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Jack. I've just recalled. I've got this wonderful compass which points to whatever I want. So for what do I need you?"
"Points to the thing you want most. And that is not the Brethren Court, is it?"
"Then what is, Jack?"
"Me. Dead.
Cutler Beckett and Jack Sparrow[src]

Captain Jack Sparrow's compass is the most special of all his possessions. Jack's compass is featured in the 2003 film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its sequels. Among other appearances, in which the compass hangs from Jack's belt, the compass appears in A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas at the Magic Kingdom.

Although it initially appears useless (the needle never points North), Jack's compass has supernatural qualities. The compass cannot be used to navigate in a conventional sense, but it does direct the owner to whatever he or she most desires. Jack acquired the compass from the mystic Tia Dalma, but the magical compass was initially acquired by Jack from Dalma for gave that to his captain Morgan, at that times captain of the Black Pearl (which was called Wicked Wench); however, when his captain died killed by the evil pirate hunter Armando Salazar, Morgan, before dying, gave to Jack his compass and the command of his ship. Jack used his new magical compass to trap Salazar in Devil's Triangle, and so he became the captain for the Black Pearl and with his magical compass would sails to new adventures, but Jack, for having his beloved ship back, made a deal with his archenemy Davy Jones, the devil of the seas.

Background[]

As a young boy, Jack would acquire this magical compass from the mystic Tia Dalma for his captain Morgan, then Jack, who was part of his crew, gave Morgan the compass, who would use it in his adventures on the Wicked Wench (the original name of the Black Pearl).

One day, his captain was killed by Salazar, and then he gave Jack the magical compass and the command of the ship, then Jack would use his magical compass in all his glorious adventures.

Appearances[]

Films[]

The Curse of the Black Pearl[]

Ten years prior to the events of the film, Jack Sparrow showed up in Tortuga, where he had the compass and was going after the treasure of Isla de Muerta. Sailing out aboard the Black Pearl, Jack gave up the bearings to his first mate, Hector Barbossa, who led the mutiny aboard the Pearl. Jack was thrown overboard with the compass and marooned on an island, though escaped later to retake the Black Pearl and kill Barbossa.

By the time Jack showed up in Port Royal ten years later, Jack would still have the compass in his person. When examining Jack's effects, Commodore Norrington looked at the compass. After the commandeered Interceptor sailed with a buccaneer crew from Tortuga, Jack held the compass while steering the ship to Isla de Muerta to rescue Elizabeth Swann. During the voyage, Will Turner questioned Jack's usage of the compass, saying it doesn't work, but Joshamee Gibbs said that the compass doesn't point North, but they weren't trying to find North either. After arriving to Isla de Muerta, Will asked how Jack got the compass in the first place. Gibbs replied that not much is known about Jack Sparrow before his search for the Isla de Muerta. Commodore Norrington later used Jack's compass to lead them to Isla de Muerta to save Will from Barbossa.

After escaping his execution at Port Royal, Jack Sparrow fell off into the ocean and swam towards the Black Pearl. Having the crew pull him from the water, and appointed him captain of the Pearl once again, Jack pulled out his compass while singing "A Pirate's Life for Me". Captain Sparrow closed the compass as he set a new course.

Dead Man's Chest[]

After escaping the Turkish prison, during which time he acquired a drawing of a key, Jack Sparrow tried to use his compass to find a heading, but failed. Meanwhile, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann were arrested by Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company. While Elizabeth was imprisoned, Beckett made a deal with Will, who agreed to find Jack's compass in exchange for Will and Elizabeth's freedom. Will would find Jack, with the compass on his person, at Cannibal Island. After escaping the island's cannibal natives, Will confronted Jack about his need for the compass. Jack agreed to give Will the compass, but only if he would help find the key.

Jack finds his headding

Jack finds his heading.

