul Jones the pirate.jpg|thumb|"[[John Paul Jones|Paul Jones]] the Pirate", a British caricature of the late 18th century, is an early example of the Jolly Roger's skull-and-crossbones being transferred to a character's hat, in order to identify him as a pirate (typically a tricorne, or as in this example, the later (1790s) bicorne).]]

The Jolly Roger flag became a cliché of pirate fiction in the 19th century.

The "[[Golden Age of Piracy]]" ended by the mid-18th century, and piracy was widely suppressed by the 1800s, although the problem of [[Barbary pirates]] persisted until the [[French conquest of Algeria]] in 1830.

By the [[Victorian era]], the pirate threat had receded enough for it to become a [[Literary topos|topos]] of boyish adventure fiction, notably influenced by [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s adventure novel ''[[Treasure Island]]'' (1883). Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' (which debuted on 31 December 1879) introduced pirates as comedic characters, and since the later 20th century, pirates sporting the Jolly Roger flag were often depicted as cartoonish or silly characters. [[J.M. Barrie]] also used it as the name of [[Captain Hook]]'s pirate ship in ''[[Peter and Wendy]]'' (1904 play and 1911 novel); it was thus used in most adaptations of the character, including [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s television series ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'' (2011–2018).

[[File:Straw Hat Pirates' Jolly Roger (based on the original from the series).svg|thumb|[[Straw Hat Pirates' Jolly Roger]] from ''[[One Piece]]'']]
Additionally, the Jolly Roger is depicted in [[Eiichiro Oda]]'s manga ''[[One Piece]]'', in which the pirate crews in the series have different designs that reflects the appearance of the captain (the [[Straw Hat Pirates]] for example, the protagonist crew, having the classic skull with cross bones wearing a straw hat like the main character, [[Monkey D. Luffy]]) or a personal theme of the crew (Black Cat Pirates for example, one of the antagonist crews, having the head of a black cat with cross bones).

===In film and television===
<gallery class="center" widths="180">
Jolly Roger in Captain Blood trailer.jpg|Jolly Roger from ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]''
Jolly Roger from The Island (1980).svg|Jolly Roger from ''[[The Island (1980 film)|The Island]]''
Jolly Roger of One-Eyed Willy.svg|Jolly Roger of One-Eyed Willy from ''[[The Goonies]]''
</gallery>

In the film ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]'', Peter Blood's flag has a skull and two crossed arms holding swords underneath. In the film ''[[The Island (1980 film)|The Island]]'' (1980), the Jolly Roger is a skull with a red dot and crossbones with an hourglass on the bottom.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Island|date=1980|publisher=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ot9Y3VjJiI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/_ot9Y3VjJiI |archive-date=2021-10-30}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In [[Disney]]'s [[Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)|''Pirates of the Caribbean'']], the ''[[Black Pearl]]'' flies a flag of skull over two crossed swords. In ''[[Black Sails (TV series)|Black Sails]]'', the Jolly Roger is shown at the very end as [[Jack Rackham]]'s new flag.

===In music===
[[File:Photo of the "Hell's Gate" steelpan band (1950).jpg|thumb|Photo of the "[[Hell's Gate (band)|Hell's Gate]]" [[steelpan]] band, [[Antigua]] (1950)]]

[[Adam and the Ants]]' album ''[[Kings of the Wild Frontier]]'' (1980) includes the song, "Jolly Roger".

[[Kenny Chesney]]'s single "[[Pirate Flag (song)|Pirate Flag]]" is on his fourteenth studio album ''[[Life on a Rock]]'' (2013).

The cover of indie rock band [[Half Man Half Biscuit]]'s 2005 album ''[[Achtung Bono]]'' shows a stylised Jolly Roger, featuring a grinning skull adorned with sunglasses and a halo.

The cover of [[Iron Maiden]]'s album ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (album)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (2006) includes a version of a Jolly Roger depicting a helmeted [[Eddie (mascot)|Eddie]] and two [[assault rifles]] instead of bones, hanging from a tank.

On the cover of [[Michael Jackson]]'s album ''[[Dangerous (Michael Jackson album)|Dangerous]]'' (1991), the Jolly Roger can be seen on the left side with the alteration of a skull over two swords.

