Monthly Archives: April 2023
Davy Jones
Alternative Name: Devil Jonah, Deva, Davy or Taffy
If you ask most people today who the figure of Davy Jones is, most are likely to comment on him being a character in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movie “Deadmen tell no Tales.” Or they might bring up the character from the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon.
At some point, many hear about someone being sent to “Davy Jones’ Locker” as a euphemism for sending them to the bottom of the sea and death by drowning. Given this, many have an idea of Davy Jones as being some sort of demon or evil spirit who roams the seas, claiming all those unlucky to be lost at sea and drown.
Nautical Origins
We know that the mention of Davy Jones’ Locker became popular during the 1800s among sailors and would continue to be a part of the broader cultural knowledge of sea lore.
The earliest mention we have of Davy Jones is in Daniel Defoe’s 1726 book “The Four Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts” where he mentions laying someone to rest in David Jones’ Locker. The next mention we have of Davy Jones and cementing him with a negative connotation is in the 1751 publication “The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle” by Tobias Smollett.
As to the historical figure of Davy Jones? That part is unclear and there have been a few theories put forward. There was a David Jones who was a pirate on the Indian Ocean during the 1630s, but scholars respond back that this David Jones wasn’t fearsome enough to be worthy of the notoriety. Another source suggests that Davy Jones could have been a Duffer Jones, a nearsighted sailor who frequently found himself falling overboard. There is also a British song written in 1594 called “Jone’s Ale is Newe.” The lyrics of the song tell of a pub owner who would throw drunk sailors into his ale locker and then dump them on any passing ship. The pub owner becomes a pirate after he goes bankrupt, stealing a ship and sailing across the Atlantic Ocean where he would capture other ships and their crew. Most captive crew members would be decapitated while others were locked down below before sinking the ship.
The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose, written in 1785 gives a definition of “David Jones. The devil, the spirit of the sea; called Necken (Nixie) or Draugr in the northern countries, such as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.”
Crossing The Equator – There are nautical traditions held as an initiation ceremony for sailors crossing the Equatorial line for the first time. Those who had done it before are called shellbacks or the Sons of Neptune. The oldest shell back is called King Neptune and the next oldest is his assistant and called Davy Jones.
Saint David – Another suggestion is that Welsh sailors would call upon Saint David or Dewi for protection from danger. Incidentally, Jones is a common Welsh surname.
Daeva – This is an evil spirit that loves to cause harm and destruction in Persian mythology.
Duppy – This is a West Indian name for an evil or malevolent ghost.
God Or Devil?
There are suggestions that Davy Jones is either a dark god of the sea or the devil. They point towards the name Davy and Devil. Other names to call Davy Jones are Deva, Davy, or Taffy, the thief of the evil spirit.
A few apocryphal sources go so far as to suggest that Jones is a corruption of Jonah, as in the biblical prophet who was swallowed by a whale. Thus, Devil Jonah is a dark angel or devil of the sea. In this respect, a particularly evil or bad sailor would go to Davy Jone’s Locker, the bottom of the sea. Whereas those sailors who were good or holy would go to the Fiddler’s Green, a sailor’s paradise and heaven in British folklore.
Description
This one will vary. In general, Davy Jones has been accepted as some sort of fiend, devil, or evil spirit that roams the seven seas claiming the souls of unlucky sailors to drown at sea and all ships lost at sea.
In Tobias Smollett’s book “The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle,” Davy Jones is described as having saucer eyes, three rows of teeth, horns, a tail, and blue smoke that come from his nose.
American author Washington Irving mentions Davy Jones in his 1824 book as arriving by storm, during the night.
It should come as no surprise that Davy Jones is also mentioned in Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick.” Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel “Treasure Island” sees frequent mention of Davy Jones and he is mentioned in J.M. Barrie’s novel “Peter Pan” where Captain Hook sings about sending someone down to Davy Jones by way of walking the plank. Just about any story taking place at sea seems to mention Davy Jones at some point.