While visiting the mystic Tia Dalma, she asked Jack Sparrow why he couldn't use the compass to lead him, but then realized that either Jack didn't know what he wanted or he knew "but are loath to claim it as his own". After finding the Flying Dutchman, Will was press-ganged aboard the ghost ship while Jack was sent by Davy Jones to collect 99 souls in three days. As Joshamee Gibbs was recruiting sailor at Tortuga, Jack tried to use the compass, but with no success. It wasn't until Jack met with Elizabeth at Tortuga's docks, accompanied by former commodore James Norrington, Jack decided to use her. Jack convinced Elizabeth to use the compass to find the Dead Man's Chest in order to save Will, a plan which was successful as Jack finally found his next heading. However, throughout the voyage, Elizabeth's use of the compass would have it pointing to Jack.

Arriving to Isla Cruces in their search for the chest, Elizabeth had a misunderstanding on which direction the compass's needle pointed at. Both Jack and Elizabeth were soon able to find the exact spot that the chest was buried. However, after a battle ensued, the chest was ultimately taken by Dutchman's crewmen and the heart of Davy Jones ended up in Lord Beckett's possession by Norrington's hand. Meanwhile, the Kraken attacked the Black Pearl, in which the Pearl was dragged to the depths. During the battle, Jack was rowing away to land, but used the compass while deciding if he should return on board or not.

At World's End[]

SparrowsCompass

Jack's compass spinning.

Because Jack Sparrow was taken to Davy Jones' Locker by the Kraken, the compass went along with him. While being rescued by his crew, led by a resurrected Hector Barbossa, Jack tried using the compass to escape on his own, leaving Barbossa, Will, Elizabeth, Pintel, and Ragetti. Unfortunately, the compass only spun in circles, which forced Jack to bring them along aboard the Black Pearl, as Barbossa had navigational charts in his possession.

After escaping the Locker, the Black Pearl was briefly captured, in which time Jack Sparrow and Cutler Beckett negotiated aboard the Endeavour. Beckett questioned his use for Jack to find the Brethren Court if Beckett had the compass in his possession. Jack pointed out that the thing Beckett wanted most wasn't the Brethren Court, but to have Jack Sparrow himself dead. Realizing it to be true, Beckett then thought to kill Jack so the compass would lead him to the Brethren's meeting in Shipwreck Cove. However, Jack was able to convince Beckett to let him live, so he could lead the Brethren outside. Before negotiations could continue, Jack took the compass and escaped from the Endeavour onto the Pearl.

Later, Jack caught Will leading a trail for Beckett to follow. In response, after a brief talk of Will's conflicting obligations, Jack had Will thrown overboard after giving him his compass. Will was later picked up by the Endeavour, where he made a deal with Beckett and Davy Jones, which allowed them to use the compass to find Shipwreck Cove. During the parley on a sandbar, Beckett returned the compass to Jack, having led his assembled armada for attack.

The compass would remain on Jack's belt throughout the battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman, and the destruction of the Endeavour. Jack wore the compass while in Tortuga, upon finding out that Barbossa stole the Pearl once again. Having anticipated Barbossa's treachery, Jack took the map to the Fountain of Youth. Jack pulled out his compass, which pointed to a bottle of rum. As he drank his rum, Jack saw that the compass pointed in the right course and began his search.

On Stranger Tides[]

Throughout the quest for the Fountain of Youth, Jack Sparrow wore his compass on his belt. Days after being shanghaied aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack Sparrow was forced by Blackbeard to lead the search for the Fountain on the island. Pulling out his compass, Jack sets forth into finding Ponce de León's ship. After happening upon a jungle chasm, Jack told Blackbeard the way to the Fountain before Blackbeard took the compass for himself and forced Sparrow to jump in the chasm so he could retrieve the Chalices.

After returning with the Chalices, with Joshamee Gibbs, Jack and Blackbeard bargained for Jack's confiscated compass and Gibbs' release. In return, Jack vowed to give Blackbeard the Chalices and lead him to the Fountain; Blackbeard agreed and took the Chalices from a now-free Gibbs. Jack gave the compass to Gibbs, saying it will lead him to freedom. Later, Jack found Gibbs, who used the compass to locate the Black Pearl, now a shrunken ship in a bottle.

