Davy Jones is a legendary figure in Anglo-Saxon maritime folklore, appearing in the 18th century. His name refers to the "Davy Jones's Locker," a metaphor for the bottom of the ocean where drowned sailors and sunken ships rest. He embodies the malevolent spirit of the seas.
Davy Jones
Davy Jones
6 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- First known written mention in Tobias Smollett's *The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle* (1751)
- "Davy Jones's Locker" refers to the seabed, the grave of the drowned
- Recurring figure in British sailors' folklore in the 18th and 19th centuries
- Portrayed as a demon or evil spirit foretelling storms and shipwrecks
- Popularized in the 21st century by the *Pirates of the Caribbean* film saga
Works & Achievements
A maritime narrative attributed to Daniel Defoe containing the first known written mention of Davy Jones.
A novel that fixed the description of the deep-sea demon and anchored the character in literature.
A major poem about sea superstitions and curses, close to the universe of Davy Jones.
A phrase that entered the English language to denote the grave of sailors at the bottom of the ocean.
A modern reinvention of Davy Jones as a cursed captain, popularizing the legend worldwide.
Anecdotes
The first known written mention of Davy Jones appears in 1726 in a narrative attributed to Daniel Defoe, *The Four Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts*, where sailors already refer to this spirit of the seas. His name was thus familiar to navigators long before becoming a popular legend.
In 1751, Scottish writer Tobias Smollett describes Davy Jones in his novel *Peregrine Pickle* as a demon with round eyes, a triple row of teeth, and horns, blowing blue smoke from his nostrils. This is one of the earliest detailed physical descriptions of the character.
The phrase "Davy Jones's Locker" refers to the bottom of the ocean where drowned sailors and sunken ships end up. Saying a sailor had "gone to Davy Jones's Locker" simply meant he had drowned at sea.
Anglo-Saxon sailors used the name Davy Jones as a superstition to express their fear of drowning, the most dreaded danger aboard sailing ships. Invoking his name served both to ward off bad luck and to explain disappearances at sea.
The origin of the name remains a debated mystery: some see it as a distortion of "duppy" (a malevolent spirit in Caribbean folklore), others as a reference to a dishonest tavern owner or to the biblical prophet Jonah, swallowed by a great fish and a symbol of bad luck for sailors.
Primary Sources
Reference to "David Jones," invoked by sailors as a spirit of the seas, attesting to the antiquity of the belief in English maritime folklore.
"This same Davy Jones, according to the mythology of sailors, is the fiend that presides over all the evil spirits of the deep, and is often seen in various shapes..."
Definition of "Davy Jones's Locker" as an expression designating the bottom of the sea, the grave of drowned sailors.
Key Places
Mythical domain of Davy Jones, underwater grave of all drowned sailors and sunken ships.
Stage of the great crossings and shipwrecks of the 17th-18th centuries where the legend was forged.
Major British ports from which sailors who spread maritime superstitions set sail.
Dreaded passage for all sailors; its tumultuous waters embodied the mortal danger of the seas.
Seas frequented by pirates and scene of shipwrecks, possible birthplace of the name ("duppy") in West Indian folklore.
Typical Objects
Davy Jones’s locker is the metaphor for the bottom of the ocean where drowned sailors and shipwrecks rest forever.
Emblematic attribute of sea deities and demons, symbol of their power over the waves and storms.
Object of both salvation and loss, the anchor symbolizes attachment to the seabed, the realm of Davy Jones.
The riches of sunken ships lie in his domain, linking the legend to the imaginary of lost treasures.
Rung during shipwrecks, it announced to sailors the passage into Davy Jones’s locker.
The body of a sailor who died at sea was sewn into his hammock and thrown overboard, delivered to the depths.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Tags
Daily Life
Morning
Davy Jones has no daily life in the human sense: he is a spirit that perpetually haunts the depths. In sailors' imagination, dawn at sea was the time to watch for signs of a storm heralding his presence. They would scan the sky and the water's color with anxiety.
Afternoon
According to superstition, Davy Jones lurked beneath the surface, ready to claim his due. Sailors told that he watched for ships in distress to drag them into his locker, especially when the wind freshened and the swell rose.
Evening
At nightfall, the fear of Davy Jones was strongest: it was in the darkness that shipwrecks seemed most terrifying. Sailors would whisper his name to ward off bad luck before taking the night watch.
Food
As a demonic figure, Davy Jones was said to 'feed' on the souls of drowned sailors and sunken ships, which he collected in his locker at the bottom of the ocean. He did not eat like a living being but demanded lives.
Clothing
Tobias Smollett described him in 1751 with horns, a triple row of teeth, and blowing blue smoke. Popular culture often depicts him covered in seaweed, shells, and marine concretions, like a being made of the sea itself.
Housing
His dwelling is the 'Davy Jones's Locker,' the deepest and darkest bottom of the ocean, the realm of wrecks and sailors' skeletons. It is a cold underwater domain, crushed by pressure and plunged into eternal night.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Visual Style
Un style gothique maritime inspiré des gravures du XVIIIe siècle : mers déchaînées, navire fantôme et figure démoniaque surgie des abysses dans une lumière lunaire dramatique.
Sound Ambience
Une ambiance maritime menaçante : tempête, gémissement du bois, cloche lointaine et murmures fantomatiques des noyés montant des profondeurs.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
The Four Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts
1726
The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (Tobias Smollett)
1751
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (S. T. Coleridge)
1798
Davy Jones's Locker (expression idiomatique)
XIXe siècle
Pirates des Caraïbes (saga cinématographique)
2006-2017