“Hitting The High Seas”
An episode of the 1960s The Monkees t.v. series. In this episode, the band member Davy Jones plays the character of the same name, claiming to be the grandson of the original Davy Jones while his bandmates are all held hostage.
SpongeBob SquarePants
This cartoon series would feature Davy Jones in several episodes and would have an actual gym locker to hold souls. One episode shows one of the Monkee’s band members Davy Jones and gym socks would be kept in there.
Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean
I would say the current description of Davy Jones that many are familiar with and that strongly influences their mental image comes from his introduction in the second and third movies, Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End. The character also appears again in a cameo at the end of Dead Men Tell No Tales.
The movie version of Davy Jones looks like a cross between a human and an octopus with numerous tentacles coming from his face like a beard and has a crab-like claw for his left arm and a long tentacle on his right hand to replace an index finger. And the leg of a crab for his right leg, much like a pegleg.
This version of Davy Jones connects him to the ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman. In life, he was a Scottish captain who falls in love with the sea goddess Calypso. The goddess entrusts Davy Jones with ferrying the souls of those who’ve died at sea to the next world. To aid him, Davy Jones is given the ship, The Flying Dutchman. They promised to meet again in ten years and when he kept his part and Calypso failed to appear, Davy Jones swore vengeance on her. It is in failing to perform his duties that Davy Jones and his crew began transforming into monstrous people merged with aquatic animals. Davy Jones also comes to command the Kraken.
Phineus
Etymology: Possibly from the ancient greek “phḗnē/φήνη” meaning “vulture”.
Pronunciation: fin-ee-uhs, fahy-nyoos
Alternate Spellings: Phineas, Φινεύς
When researching this name, I’ve found that the name Phineus can refer to at least two different people from Greek Mythology. Though there is potentially at least one other figure named Phineus.
1) King Phineus from the Argonauts
This Phineus is perhaps the most well-known of the figures in Greek mythology bearing the name. The son of King Agenor in Thrace, Phineus had been given the gift of prophecy from the god Apollo. Now, because Phineus prophesied truly and revealed too much of the gods’ secrets, how he treated his sons, gave Phrixus directions for their journey, or chose a long life to having sight, Zeus blinded him as punishment. It was either that or death. Then, because that wasn’t enough, Phineus was exiled to the island of Salmydessus, where every time he would sit down to eat, the Harpies would come and steal all the food. What little food would be left after was foul and inedible.
Later, when Jason and the Argonauts arrived, they came to Phineus’ aid by having the winged Boreads, Calais, and Zetes (brothers of Cleopatra) chase after the Harpies. The goddess Iris intervened, keeping the Boreads from killing the Harpies and promising that Phineus would never be bothered by the Harpies again.
In gratitude for their service, Phineus prophesied to Jason about the Symplegades and how to get past the clashing rocks to continue their quest.
Other sources have the two Boreads pursue the Harpies until they fell from exhaustion into the sea below. Another source says that it is Helios, the sun god who sent the Harpies to torment Phineus for choosing to be blinded. Alternatively, Helios blinds Phineus at the behest of his son Aeëtes for helping his enemies. A more obscure source says that it is Poseidon who blinds Phineus instead of Zeus, in those versions of the stories, Phineus’ sons have their vision restored by the Boreads or Asclepius.
In the versions where Phineus doesn’t kill his sons, but instead either blinds them or has them buried to their waists to be tortured and has his first wife Cleopatra imprisoned and tortured when the Argonauts arrive, they learn of the punishments being meted out. As the Boreads are brothers to Cleopatra and that is their nephews, a battle breaks out between Phineus’ army of Thracians and the Argonauts’ crew. The Argonauts emerge victorious when Herakles slays Phineus.
Some accounts of this Phineus place him as a king in Paphlagonia or Arcadia instead of Thrace. Yet other sources state that Phineus is killed by Boreas, or that he is carried off by the Harpies into the country of either Bistones or Milchessians.