The re-issued version of the [[Megadeth]] album, ''[[Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!]]'' (1985), shows a stylized Vic Rattlehead skull on top of crossed swords and crossed bones. This was based on Mustaine's original drawing for the cover which the band did not have enough money to produce at the time.

The "pirate" German metal band [[Running Wild (band)|Running Wild]] often references the Jolly Roger and other pirate related themes in their music. Their third album is named ''[[Under Jolly Roger]]''.

Another "pirate" metal band [[Alestorm]] also uses Jolly Roger and other pirate related themes in their music.

The Pirates, a spinoff of the band [[Johnny Kidd & the Pirates]], released an album called ''Out of their Skulls'' featuring a skull with crossed guitars below it.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YS9KRXR1L.jpg |title=The Pirates - Out of Their Skulls album art |type=Image |language=en}}</ref>

British [[DJ]] [[Eddie Richards]] released the [[acid house]] hit "Acid Man" in 1988, under a Jolly Roger alias.

===In sports===
[[File:FC St. Pauli Flagge.jpg|thumb|FC St. Pauli's official skull and crossbones symbol on a supporter flag]]
[[File:Man with binoculars 1899, British Antarctic (Southern Cross) Expedition (cropped).jpg|thumb|Burgee of the Pirate Yacht Club raised in [[Antarctica]] by [[William Colbeck (sea captain)|William Colbeck]] during the [[Southern Cross expedition]].]]
A number of sports teams have been known to use variations of the Jolly Roger.

The [[FC St. Pauli#Supporters|supporters]] of [[FC St. Pauli]], a sports club from [[Hamburg]], [[Germany]] best known for its [[association football]] team, adopted a variation of Richard Worley's flag as their own emblem.  The club later bought the rights to the design and made it an official team logo.<ref name="doubleinvention">{{cite web |title=KIEZQUAKE STORIES: THE DOUBLE INVENTION OF THE SKULL |url=https://www.fcstpauli.com/news/kiezbeben-geschichten-die-doppelte-erfindung-des-totenkopfs/ |website=fcstpauli.com |publisher=FC St. Pauli |access-date=29 March 2024 |date=14 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="texmen">{{cite web |title=St. Pauli skull and crossbones |url=https://www.texmen.de/st-pauli-skull/ |website=texmen.de |publisher=Texmen |access-date=29 March 2024}}</ref>

The [[South African Football Association]] soccer team [[Orlando Pirates]] also has the classic Jolly Roger as their logo. [[Central Coast United FC]] in [[Australia]] use the Jolly Roger as their club crest and their active supporters are known as the Graveyard.

The short-lived Pirate Yacht Club, based in [[Bridlington]], Yorkshire, used a red burgee defaced with a black skull and crossbones.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-943 |title=Burgee of Pirate Yacht Club, Bridlington |work=Royal Museums Greenwich |access-date=30 April 2024}}</ref> A black skull and crossbones features on the burgee of [[Penzance Sailing Club]], Cornwall.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pzsc.org.uk/history/club-history-in-detail/ |title=Club history in detail |work=Penzance Sailing Club |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" widths="180">
Burgee of the Pirate Yacht Club, Bridlington.svg|Burgee of the Pirate Yacht Club, Bridlington (c.1898–1908)
Penzance Sailing Club original burgee.svg|Original burgee of Penzance Sailing Club, 1939 (the [[Saint Piran's Flag|Cornish flag]] was added in the 1990s)
Burgee of Buccaneer YC (Alabama).svg|Burgee of [[Buccaneer]] [[Buccaneer Yacht Club|Yacht Club]]
</gallery>

