Heart of Davy Jones

"And a heart. I learned that if you stab the heart, yours must take its place. And you will sail the seas for eternity. The Dutchman must have a captain. Silly thing to die for."

- Weatherby Swann

This heart was removed by Davy Jones from his own chest after his betrayal to the sea goddess Calypso, who had forsaken him prior to his betrayal. Jones carved out his heart in order to no longer feel the emotion of love again. He would lock the heart in the Dead Man's Chest and buried it on Isla Cruces, hiding it from the world. Lord Cutler Beckett would later gain possession of the heart, in which he would use it to control Jones.

Cutting and burying the Heart
"What, exactly, did he put into the chest?" "Him heart." "Literally or figuratively?" "He couldn't literally put his heart in a chest...could he?" "It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings...And so, him carve out him heart, lock it down in a chest, and hide the chest from the world."

- William Turner, Tia Dalma, Ragetti and Pintel

After the goddess Calypso had forsaken Davy Jones, Jones turned to the Brethren Court, who convened a great Conclave. With his help, the Brethren was able to imprison Calypso into her human form. But this would not help, because Jones' grief and guilt became so great, he carved out his own heart right out of his chest, and locked it away into the Dead Man's Chest. As a result, a geis was cast upon it along with Jones' ship, the Flying Dutchman&mdash;whoever stabs Jones' heart, theirs must take its place, as the Dutchmanmust always have a captain.

To keep his fate intact, Jones had the chest hidden on Isla Cruces so it could be safe from potential mutineers aboard the Flying Dutchman and away from his haunted sight. He kept the key hidden within his facial tentacles at all times. Whoever gains control of the chest was able to control Jones by extortion. Jones was immortal so long as his heart remained safe.

Finding the Heart
"If you intend to claim these, then you must have something to trade; do you have the compass?" "Better...the heart of Davy Jones."

- Cutler Beckett and James Norrington



Many years later, the heart would no longer be safe. For many people, including Jack Sparrow and Cutler Beckett, were willing to search for it to control Davy Jones. During Jack Sparrow's attempt to steal the heart in Isla Cruces, through a fight on the island, the heart was ultimately stolen by James Norrington. Norrington later gave it to Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company, who wanted to use it for darker purposes. Once in possession, Beckett used the heart to control Jones, as well as the Flying Dutchman, in order to rid the world of piracy.

Fight for the Heart
"I slip aboard the Dutchman, find the heart, stab the beating thing, your father's free from his debt, you're free to be with your charming murderess."

- Jack Sparrow to William Turner



The heart was soon returned to the chest and stored aboard the HMS Endeavour under the eyes of Beckett. But upon seeing the aftermath of the massacre of pirate ships led by the Flying Dutchman, Beckett had the chest transferred to the Dutchman. It was in the captain's quarters aboard the Dutchman that the chest was placed, with the heart beating inside. Throughout the war, it would be guarded by soldiers under the command of Admiral James Norrington. After Norrington's death, Ian Mercer took control, though he kept the chest where it lay.

During the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, the chest, containing the heart, was recovered by Sparrow. He then helped William Turner, who had been stabbed by Jones, stab the heart to kill Jones. Will Turner then became the captain of the Flying Dutchman, after his father, William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner cut out his son's heart and put it into the Dead Man's Chest. The heart, like Jones, fell into the maelstrom.

Behind the scenes
"Stay back! I will kill you." "Are you prepared for what comes after? When I carved that traitorous vessel from my body, I cast upon it a terrible geis. If you stab my heart, yours must take its place. The crew are not bound to me. They are bound to the Dutchman. And the Dutchman must have a captain. Will ye serve?"

- Weatherby Swann and Davy Jones


 * In a deleted scene of Dead Man's Chest, James Norrington attempted to stab the heart of Davy Jones with his sword after presenting the heart to Lord Cutler Beckett.
 * Shortly after the destruction of the pirate fleet, Governor Swann attempted to stab the heart of Davy Jones, but he was stopped by Admiral Norrington. That scene was cut out from the final version of the At World's End movie, but it was included in the At World's End junior novel.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)