When we picture a pirate, there's often a striking image of a swashbuckler with a wooden peg leg, stomping around his ship, commanding his crew with an air of unmatched authority. But where did this image originate?

While peg legs weren’t nearly as ubiquitous as popular culture suggests, they weren't entirely fictional either. We do know of a couple of documented cases involving high-profile pirates with prosthetic limbs. The most famous is arguably François Le Clerc, a 16th-century French privateer.

Sep 4, 2022 · There are at least two recorded accounts of pirates wearing peg legs. But most amputees who remained part of pirate crew probably hobbled along using crutches.

Mar 26, 2024 · A peg leg is an artificial limb made of wood that could be attached to the remaining stump of a pirate’s leg. Think of it as a substitute for a real leg, helping them navigate their pirate ship and carry on with their swashbuckling adventures.

A peg leg is a prosthesis, or artificial limb, fitted to the remaining stump of a human leg, especially a wooden one fitted at the knee. [1] . Its use dates to antiquity. [2] By the late 19th century, prosthetics vendors would offer peg legs as cheaper alternatives to …

A peg leg, also referred to as a wooden leg, was a prosthesis, more specifically an artificial limb of carved wood fitted to the remaining stump of an amputated leg. Several individuals, some mainly being pirates, wore peg legs.

Jan 25, 2021 · The myth of pirates with prosthetic limbs came from stories written over a century after the Golden Age of Pirates had ended. Fictional characters, such as Long John Silver from Treasure Island and Hook from Peter Pan, were given …

Dec 1, 2014 · It seems like whenever someone wants to create a pirate costume or drawing of a pirate, the first thing they do (well, maybe after the tricorn hat and the parrot) is to add a patch, a pegleg or a hook.

Many people, when dressing as a pirate for Hallowe'en cast their thoughts to the traditional pirate hook - in place of a hand - or a peg leg - in place of a leg. These, combined with the eye patch are almost de riguer for a pirate costume.

Jun 10, 2012 · Many sailors could continue going to sea with missing fingers or eyes, but a bum leg or arm generally meant going ashore. That said, I know of at least one vessel that sailed for several years with a one armed cook.