"Raise the Jolly Roger!" is used in a statement by the [[Major League Baseball]]'s team [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] announcer [[Greg Brown (broadcaster)|Greg Brown]] when the Pirates win a game.<ref name="Buccos">{{cite web |url=http://raisethejollyroger.com/2010/04/the-story-behind-raise-the-jolly-roger-told-by-greg-brown-himself/ |title=The story behind Raise the Jolly Roger, told by Greg Brown himself |website=Blog: Raise the Jolly Roger |date=15 April 2010 |access-date=7 October 2013 |author=McElhinny, Brian}}</ref> Fans of the team are known to bring Jolly Roger flags and wave them during the ballgames.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Behanna |first1=Garrett |title=The story behind the original Jolly Roger |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/the-story-behind-the-original-jolly-roger/ |website=cbsnews.com |publisher=CBS Pittsburgh |access-date=9 August 2024 |date=6 November 2022}}</ref>  The Pirates have also used versions of a skull and crossbones for their logo, with crossed [[Baseball bat|bats]] in place of swords or bones.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barnett |first1=Brett |title=Best Pittsburgh Pirates Logos of All-Time |url=https://www.bucsdugout.com/2020/6/28/21304827/best-pittsburgh-pirates-logos-of-all-time |website=Bucs Dugout |publisher=SBNation |access-date=9 August 2024 |date=28 June 2020}}</ref>

The [[National Football League]]'s [[Las Vegas Raiders]]' use a variation of the Jolly Roger for their logo, which depicts actor [[Randolph Scott]]'s head with facial features, wearing an eye patch and a helmet, and crossed swords behind the helmet.

Also in the NFL, the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]' use a version of the [[Crossed Swords Jolly Roger]], with a [[Carnelian (color)|carnelian]] red background instead of black, and an American football positioned over the intersection of two crossed swords.

The [[Milwaukee Admirals]] of the [[American Hockey League]] have used a series of pirate Death's heads as their logo.  Their current version wears a John Paul Jones-style bicorne hat emblazoned with an "A" spelled out in bones.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brainerd |first1=Bob |title=Pirate treasure or trash? Admirals, designer Locher defend their new logo |url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/admiralslogoreact |website=OnMilwaukee.com |publisher=On Milwaukee |access-date=9 August 2024 |date=15 August 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=July 16, 2015|title=Ads Unveil Bold New Look|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716165004/http://www.milwaukeeadmirals.com/news/071615newlogo|url=http://www.milwaukeeadmirals.com/news/071615newlogo|archive-date=July 16, 2015|access-date=March 28, 2016|website=Milwaukee Admirals}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Creamer|first=Chris|date=July 15, 2015|title=Fear This: Admirals Evolve, Unveil New Logos and Uniforms|url=https://news.sportslogos.net/2015/07/15/fear-this-admirals-evolve-unveil-new-logos-and-uniforms/|access-date=July 15, 2015|website=[[SportsLogos.net]]}}</ref>

All these variations are seen as the logos of sporting teams in [[Scotland]]:
* The [[Braehead Paisley Pirates]]/[[Paisley Pirates]] of the [[Scottish National League (ice hockey)|Scottish National League]] and The [[Paisley Buccaneers]] and [[Riversdale Pirates]] of the [[Scottish Recreational Ice Hockey Conference]]
* The [[East Kilbride Pirates]] American football team in [[BAFA Division 1]]
* The [[Edinburgh Buccaneers]] basketball club of the [[Scottish Men's National League]]

The Jolly Roger is the popular icon of all [[University College Cork]] (Ireland) sports teams.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mahoney |first1=Donny |title=The Brilliant Story Behind The UCC Skull And Crossbones, AKA The Best GAA Jersey Ever |url=https://www.balls.ie/gaa/the-brilliant-story-behind-the-ucc-skull-and-crossbones-aka-the-best-gaa-jersey-ever-324294 |website=balls.ie |publisher=Balls |access-date=9 August 2024 |date=10 January 2024}}</ref>

The athletic teams of [[East Carolina University]] used a stylized Jolly Roger as one of their logos. This particular variation includes an [[earring]]ed and [[eyepatch]]-wearing skull donning a [[tricorn]] of purple and gold (the school's colors) emblazoned over two crossbones. This logo appears on the [[football helmet|helmets]] of the school's [[East Carolina Pirates football|football]] team, and an elaborate pre-game ritual takes place prior to each home contest wherein a [[flag]] bearing the university's Jolly Roger logo is raised on a special [[flagpole]] located behind the west [[end zone]] prior to the opening [[kickoff (gridiron football)|kickoff]]. Immediately prior to the start of the fourth quarter, the normal (black) Jolly Roger is lowered and replaced with a flag bearing the [[East Carolina University|ECU]] Jolly Roger on a red background, indicating that the [[ECU Pirates|Pirates]] will grant their opponents "[[no quarter]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecupirates.com/trads/ecu-trads.html|title=ECU Pirates Official Athletic Site – Traditions|work=ecupirates.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921084719/http://www.ecupirates.com/trads/ecu-trads.html|archive-date=2013-09-21}}</ref>

