Davy Jones: Origin
INTRO
The Davy Jones Locker is a term from the lore of pirates and sailors of Europe. It is a place imagined to be at the bottom of the sea or ocean where the bodies and souls of pirates go after death. You can compare it to Valhalla where also in European lore warriors’ souls go after they die. I borrowed the title for my story series with good reason.
Now we have the Pyrates Confraternity formed in 1953 as a staunch anti-colonial group. The irony, the group was formed after one or all the founding Original Seven young men read a copy of R. L. Stevenson’s classic adventure novel, Treasure Island. An intriguing idea from the book was a tale of two kinds of people. The likes of hardened villains (pirates) such as Long John Silver and Israel Hands. The likes of gentlemen like Squire Trelawney (a wealthy landowner), Dr Livesey (a medical doctor) and Captain Smollett (a commissioned officer). These different person types join each other on a mission across the ocean to find a treasure. Well, on behalf of a king or queen.
Much of the thinking of the Pyrates Confraternity is shaped by the names of the novel’s characters, practices, events, and places. Of the Original Seven, three were renamed Long John Silver, Black Dog and Billy Bones. Captain Blood was taken from the title of the novel by Rafael Sabatini, another pirate’s adventure story. Other names and ideas to this day comes from maritime literature.
The Pyrates were to take the place of the gentlemen onboard the Hispaniola. The rest of Nigerians were regarded as either villains or lubbers. That is how the Pyrates got their sense of being the elites of Nigerian society. In the real-world, elites are rich, powerful, influential and often noble. Men of such standing exist within the Confraternity. But they are fewer than twenty on the best of days. Meanwhile, the Confraternity has over six thousand active members. About three thousand are “retired.” You cannot fool everybody all the time. If we go by percentages of elites…
First, Treasure Island is a supreme example of unintended colonial influence. Stevenson had died before Flora Shaw named the Benger (Benue-Niger Rivers confluence) region a name, Nigeria. And but for the Church lobby, Nigeria was not a land the British wanted to colonise. Yet, his novel has shaped the lives and aspirations of countless millions of Nigerian males. And to a lesser extent females. More remarkable is the book is a work of fiction. The downside is the Pyrates Confraternity has survived as a self-recreating fiction men actively choose to live. Self-deception is always less painful and less detectable than deceit by others. What can be bigger than the lie?
While the Davy Jones story series itself might come across as imaginary, otherworldly and strange. It defies time sequences, life and death. But that is the realism of the Pyrates Confraternity. Most members call the Pyrates thing a gypo, a big lie intended to deceive members indefinitely. If you like it stay, if you don’t leave. The big lie without a doubt wins or so it seems, for imagination beats reality.
Still on the issue of borrowed terms from the pirate lore of old are numerous words. You would find in the Davy Jones series terms which the Confraternity has used as its own language for decades. For this reason, a glossary of terms is presented to enable readers follow the stories with ease and clarity.
GLOSSARY
Black spot – a one year expulsion of a member from the Pyrates Confraternity for real or imagined offenses, one is rehabilitated after paying a heavy cash fine.
Breastology – a fetish for breasts.
Cap’n or Capoon – the head of a chapter or the Confraternity.
Captain Blood – the merciless spiritual head of the Confraternity.
Cove – house or to sleep.
Davy Jones Locker (Original and still used) – a place where dead Pyrates go or where those punished with ultra violet spots are sent to live in eternal damnation.
Davy Jones Locker (very recent usage) – a Utopia where Pyrates who have been members for 40 years or more meet up in their imagination.
Deck – a Confraternity chapter.
Die it! – shut up! Said by an older member to a younger one or a Capoon to his deck mates.
Doesis – wife or fiance.
Flesh – food or to eat.
Force loot – rape.
Foregone Terror – a dead Pyrate.
Gbogborima – the spirit of Pyrate’s brotherhood or the patron saint of the Confraternity.
Group raters – Pyrates who give an obrush lump sum discounted cash so each member could have sex with her at a cheaper rate.
Gypo – big lie.
High weed – marijuana. Its smoking is forbidden by the Confraternity. However, many members smoke it, use it as a cooking vegetable or drink it as a root.
Jazz – a command or a movement.
Lagging – a Pyrates failure to fulfil duties he swore to uphold.
Liting – sex.
Loot – a woman to have casual sex with.
Low weeding – vaping.
Lubbers – non-members, inferior to Pyrates.
Man looting – homosexual sex.
Marooned – drunk.
Mutiny – the overthrow of Capoon.
Pieces of Eight – a letter notifying members about the punishment of a member; a black spot or ultra violet spot.
Pipe – to sing.
Rugged – a Pyrate who fulfils his duties with merit.
Rum – any kind of alcohol.
Sally – rowdy party.
Sampling – a bad beating or a punishment flogging.
Side loot – extra-marital girlfriend.
Toes and Fingers – currency notes and coins.
Toes coated – wealthy or affluent.
Tortuguardes–in–Council (TiC) – the Confraternity’s gerontocracy.
Tsunami – a lady beautiful, professional and sophisticated lady close to or above 50-yearsof age.
Ultra Violet Spot – a permanent expulsion assigned to those who dare speak the truth.
Weed – cigarettes.
Winchee – to set up an innocent member for punishment or expulsion.
CONCLUSION
We have presented a brief backstory to the Davy Jones story series with emphasis on its realism and where it originates from. And also leverage into the language used in the form a glossary. Happy reading!
Be good, not lucky
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