Cornish legend about a cruel pirate and a hellish ship

Cornish legend about a hell ship and a condemned pirate claimed by hell

The story begins on a late autumn afternoon, when the sun had lost its strength to warm the surrounding waters, an unknown ship approached the coast of the Cornish peninsula. People standing on the shore immediately hid behind nearby rocks and trees, knowing that such visits did not bode well.

The braver ones who remained near the water and observed the mysterious ship noticed a tall man being led onto the deck. His restricted movements indicated that he must have been bound by powerful iron shackles.

The prisoner was forced into a dinghy, and then a group of armed sailors rowed towards the sandy beach. Without even reaching the shore, they unshackled the man, who immediately, like a wild animal, attacked his guards. He managed to knock one of them down, but outnumbered, he had no chance and was soon thrown overboard with a splash.

The dinghy was immediately directed towards the ship, leaving the man to his fate. However, he managed to swim to the mainland and after a brief moment of rest, he surveyed the area and disappeared into the nearby hills.

It didn’t take long for rumours to spread about the stranger. It turned out that the abandoned sailor was a notorious pirate. What’s worse, he was such a despicable person, with a soul as black as coal, that this was precisely why his comrades abandoned him on the shores of Cornwall. He was saved from a cruel death at the hands of other pirates by the pirate code, which prohibited killing the captain.

The pirate settled in a small abandoned cottage in the village of Cadgwith, and left destitute by the pirates, he often went to sleep hungry. People avoided his dwelling from afar, and he avoided the residents, only venturing out at night to rob unsuspecting merchants.

However, land thefts couldn’t replace what he loved most: the pirate’s trade. He typically looked longingly at the sea, where occasionally fluttering sails could be seen. Then his anger would rise like a tidal wave. One day, a storm hit the shore, and the sky darkened so much that the only guide for sailors navigating near the shore were the lights of the lighthouse. He took a lantern and tied it to the neck of a horse he had stolen, and slowly headed towards the summit of the high cliffs. The moving horse illuminated by the lantern flame looked like the stern light of a ship from a distance, luring unsuspecting sailors towards the rocky bay where their ships shattered into splinters.

Those who survived the encounter with the rocks had to face the pirate’s axe, which treated the shipwrecked with all cruelty, smashing their heads with the axe blade as the dazed wretches tried to make it to shore. In this way, he sank more ships and plundered wrecks.

This state of affairs lasted for many years until the pirate grew old and no longer had the strength to continue his wicked deeds. The old corsair fought against old age to the end, but death eventually claimed him. Two farmers from the nearby village were just finishing their field work when suddenly the wind picked up, and the villagers’ ears caught a tubal voice.

“It’s time, but the man hasn’t appeared!” The men looked at each other with surprise, and then towards the sea, from which these unexpected words came.

There they saw a mighty ship with a hull as black as soot in the chimney, not only was the hull of the ship black, but so were the sails and rigging. Behind this strange ship, even blacker clouds swirled, occasionally illuminated by lightning bolts. The farmers looked around and saw that darkness also enveloped the house of the old pirate standing nearby. It looked as if the darkness from hell had gathered only around this dwelling. Terrified, the men immediately ran to the village to warn others that something incomprehensible was happening.

In the village, they decided with other residents that it would be wise to investigate the strange phenomenon. They chose the bravest among them, who immediately set off for the cursed house. Upon arrival, they stood at a safe distance from the darkened hut. A small group consisting of two farmers, a village doctor, and a pastor approached the cottage uncertainly, but what they saw inside robbed them of the rest of their courage.

The old pirate writhed in agony on his bed, and a dark figure without a face stood over him, watching as the old man howled in pain. Suddenly, the dying pirate noticed the newcomers and shouted:

“The devil is clawing at my body, like a hawk plunges its talons into its prey!!… Throw the sailors overboard, let them perish!!… Pastor, help me!!” Upon hearing this, the pastor, despite his modest abilities, began to expel the devil from the room. At first, it seemed to be going well, and the demon began to retreat and diminish, but ultimately the attempt to expel the evil proved futile.

Suddenly, a mighty roar filled the room, the earth trembled, and the cottage roof burst into flames. Terrified people ran out of the house with screams, leaving the pirate alone with the black servant of hell. Then the storm cloud, which arrived with the black ship, completely covered the house and shrouded it in total darkness. Bold villagers hiding behind rocks finally saw how the cloud dispersed and suddenly, driven by the wind, sailed away towards the infernal ship, which also, moved by the wind, disappeared into the raging storm at sea.

Many days passed before the villagers dared to return to the pirate’s cottage. Among the rubble, they found his torn body and severed head, with a grimace of pain and fear frozen upon it. Later that same day, a coffin was prepared to get rid of the troublesome remains as quickly as possible.

Many years later, it was still remembered in taverns that when the coffin was carried to the cemetery, a black boar followed the procession, joining the funeral procession from an unknown place. When the procession finally reached the church steps, a storm broke out again, similar to the one they had witnessed a few days earlier when the pirate died. The wind was so strong and the rain so cold that those carrying the coffin had to drop it before they even reached the consecrated ground. Supposedly, when the coffin touched the ground, a mighty thunderbolt struck from the sky, smashing the wooden box and its contents into small pieces.

The people gathered in the church waited out the storm, and only when the mournful wailing of the wind ceased did they cautiously look outside the building. The coffin was gone, leaving only a burnt trace on the ground, which could still be seen for many years.

And so ends the story of the pirate, who was claimed by the devil himself.