Parentage & Family
In Apollonius of Rhodes’ account, Phineus is the son of Agenor. The Bibliotheca names Poseidon as the father of Phineus, who was in another account Agenor’s father. Hesiodic Catalogue of Women names Phoenix and Cassiopeia as Phineus’ parents.
Phineus’ first wife is Cleopatra, the daughter of the North Wind, Boreas, and Oreithyia. Cleopatra (not to be confused with Mark Anthony and Cleopatra) bore Phineus two sons. There is a very long list of just who these two sons are. Either Plexippus and Pandion (these two are the most commonly named), Gerymbas and Aspondus, or Polydector (Polydectus) and Polydorus, or Parthenius and Crambis, or Oryithus (Oarthus) and Crambis. If you are confused as to who to go with, you are not alone.
Phineus’ second wife is Idaea, a Scythian Princess and daughter of Dardanus. Idaea claimed her stepsons raped her and Phineus blinded the sons. After Phineus is killed, Idaea returns to her people, where her father Dardanus kills her for how she treated her stepsons. Other wives that Phineus had are Dia, Eidothea (sister of Cadmus), and Eurytia.
With Idaea, Phineus has two other sons, Mariandynus and Thynus, and two daughters, Eraseia and Harpyreia. A third daughter, Olizone is mentioned, in some sources, she is named as Dardanus’ wife. That could just owe to more than one person who has the same name.
Lost Play & Works
Phineus – A now lost play written by Aeschylus, the first in a trilogy that includes The Persians and thought to have been produced in 472 B.C.E. In this play, Helios transforms Phineus into a mole over an unknown insult.
Antigone – The story of Phineus and Cleopatra has a brief mention of this story by Sophocles.
2) Uncle Phineus from the story of Perseus & Andromeda
In the story of Perseus & Andromeda, Phineus is the son of Belus and brother to King Cepheus of Egypt. At the beginning of the story, Phineus had been promised his niece, Andromeda in marriage. However, when the oracle told King Cepheus to offer up his daughter Andromeda in sacrifice to appease Poseidon’s anger, it is Perseus who comes and rescues the Princess and defeats the monster Cetus. As a reward, Cepheus offers Andromeda’s hand in marriage to Perseus. Had Phineus been the one to defeat Cetus and rescue Andromeda, this wouldn’t have been disputed or contested.
Phineus is adamant that because he was promised Andromeda’s hand first, he has the first claim and picks a fight with Perseus about his right to marry her during the wedding. After slaying a Gorgon and a Sea Monster, a mere mortal man is no challenge for Perseus who once again pulls out Medusa’s head and turns Phineus to stone. Given variations of the story, sometimes this is when Cepheus and Cassiopeia are also turned to stone when they accidentally look at the gorgon’s severed head. With Phineus now dead, Andromeda accompanies Perseus back to his home Tiryns in Argos where they eventually founded the Perseid dynasty.
Ovid’s Metamorphosis goes into detail about how Phineus may have arrived alone in Aethiopia but soon had many friends within Cepheus’ court. When Phineus threw a spear at Perseus, missing, Perseus soon after pulled the Gorgon’s head out and many of Phineus’ allies were turned to stone before it was finally turned on Phineus despite pleading for his life.
3) Phineus, Arcadian Prince
This Phineus would be one of the fifty sons of the infamous King Lycaon and the naiad Cyllene, Nonacris, or an unknown woman. Given how notorious King Lycaon and his sons were, Zeus came down to test them in the guise of a peasant. When these brothers mixed the remains of a child into the god’s meal, a justifiably enraged Zeus threw his meal over the table. All of the brothers and Lycaon were slain by lightning bolts.
In the Apollodorus, this version of the story sees Lycaon transformed into a wolf and a prototype for the werewolf legends as a curse.
Brickthology 