Dead Men Tell No Tales[]

On the fifth film Jack Sparrow, falling in misery and being with no money arriving to, gave his compass for a bottle of Rum, unknowingly freeing his old enemy, the undead ghost Salazar, from the Devil's Triangle and allowing him to search revenge on Sparrow. The compass finished in unknown circonstances in the hands of the sea witch Shansa, who gave that to Barbossa. At the end the compass returned in possession of Jack Sparrow, who was again the captain of the Black Pearl (freed by Barbossa with Triton's Sword), and so Jack, with his compass, sailed to his beloved horizon.

Video games[]

Kingdom Hearts II[]

In Kingdom Hearts II, the compass reveals the location of the Port Royal world's Keyhole, allowing Sora, the game's protagonist, to move on to the next world.

Disney Parks[]

Pirates of the Caribbean[]

The compass hangs on Jack Sparrow's belt in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow[]

The compass hangs on Jack Sparrow's belt until Jack himself holds it at the end.

A Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas[]

In the game, Jack's compass guides new pirate recruits on a raid throughout Adventureland to collect valuable treasures.

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

External links[]

PotCWiki-wordmark This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from the Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki. The list of authors can be seen in the page revision history (view authors). As with Disney Wiki, the text of PotC Wiki is available under the CC-by-SA Free Documentation License.


v - e - d
Pirates-of-the-caribbean-collection-logo
Media
Films: The Curse of the Black Pearl (video/soundtrack) • Dead Man's Chest (video/soundtrack) • At World's End (video/soundtrack) • On Stranger Tides (video/soundtrack) • Dead Men Tell No Tales (video/soundtrack)

Short Films: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked
Books: Jack Sparrow prequel novelsPirates of the Caribbean: Legends of the Brethren CourtPirates of the Caribbean: The Price of FreedomPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual GuidePirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Ultimate Sticker Book)
Video Games: Pirates of the CaribbeanThe Legend of Jack SparrowPirates of the Caribbean OnlineDisney UniverseKingdom Hearts IIPirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer MobileLEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video GamePirates of the Caribbean: At World's EndPirates of the Caribbean (pinball)Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black PearlPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's ChestPirates of the Caribbean: Master of the SeasDisney InfinityPirates of the Caribbean: Tides of WarDisney Heroes: Battle ModeKingdom Hearts IIIDisney Sorcerer's ArenaSea of Thieves: A Pirate's LifeDisney Speedstorm

Disney Parks
New Orleans SquareTreasure CovePiratelandPirate TakeoverA Pirate's Adventure: Treasures of the Seven SeasEl Teatro FandangoJungle River Cruise: Pirate Takeover!Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer IslandPirates of the CaribbeanPirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken TreasureShipwreck ShoreSiren's RevengeThe Legend of Captain Jack SparrowPirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer GoldBilge Rat Bill's Explorer Canoes

Entertainment: Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate TutorialEye of the Storm: Captain Jack's Stunt SpectacularFantasmic!Pirates Summer Battle "Get Wet!"
Restaurants: Blue Bayou RestaurantPintel & Ragetti's Grub to GrabThe Snackin’ KrakenTortuga TavernTortuga Treats
Shops: Doubloon MarketJolly GypsyPirates LeaguePirate Treasure
Fireworks: Celebrate the MagicDisney EnchantmentDisney Movie MagicFantasy in the SkyHappily Ever AfterIgnite the Dream: A Nighttime Spectacular of Magic and LightMagic, Music and MayhemThe Magic, the Memories and YouRemember... Dreams Come TrueWorld of Color
Halloween: Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween ParadePirates of the Caribbean Ghost TrailThe Nightmare Experiment

