Davy Jones' Locker: Meaning, Origin and the Legend
Nov 11, 2026 · The Editors
What Davy Jones' locker means, where the phrase comes from, who Davy Jones was said to be, the early written records, Fiddler's Green, and how the legend reached modern pirate films.
Davy Jones' locker is sailors' slang for the bottom of the sea — the resting place of drowned sailors and sunken ships. To be "sent to Davy Jones' locker" means to die at sea or be lost overboard. Davy Jones himself was the sailors' name for the devil, or an evil spirit, of the deep.
What does Davy Jones' locker mean?
A sailor's locker was the chest where he kept his belongings. Davy Jones' locker, then, is the place where the sea spirit keeps what he takes: men, ships and cargo. The phrase was used both seriously — of shipwreck and drowning — and as dark humour, the way sailors joked about everything that frightened them.
The origin of Davy Jones' locker
Nobody knows for certain who Davy Jones was, or whether he was based on anyone. The main theories are:
- Jonah. The prophet swallowed by a great fish was the seaman's symbol of bad luck, and "Jones" may come from "Jonah". A "Jonah" is still slang for someone who brings bad luck on a ship.
- Duffy. "Duffy" or "duppy" is a word for a ghost in the West Indies, which some writers suggest became "Davy".
- A real person. Stories have suggested a pirate or a London tavern keeper of that name, but no reliable evidence links any of them to the phrase.
All three remain guesses.
The earliest written records
The name appears in print in the 18th century:
- An account of a sailor's voyages published in 1726, usually attributed to Daniel Defoe, mentions Davy Jones in connection with the sea.
- In 1751, Tobias Smollett's novel The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle describes Davy Jones as the fiend who presides over the evil spirits of the deep, often seen in the rigging before storms and shipwrecks — with saucer eyes, three rows of teeth, horns and a tail.
By the 19th century the phrase was common in sea stories and sailors' songs, and it has never left the language.
Fiddler's Green: the other place
Sailors had a happier afterlife too. Fiddler's Green was the legendary paradise for seamen, a place of endless music, dancing and full glasses. Davy Jones' locker was the cold, dark opposite.
Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman
The legend of the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship doomed to sail forever, grew up alongside Davy Jones in sailors' stories. The two were separate legends, but a popular pirate film series in the 2000s joined them, making Davy Jones the tentacle-faced captain of the Dutchman. That version is a film invention; the older Davy Jones had no ship.
Davy Jones in pirate symbols
Pirates borrowed the imagery of death at sea for their flags: skulls, bones, hourglasses and skeletons, all meaning "your time is short". See pirate flag meanings for what each symbol said. A 3D metal model of the Flying Dutchman and a pirate-themed deck of cards bring the same legends to a shelf or a card table.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Davy Jones' locker" mean?
It means the bottom of the sea, where drowned sailors and sunken ships go. Being sent to Davy Jones' locker means dying at sea.
Who was Davy Jones?
In sailors' folklore, Davy Jones was the devil or evil spirit of the sea. Nobody knows for certain whether the name was based on a real person.
Where does the phrase Davy Jones' locker come from?
Its origin is uncertain. Theories link "Jones" to Jonah or to "duffy", a West Indian word for a ghost. It appears in print from the 1720s.
Was Davy Jones the captain of the Flying Dutchman?
Not in the original legends. The two were joined by a pirate film series in the 2000s.