Starting defensive players for the [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football]] team are known as the [[Blackshirts (American football)|Blackshirts]], and are represented by a Jolly Roger similar to [[Richard Worley (pirate)|Richard Worley]]'s flag with the skull encased in a helmet. Players and fans often celebrate by "throwing the bones", crossing the forearms in front of the chest in an 'X' to imitate the logo. The [[student section]] at [[Memorial Stadium (Lincoln)|Memorial Stadium]] in [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]] is known as the 'Boneyard', where the logo is often displayed on banners, signs, and flags in an act of intimidation.

===Other uses===
The early development team of the [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] used a pirate flag to portray a "rebellious" spirit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Pirate_Flag.txt|title=Pirate Flag|url-status=dead|website=folklore.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204235542/http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Pirate_Flag.txt|archive-date=2010-12-04}}</ref>

[[File:Drapeau Sea Shepherd.png|thumb|right|The Sea Shepherd flag]]Before changing to a stylized "P", Sweden's [[Pirate Party (Sweden)|Pirate Party]] used the Jolly Roger as its symbol, which is still used extensively in the Pirate movement. The [[Piratbyrån]] and its online database, [[The Pirate Bay]] also use either the skull and crossbones symbol, or derivatives of it, such as the logo of [[Home Taping Is Killing Music]].

The flag of the [[Sea Shepherd Conservation Society]] is modeled to look like a classic Jolly Roger, with some alterations. The flag depicts a whale and a dolphin on the skull's forehead, and the crossed long-bones are replaced with a crossed trident and a [[shepherd's crook]].

[[Unicode]] uses a sequence of {{unichar|1F3F4|WAVING BLACK FLAG}} and {{unichar|2620|SKULL AND CROSSBONES}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://emojipedia.org/pirate-flag/ |title=Pirate Flag Emoji |website=[[Emojipedia]] |access-date=19 December 2018}}</ref> to display this flag.

== As a sign of protest ==
[[File:Antifa zaszlo kormany ellenes tuntetsen.JPG|thumb|Anarchist and Pirate protest with the Jolly Roger flag in [[Hungary]].]]

Soviet-Swiss chess master [[Viktor Korchnoi]], a Soviet defector, offered to play under the Jolly Roger when he was denied the right to play under the Swiss flag, during the [[World Chess Championship 1978]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Viktor Korchnoi, first Russian chess grandmaster to defect from the Soviet Union |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/viktor-korchnoi-first-russian-chess-grandmaster-to-defect-from-the-soviet-union-20160608-gpe50i.html |website=smh.com.au |publisher=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=2025-10-25}}</ref> The Jolly Roger was used in anti-government demonstration in [[Hungary]] in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antifa_zaszlo_kormany_ellenes_tuntetsen.JPG |title=File:Antifa zaszlo kormany ellenes tuntetsen.JPG - Wikimedia Commons |date=23 October 2011 |website=commons.wikimedia.org }}</ref>

=== Straw Hat Pirates' Jolly Roger ===
The [[Straw Hat Pirates' Jolly Roger]] of the [[Straw Hat Pirates]] in [[One Piece]] came into prominence during the [[2025 Indonesian protests|2025 Indonesian anti-government protests]] which started in the build up to the [[17 August|August 17]] when the country will celebrates its 80th independence anniversary.<ref>{{citation |title=One Piece Pirate Flag Rises Across Indonesia Ahead the Independence Day |author=Raidi |date=1 August 2025 |publisher=Indonesia Sentinel |url=https://indonesiasentinel.com/one-piece-pirate-flag-rises-across-indonesia-ahead-the-independence-day/}}</ref> This flag was first flew by truck drivers in late July 2025 to protest the administration of [[Prabowo Subianto]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jakarta.nu.or.id/nasional/sopir-enggan-kibarkan-merah-putih-sarbumusi-pasang-bendera-one-piece-simbol-perlawanan-dEIxj |title=Sopir Enggan Kibarkan Merah Putih, Sarbumusi: Pasang Bendera One Piece Simbol Perlawanan |website=jakarta.nu.or.id |access-date=2025-08-03 }}</ref> They also refused to fly any [[List of Indonesian flags|Indonesian flags]], as a part of the demonstration against the prohibition of ODOL (over dimension, overload) trucks throughout several cities in Java, ongoing since 19 June.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2025/07/28/sopir-truk-tak-akan-kibarkan-bendera-merah-putih-pada-kendaraan-pada-agustus-2025-ini-kata-aptrindo |title=Sopir Truk Tak Akan Kibarkan Bendera Merah Putih pada Kendaraan pada Agustus 2025? Ini Kata Aptrindo |website=tribunnews.com |access-date=2025-08-03}}</ref>

