Tia Dalma

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Tia Dalma in her hut.

Tia Dalma is a character from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, played by Naomie Harris. She seems to be a practitioner of Vodou, and is an associate of Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp).

Character history

Tia Dalma traded Captain Jack Sparrow his compass seven years prior. It is no ordinary compass; it points to what the holder most desires. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Tia provides the adventurers with information about Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman's location. In exchange, Jack gives her Barbossa's cursed monkey, Jack, which quickly scurries to the back room when Tia releases it from the cage. Unknown to Jack and the others, Captain Barbossa is recuperating there. Only his boots can be seen through the doorway.

It's hinted that Tia Dalma and Jack Sparrow were once romantically involved, although the exact nature of their relationship is unknown. When Jack and the crew travel upriver to seek her help, he is clearly apprehensive over their impending reunion. Tia, however, is apparently pleased to see him and offers her assistance—for a price.

At the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Tia reveals there is hope of returning Jack Sparrow to the living world after the Kraken apparently swallowed him whole, but they must sail to "World's End" to find him. Will, Elizabeth and the grieving crew realize that losing Captain Jack Sparrow is too great a sorrow to bear and agree to try and bring him back. Tia Dalma tells them they will need a captain who is familiar with those waters; fortunately, she has just the right man—Captain Sparrow's old nemesis, Barbossa.

In an interview by FilmFocus, Naomie Harris reveals that Tia Dalma will journey with the Black Pearl's crew to the World's End. She is, "...not really who she says she is. She is a lot more powerful." Considering she raised Barbossa from the dead and collects rather unusual magical artifacts, such as Jack's compass, this may not be surprising.

Fans speculate she may be the former lover of Davy Jones, as they both have identical lockets, and because Tia's explanation of the Dead Man's Chest indicates that he loved Calypso. It should, however, be noted that she is somewhat critical of the woman who left Davy Jones, which could mean that she merely shares some sort of a connection with the lover. However, it is also possible she is being critical of her own former decision, if she was indeed Davy Jones' former love.

Trivia

• She shares many the quailities that Yoda had in star wars.
• Tia Dalma's name is an anagram of Dalmatia. The Dalmatian Coast was a historical haven for pirates - once known as the Roman province of Illyricum and before that the kingdom of Illyria. Illyria was a pirate kingdom - plundering Roman and Greek vessels in the Adriatic - ruled by the pirate queen, Queen Teuta.
• Tia Dalma's firefly-surrounded dwelling resembles a small shack seen at the beginning of the famous Disneyland ride.
• It is highly probable that Tia Dalma is actually the sea nymph Calypso, who's reputation in Homer's The Odyssey is known to be that of a seductress. This sentiment is aluded to in one of the names propsed for the third movie: "Calypso's Revenge."
• Another hint towards their connection is in both characters' musical themes. The melody from Davy Jones' music box is incorporated into Tia Dalma's score at a slower rhythm.
• Jack the monkey's sudden good behavior in Tia Dalma’s house may be taken as foreshadowing Captain Barbossa's presence.
• She may have been inspired by Voodoo Lady in the Monkey Island series of computer games, which were inspired by the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride and have been used for inspiration for several characters in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
• In the young Jack Sparrow books, she is mentioned to have turned a girl named Constance into a cat. It is also revealed that Jack has known her since he was a child.
• In an interview with Naomie Harris, it is revealed that Jack Sparrow and Tia Dalma were former lovers.[1] Some dialogue between the two characters ("I thought I knew you") confirms this.
• Another interview with Naomie Harris hints at her being responsible for the return of Jack Sparrow, as she was for the return of Captain Barbossa.[2]

External links

• Keep to the code - official fan site