The Life of a Pirate

_Elsa_

“So what’s the life of a pirate all about?” asks Tiffi.

“I can tell you what our life is all about,” says the female pirate. “My name is Mighty Mary and I’ve been with this crew for a while. “

‘Did you ever dream about being a pirate? Perhaps you were carried away with the tales of Blackbeard, Captain Hook, and the like. Maybe the idea of being on the sea, fighting battles, and stealing treasure excited your imagination. Maybe you could see yourself with a sword and a pair of boots, with the obligatory shoulder-perched parrot and eye patch. But did you ever stop to think about what it really might have been like to live as a pirate?

Our fairy tales and history books don't tell us the true story of pirate life...the ins and outs, ups and downs. Many of our stories and movies show us the "glamorous" side of pirate life, but we don't get to truly understand what it might have been like to live life on the open seas. To eat, drink, and sleep as a pirate. Today I plan on taking you on a tour of REAL pirate life...the good and the bad, the adventurous and the ugly.

Where did pirates come from?

Pirates simply defined were thieves and/or violent criminals that sailed the open waters of the world. It is hard to pinpoint a time and place where pirates originated because as long as there have been humans, there have been thieves and criminals. And for as long as people have been brave enough to sail the open seas, you can bet there were criminals who decided using the sea as their means for transport was most beneficial. 

According to some, the first documented pirates came from the Mediterranean region in the fourteenth century B.C. Specifically these people were called the Sea Peoples and were thought to have come from the Aegean Sea. However, some historians consider pirates from various places in the Mediterranean area to be a part of the classified "Sea Peoples", which also included pirates from Ancient Greece. Again, this is the first documented example of pirates but in all likelihood not the first pirates to have scoured the open waters.

Pirates have been documented on almost every continent in the world - Throughout the pages of history, there were pirates from Asia, Europe, Africa, and even the Americas. You might have heard of the Vikings, as an infamous European example of pirates. There were pirates from the Middle East, as well as from China as Asian examples. The Barbary corsairs were pirates that originated from various ports in North Africa. And of course during the "Golden Age of Piracy", pirates from various colonies in North America raided the Caribbean for treasures and other spoils.’ (Source)

Let’s continue - You might be wondering, how did one become a pirate?

Start at the beginning – Kimmy meets some pirates