In response, the flag was called a threat to the national unity of Indonesia by [[Government of Indonesia|its government]],<ref>{{citation |url=https://jakartaglobe.id/news/one-piece-anime-flags-pose-threat-to-national-unity-says-deputy-speaker-dasco |publisher=Jakarta Globe |title=‘One Piece’ Anime Flags Pose Threat to National Unity, Says Deputy Speaker Dasco |author1=Ilham Oktafian |author2=Juan Ardya Guardiola |date= 1 August 2025}}</ref> especially by the leading figures from [[People's Consultative Assembly]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2025/08/03/13135921/soal-bendera-one-piece-ketua-mpr-ekspresi-kreativias-hatinya-pasti-merah |title=Soal Bendera One Piece, Ketua MPR: Ekspresi Kreativias, Hatinya Pasti Merah Putih |website=nasional.kompas.com |access-date=2025-08-03}}</ref> It has been also declared a symbol of [[treason]] and waving the flag is considered as an act of [[rebellion]]<ref>{{citation |title=Indonesian Government Declares One Piece Flag a Symbol of Treason |author=Alberto Zambrano |date=2 August 2025 |editor=Richard Rosales |url=https://otakukart.com/indonesian-government-declares-one-piece-flag-a-symbol-of-treason/ |publisher=Otakukart}}</ref> and [[sedition]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20250801173814-32-1257748/mpr-soal-pengibaran-bendera-one-piece-provokasi-jatuhkan-pemerintah |title=MPR soal Pengibaran Bendera One Piece: Provokasi Jatuhkan Pemerintah |website=cnnindonesia.com |access-date=2025-08-03}}</ref> while various government institutions have attempted to ban this flag.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kumparan.com/kumparannews/natalius-pigai-larang-pengibaran-bendera-one-piece-demi-stabilitas-nasional-25aJrds6kVc |title=Natalius Pigai Larang Pengibaran Bendera One Piece: Demi Stabilitas Nasional |website=kumparan.com |access-date=2025-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://radarsurabaya.jawapos.com/nasional/776383978/polda-banten-larang-pengibaran-bendera-one-piece-saat-hut-ri-ini-alasannya |title=Polda Banten Larang Pengibaran Bendera One Piece saat HUT RI, Ini Alasannya |website=radarsurabaya.jawapos.com |access-date=2025-08-03}}</ref>

[[File:Straw Hat flag, Indonesian truck.jpg|thumb|A truck in Jakarta displaying the Straw Hat Pirates' Jolly Roger.]]
In the [[2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests]], the Straw Hat Pirates' Jolly Roger was used as a sign of protest.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2025/Sep/10/one-pieces-jolly-roger-flies-high-as-symbol-of-rebellion-in-nepals-gen-z-protests |title=One Piece’s Jolly Roger flies high as symbol of rebellion in Nepal’s Gen Z protests |first=Online |last=Desk |date=10 September 2025 |website=The New Indian Express}}</ref>

The Straw Hat Pirates Jolly Roger also showed up in [[Gaza war protests]].{{cn|date=October 2025}} Italian activist Tony la piccirella flew a Straw Hat Pirates Jolly Roger on the ship he was on as a part of the [[Global Sumud Flotilla]] intended to break the [[Gaza blockade]].{{cn|date=October 2025}}

