Davy Jones' Locker is an idiom for the bottom of the sea — the resting place of drowned sailors. It is used as a euphemism for death at sea (e.g. to be "sent to Davy Jones' Locker");[1] Davy Jones is a nickname for what would be the devil of the seas. The origins of the name are unclear, and many theories have been put forth, including incompetent sailors, a pub owner who kidnapped sailors, or that Davy Jones is another name for the devil - as in, "Devil Jonah."
The reputation of Jones and his locker has been widespread among sailors since its popularization since the 1800's and nautical traditions have been created around them. They have become popular in the broader culture, and even today they are considered modern maritime vocabulary.
Origin
Literature
Daniel Defoe mentions the phrase in his 1726 book "The Four Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts": "Heaving the rest into David Jones' locker, i.e. the sea." It appears not to have yet taken on the later connotations of misfortune.[2]
The earliest known reference to Davy Jones's negative connotation occurs in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle by Tobias Smollett, published in 1751:
- This same Davy Jones, according to sailors, is the fiend that presides over all the evil spirits of the deep, and is often seen in various shapes, perching among the rigging on the eve of hurricanes, ship-wrecks, and other disasters to which sea-faring life is exposed, warning the devoted wretch of death and woe.[3]
Jones is described in the same story as having saucer eyes, three rows of teeth, horns, a tail, and blue smoke coming from his nostrils.[2]
In 1824 Washington Irving mentions Jones' name in his "Adventures of the Black Fisherman":
- He came, said he, in a storm, and he went in a storm; he came in the night, and he went in the night; he came nobody knows whence, and he has gone nobody knows where. For aught I know he has gone to sea once more on his chest, and may land to bother some people on the other side of the world; though it is a thousand pities, added he, if he has gone to Davy Jones's locker.[2]
Herman Melville mentions Jones in Moby-Dick: "There was young Nat Swaine, once the bravest boat-header out of all Nantucket and the Vineyard; he joined the meeting, and never came to good. He got so frightened about his plaguy soul, that he shrinked and sheered away from the whales, for fear of after-claps, in case he got stove and went to Davy Jones." In Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island, Davy Jones is mentioned throughout the story, for example in the phrase "in the name of Davy Jones". In J. M. Barrie's novel of Peter Pan, Captain Hook sings a song: "Yo ho, yo ho, the frisky plank, You walks along it so, Till it goes down and you goes down To Davy Jones below!"
Theories
The exact origin of "Davy Jones" is unclear, and many explanations have been proposed. David Jones was a pirate on the Indian Ocean in the 1630s,[4] but most scholars agree that he was not renowned enough to gain such lasting global fame. [2] Sources have cited the British pub owner who is referenced in the 1594 song "Jones's Ale is Newe." He may be the same pub owner who supposedly threw drunken sailors into his ale locker and then dumped them onto any passing ship.[2] He could also be Duffer Jones, a notoriously myopic sailor who often found himself overboard.[5]
Others have suggested more supernatural meanings. Some believe the name came from Welsh sailors who would call upon Saint David for protection in times of mortal danger.[2] Some also think it is just another name for the devil.[2] Some call him Deva, Davy or Taffy, the thief of the evil spirit. Some think Jonah became the "evil angel" of all sailors, as the biblical story of Jonah involved his shipmates realizing Jonah was an unlucky sailor and cast him overboard. Naturally, sailors of previous centuries would identify more with the beset-upon shipmates of Jonah than with the unfortunate man himself. It is therefore a possibility that "Davy Jones" grew from the root "Devil Jonah" - the devil of the seas. Upon death, a wicked sailor's body supposedly went to Davy Jones's locker (a chest, as lockers were back then), but a holy sailor's soul went to Fiddler's Green.[2]
Etymology
Davy may come from Duppy, a West Indian term for a malevolent ghost, or from Saint David, also known as Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, while Jones may have come from the prophet Jonah,[3] whose story is considered bad luck for sailors. Having said that, "Jones" is of course an extremely common Welsh surname [1], and like other surnames of the same form ("Edwards", "Davies" etc) indicative of Welsh ancestry. As Saint David is the patron saint of Wales the name "Davy Jones" may just indicate the Welsh origin of the legend. Some also believe that the name Davy could come from the word "Daeva" which is an evil spirit in Persian mythology that loves to cause harm and destruction.[2] There is thought to be some tie between John Paul Jones, who was a popular naval officer in the American Revolutionary War, and Davy Jones. John Paul Jones was said to have murdered a sailor under his command. This is, however, unlikely in the extreme, considering that literary references to Davy Jones occurred well before the American Revolution, as shown in the Defoe quote above.
Reputation
Jones' reputation causes fear among sailors, and many refuse to discuss Davy Jones in any great detail.[2] Not all traditions dealing with Davy Jones are fearful. In traditions associated with sailors crossing the Equatorial line, there was a "raucous and rowdy" initiation presided over by those who had crossed the line before, known as shellbacks, or Sons of Neptune. The eldest shellback was called King Neptune, and the next eldest was his assistant who was called Davy Jones.[2]
In popular culture
Movies
Davy Jones is one of the main villains in the films Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He is played by Bill Nighy.