Characters
The Curse of the Black Pearl: Jack SparrowHector BarbossaJoshamee GibbsWill TurnerElizabeth SwannJames NorringtonGovernor Weatherby SwannPintel and RagettiJack the MonkeyCottonMartyMurtogg and MullroyTheodore GrovesAnamariaCotton's ParrotGilletteGiselleScarlettBo'sunJacobyKoehlerTwiggMallotGrappleWeatherbyExecutioner of Port Royal

Dead Man's Chest: Davy JonesCutler BeckettIan MercerTia DalmaKrakenBootstrap Bill TurnerMaccusClankerPenrodAnglerRatlinKolenikoHadrasPalificoOgilveyCrashWyvernGreenbeardJimmy LegsLeechBellamyPrison RavensPelegostos Tribe
At World's End: Sao FengTai HuangLian and ParkStengEduardo VillanuevaSri SumbhajeeCapitaine ChevalleAmmand the CorsairJocardMistress ChingCaptain TeagueMoreyGreitzerDavy Jones' Locker Crabs
On Stranger Tides: AngelicaBlackbeardPhilip SwiftSyrenaGarhengSalamanScrumDerrickEzekielGunnerQuartermasterCookMarinaMermaidsTamaraSpaniardKing FerdinandKing George IIJohn CarteretHenry PelhamRedcoats
Dead Men Tell No Tales: Captain SalazarLesaroHenry TurnerCarina SmythUncle JackScarfieldShansaMayor DixGhost SharksGhost Seagulls
Tales of the Code: MungardMarquis d'Avis
Attraction: ReddAuctioneerPirate CaptainCaptain XPrison DogTinySeedy PrisonersHook Hand PirateSkeleton HelmsmanBarker BirdBeacon JoeThe Pooped PirateOld BillShy AlbertCarlosFortune RedCaptain GoreJean LafitteTom SawyerCarlos' WifeSkeleton PillagerSkeleton Pirate CaptainTreasure SkeletonPirate RobberTreasure OctopusHungry PirateScalawagCooteThurlBillie HowTaliban PiratePirate AssistantSword Skeleton PirateHook Hand Skeleton Pirate
Video Games: Black BartyJolly Roger
Books: MontezumaJames the MysteriousArabella SmithSilver

Organizations
Crew of the Black PearlCursed CrewCrew of the Flying DutchmanEast India Trading CompanyBrethren CourtSpaniard's crewBlackbeard's Zombie OfficersCrew of the Silent MaryCrew of the Wicked Wench
Locations
Isla TesoroDead Man's CoveBlue Bayou LagoonPort Royal, JamaicaFort CharlesTortugaRumrunner's IsleIsla de MuertaPelegostosIsla CrucesPantano RiverSingaporeSao Feng's BathhouseDavy Jones' LockerShipwreck CoveLondon, EnglandSpainWhitecap BayFountain of YouthSaint MartinPoseidon's Tomb
Ships/Boats
Wicked WenchBlack PearlFlying DutchmanQueen Anne's RevengeHMS InterceptorHMS DauntlessHMS EndeavorJolly MonSilent MaryThe Sailing Ship Columbia
Objects
Jack Sparrow's hatJack Sparrow's swordJack Sparrow's compassCursed TreasureTreasure of CortésElizabeth Swann's gold medallionRagetti's wooden eyeJar of DirtDavy Jones' pipe organKey to the Dead Man's ChestDead Man's ChestMao Kun MapPirata CodexJack Sparrow's Pirate BeadsSword of TritonJack Sparrow Voodoo DollChalices of CartagenaDark MagicVoodooDavy Jones and Calypso's LocketsTrident of Poseidon
Music
"Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" • Theme park soundtrackSoundtrack Treasures CollectionPirates of the Caribbean and Other VillainsSwashbuckling Sea Songs1966 soundtrackThe Medallion CallsHe's a PiratePirates RemixedHoist the ColoursMy Jolly Sailor Bold
See Also
Pirates of the Caribbean Trading Card GameLiar's DicePirates of the ScareibbeanSwashbucklersCalypso's Maelstrom
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