== Sub-articles ==
* [[Flag of Blackbeard]]
* [[Bloody flag]]
* [[Crossed Swords Jolly Roger]] – fictional design
* [[Old Roger (Jolly Roger)]] – historical design

== See also ==
* [[Anarchist flag]]
** [[Flags of the Makhnovshchina]]
** [[Kronstadt rebellion]] & [[Soviet Republic of Naissaar]] (Flag of rebelling anarchist sailors being black with white skull and crossbones)
* [[Maritime flag]]
* [[Ossuary]]
* [[Pesthörnchen]] (CCC)
* [[Skull emoji]]
* [[Totenkopf]]
* [[VF-61]], [[VF-84]] and [[VF-103]], US Navy fighter squadrons nicknamed "Jolly Rogers"

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
=== Books ===
* {{cite book |last=Allaway |first=Jim |title=Hero of the Upholder |publisher=Periscope Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=1-904381-23-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RKKzOwWTIFgC}}
* {{cite book |author=Admiralty |title=His Majesty's Submarines |publisher=Merriam Press |year=1997 |edition=3rd |series=World War II Monographs |volume=401}}
* {{cite book |last=Compton-Hall |first=Richard |title=Submarines at War 1939–45 |publisher=Periscope Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=1-904381-22-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEJ6YaMGkV4C}}
* {{cite book |last=Mackay |first=Richard |title=A Precarious Existence: British Submarines in World War I |publisher=Periscope Publishing |isbn=1-904381-17-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s7Cxs4VJEkUC|date=September 2003}}
* {{cite book |last=Simpson |first=Andy |title=Why Would Anyone Want to Swing a Cat?: ... and 499 other questions|publisher=Constable & Robinson Ltd |location=London |date=3 January 2014 |isbn=978-1849019477 |pages=163–64}}
* {{cite book |last=Sumner |first=Ian |title=The Royal Navy 1939–45 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=1-84176-195-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lnr7MkZLGz4C|date=2001-10-25}}
* {{cite book |last=Williamson |first=Gordon|author-link=Gordon Williamson (writer)|title=U-Boats Vs Destroyer Escorts: The Battle of the Atlantic |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2007 |series=Duel Series |volume=3|isbn=978-1-84603-133-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=akkY_C4Qd7wC}}

=== Journal and news articles ===
* {{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/apr/17/uk.iraq |title=Cruise missile sub back in UK |last=Norton-Taylor |first=Richard |date=17 April 2003 |work=The Guardian |access-date=25 March 2010 |location=London}}
* {{cite journal |last=Richards |first=Bill |author2=Smith, Peter |date=December 2006 |title=Onslow's Jolly Roger |journal=Signals |publisher=Australian National Maritime Museum |issue=77 |pages=10–12 |issn=1033-4688}}

=== Websites ===
* {{cite web |url=http://www.polishnavy.pl/PMW/ships/submarines/dzik/operational.html |title=Dzik – Operational history |last=Bartelski |first=Andrzej S. |work=Polish Navy Homepage 1939–1947 |publisher=Polish Navy |access-date=23 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331090046/http://www.polishnavy.pl/PMW/ships/submarines/dzik/operational.html |archive-date=31 March 2014}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.polishnavy.pl/PMW/ships/submarines/sokol/operational.html |title=Sokol – Operational history |last=Bartelski |first=Andrzej S. |work=Polish Navy Homepage 1939–1947 |publisher=Polish Navy |access-date=23 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607232240/http://www.polishnavy.pl/PMW/ships/submarines/sokol/operational.html |archive-date=7 June 2011}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/campaigns/submariners/traditions.aspx |title=Submariners – Traditions and Values |work=Defence Jobs |publisher=Australian Defence Force |access-date=24 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802234559/http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/campaigns/subMariners/traditions.aspx |archive-date=2 August 2008}}

{{Pirates}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}

[[Category:Jolly Rogers| ]]
[[Category:Naval ensigns]]
[[Category:Cross symbols]]
[[Category:Maritime flags]]
[[Category:Pictograms]]
[[Category:Pirate customs and traditions]]
[[Category:Skulls in art]]
[[Category:Memento mori]]
[[Category:Naval warfare]]
[[Category:Naval history]]
[[Category:Types of flags]]
[[Category:Military symbols]]