He is portrayed as a mutated cross between a man and an octopus, with a wriggling beard of tentacles, and limbs like those of a crustacean (an image similar to Lovecraft's Cthulhu). The movie also expands upon the origins of Davy Jones. He appears along with his crew of half-human, half-sea creature sailors aboard The Flying Dutchman. In the movie, the story follows that Davy Jones was once an average sailor who fell in love with a beautiful woman as "changing and harsh and as untameable as the sea." When he could not have her, the pain was so much that he cut out his still-beating heart, and sealed it in a chest, so that he would never have to feel love, compassion or the pain that can come from feeling them again. The locker itself is mentioned by "Bootstrap" Bill Turner ("Then it's the Locker for you!"), presumably indicating the bottom of the sea. In the scriptwriter's commentary on the movie's DVD, one of the writers state that Davy Jones' Locker is not death per se, but spending an eternity with the thing you hate or are afraid of most. For instance Jack Sparrow is forced to stay in a land comprised entirely of salt, as he loves the open sea. There is a way to get into it (besides being captured by Davy Jones) which is to sail to World's End and travel down a large, deep waterfall. However, getting back to the living world is more difficult.
Music
"Davy Jones' Locker" is the song title for System 7's "The Power of Seven," Buckethead's "Bermuda Triangle" and Drexciya's "True People: The Detroit Techno Album." The band The Ocean Blue released a CD entitled "Davy Jones' Locker". The pop-punk/Indie band Kings of Town's first single is called "Davy Jone's Locker", and is inspired by the mysterious, demonic aura that seems to follow Davy Jones.
On the Beastie Boys album "Licensed to Ill", the track "Rhymin' & Stealin'" mentions Davy Jones locker with the line "My pistol is loaded - I shot Betty Crocker; Delivered Colonel Sanders down to Davy Jones' locker".
Iron Maiden mentions Davy Jones on their "No Prayer for the Dying" album, in the song "Run Silent, Run Deep." Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson also includes a double reference to both Davy Jones' Locker and singer Davy Jones of The Monkees on his song "Dive Dive Dive".
The Devil Makes Three has a song called "The Plank," with a chorus that mentions Davy Jones' Locker: "To all our enemies, we'll see you in hell. We're gonna walk 'em off the plank into the wishing well. Down to Davy Jones' Locker where the fishes sleep. I won't be praying for you so don't be praying for me."
Australian punk band Frenzal Rhomb talk about Davy Jones in their song "Ship of Beers". In the song, the ship of beers that the band are sailing is sinking and they claim "...it won't be long 'till Davy Jones can claim me - hopefully he'll feel like a cleansing ale after all he's only human." This talks about exchanging their souls for a beer.
On his album, "Food & Liquor", rapper Lupe Fiasco makes mention of Davey Jones' Locker in the song "Pressure" featuring Jay-Z. He goes on by dropping this line..."The Stones in the pocket will drag em down to Davy Jones' Locker" [2]
Clutch (band) makes reference to Davy Jones' Locker at the end of the track "Big News I": "Them bones, them bones, them dry, dry bones. Come down to the locker of Davy Jones."
The song Legend Of Davy Jones (Forty Fathoms Deep) appeared on the 2006 CD Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Swashbuckling Sea Songs, which was part of a CD/DVD combo pack, packaged with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and offered at Wal-Mart stores.
In the Tom Lehrer song Irish Ballad, a violent young girl "Weighted her brother down with stones and sent him off to Davy Jones."
The frontman of Tears for Fears, Roland Orzabal makes reference to "Davy Jones' Locker" in track "Don't Drink The Water" of album Raoul and the Kings of Spain: "... down to Davy Jones's Locker, under the waves ...".
British band Genesis also refer to Davy Jones in the song Dodo (Abacab, 1981): "... Will the siren team with Davy Jones, and trap him at the bottom of the sea?".
Anime/Manga
In the anime and manga One Piece, one of the story arcs (the Davy Back Fight arc) is inspired by the story of Davy Jones' Locker. In it, the Straw Hat Pirates battle the Foxy Pirates in a three competition game. hi
Comics
In the comic Hellboy, "Davy Jones' Locker" is the lair of a creature called the Bog Roosh. The creature traps inside bottles the souls of sailors drowned at sea. In Kaarib (Krassinsky - Calvo) the David Jones Locker refers to a group of three pirates serving Blackbeard, a pirate spirit.
In the French comics Kaarib by David Calvo and Jean-Paul Krassinsky, the Davy Jones Locker is a pirate secret service created by Blackbeard.
Cartoons
Davy Jones is also a recurring story line in several episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants.
Video games
In the Nintendo 64 game Banjo Tooie, Davy Jones' Locker is a flooded locker situated at the bottom of Atlantis, an aquatic sub-level in the depths of the lake in Jolly Roger's Lagoon. It is the lair of the level's boss, Lord Woo Fak Fak.
In the LucasArts Monkey island series, a pirate is being described as "so tough he locked Davy Jones into his locker".
Games
Davy Jones is the leader of the Cursed nation in the Wizkids Games collectible game, Pirates of the Spanish Main. There are two versions of him in Crew form: hid original appearance in the Pirates of Davy Jones Curse expansion, and his more recent and greatly more powerful incarnation in the Pirates At Ocean's Edge expansion. The Wizkids version of Davy Jones slightly resembles the movie version, though without the face tentacles and crab claw. He is linked to his ship, the Flying Dutchman.
References
- ^ "Davy Jones's Locker". Bartleby.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000-01-01. Retrieved 2006-07-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Dunne, Susan (2006-07-07). "Davy Jones's Legacy". The Hartford Courant.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|d accessdate=ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "courant" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b Brewer, E. Cobham (1898-01-01). "Davy Jones' Locker". Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Retrieved 2006-04-30.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) Cite error: The named reference "fable" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Rogoziński, Jan (1997-01-01). The Wordsworth Dictionary of Pirates. Hertfordshire. ISBN 1-85326-384-2.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Shay, Frank. A Sailor's Treasury. Norton. ASIN B0007DNHZ0.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) Some have said That Davy Jones is satan's jail keeper on the seas. When a wicked sailor died at sea his soul was send to the locker where it would be imprisoned. He was said to walk around as if he was half-asleep, with rusty keys.