"Feast your eyes upon this, mateys. There's more than one way to live forever. Gents, I give you the Fountain of Youth."
The Fountain of Youth, sometimes known as just the Fountain or the Aqua de Vida, was a
legendary spring that reputedly restored the youth or grantedimmortality to
anyone who drank from its waters. Rumored to be discovered by theJuan
Ponce de León, the Fountain was located within on a mysterious island in
theCaribbean.
Ever since the rumors of the discovery of the Fountain of Youth by the
Spanish explorer Ponce de León in 1523, it had been the ambition of many quests. On theMao Kun Map, the
struggle for eternal youth was symbolized by a tug of war between a skeleton and an angel, aligned with the symbol of the Fountain—theChalices.
The Chalices were required, along with a mermaid's tear, in order to
perform the Profane
Ritual, which was needed to use the Fountain. In 1750, three parties, including a pirate crew, the British, and the Spanish, embarked in
a quest for the Fountain.
Contents
[show]
History
Legend
"Some say the Fountain be not more
than legend false a mermaid's
kiss. Others whisper of a curse that leave ya as dead as old Ponce here.
What be the truth of it? I'll show ya."
For centuries, various legends and lore surrounding
the Fountain of Youth existed in many cultures, dating back thousands of years.
It was widely believed that if anyone were to drink water from the Fountain,
their youth would be miraculously restored—thereby granting eternal life.
According to the legends of the Arawaks—a tribe native to the western Caribbean islands—the
Fountain of Youth was located somewhere north of Cuba, in a island called Bimini. But in reality, the
Fountain of Youth was located on an uncharted island.
The Fountain itself would be found through dense jungles and past the Jungle Pools, within
a cavern where water floats upward. To enter the Fountain's chamber, the words
inscribed upon the two
Chalices, "Aqua
de Vida," must be spoken.[1]
The archaic symbol at the cave entrance.
At some point in its longtime existence, the Fountain of Youth was
discovered by humans who built a temple around it. The Fountain had since been
taken over by natural growth, in which it would become a ruined stone temple,
with vines growing around it, pulling it down and tearing it apart.[2]Within this sacred chamber, exotic creepers and clinging
moss covered ancient skeletons that
littered the stone steps, and a delicate stream of enchanted water flowed
through a natural stone circle at the center of the temple. An archaic symbol
would at some point be used as the symbol of the Fountain of Youth, in which it
would be carved at the cave entrance of the Fountain as well as being written
on the few maps and guides that
led to the Fountain.[1]
Ponce de León 1523
"No, I told you! Ponce
de León died two hundred years ago."
"Aye, but he died searching for something, didn't he?"
"...The Fountain of Youth."
"Aye, but he died searching for something, didn't he?"
"...The Fountain of Youth."
The map to
the Fountain of Youth.
The legend was most often associated with 16th-century Spanishconquistador Juan
Ponce de León, who purportedly tried to find it in 1513, during his voyage to the New World. Ponce de
León would have searched for the Fountain of Youth in an expedition to Florida and a mysterious island.
While it was said that Ponce de León died while searching for the Fountain,
rumors and legends persisted that the Spanish explorer had discovered it.
Sometime after 1523, the route
taken by Ponce de León in the Santiago's
journey to the Fountain was depicted on the navigational charts that led to
otherworldly realms: the Mao Kun Map.[1]
The ship's
log of the Santiago.
The Mao Kun Map served as one of the few guides to the Fountain of Youth,
with the map having one of the items needed for the Profane Ritual, the Chalices
of Cartagena, and showing the only place where to find a mermaid, Whitecap Bay. The
only other known guide was theship's
log of the Santiago, which had
pages that chronicled every detail of Ponce de León's voyage.[3] Ever since rumors floated of Ponce de León's
search, many men had sought the Fountain for the next two centuries.[1]
At some point during the quest
for the Shadow Gold, Jack Sparrow and
the crew of
the Black
Pearl learned about the Fountain of Youth from a
distant descendant of Ponce de León's, Diego. After this,
Jack had been intrigued by the idea of finding the Fountain.[4] At some point during their pursuit to
lift the Aztec
curse, Hector
Barbossa's cursed
crewdiscovered a young mysterious castaway who claimed to be Ponce
de León. Barbossa believed his tale and, thinking the Fountain of Youth might
hold the key to lifting the curse that his crew was under[5], set forth for the Fountain, only to discover the young
man's tale to be false.[6]
Quest for the Fountain of Youth
"I hear-tell you've been to the
Fountain?"
"There be a lot of hear-telling these days."
"The Fountain of Youth."
"There be a lot of hear-telling these days."
"The Fountain of Youth."
Following the War
Against Piracy, Captain Jack Sparrow set
off in a
small vessel to search for the Fountain of Youth using his
compass and navigational charts he
stole from Hector
Barbossa, who had also intended to find the Fountain. However, even
though he had been close as reaching the cave entrance to the Fountain itself,
Jack never made it to the elusive Fountain and was forced to turn back.[7] Despite not finding the Fountain of Youth, Jack
Sparrow had the way to the Fountain of Youth committed to his memory[8] and gained some renown as the pirate who knew its
location, though some misinterpret that he had been to the Fountain himself.[9]
Warning:
MAJOR SPOILERS for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides follow.
Race to the Fountain
"If I do not make it
to the Fountain in time...neither will you."
In 1750, several years
after the War
Against Piracy, a dangerous quest for the Fountain of Youth was endeavoured.
Upon the discovery of the logbook
of the Santiago,
held by an
ancient sailor, King
Ferdinand of Spain sent the Spaniardto find the
Fountain. After learning of this discovery, King George II sent Hector Barbossa, now
a privateer of
the court, to find the Fountain before the Spanish. Rumored of having been to
the Fountain itself, Jack
Sparrow was forced aboard the Queen
Anne's Revenge to help Blackbeard find
the Fountain.[9]
Throughout the quest, each party journeyed to find for the Fountain whilst
collecting the items required for the Profane Ritual: the Chalices
of Cartagena and a mermaid's tear.
After the battle at Whitecap Bay, Blackbeard's crew was able to capture a mermaid named Syrena, who they
later took a tear from at the Jungle Pools. Jack
Sparrow was able to retrieve the Chalices after escaping from the Spanish with Barbossa's crew. The next day, Jack met up with
Blackbeard and presented him with the Chalices before joining the crew towards
the end of their quest.[9]
Battle for the Fountain
Main article: Battle for the Fountain of Youth
Cave entrance
"I could've swore it was somewhere
right around here."
Blackbeard's crew in the cave entrance to the Fountain.
Having the route to the Fountain of Youth memorized, Jack Sparrow searched
through the jungles to find the cave entrance to the Fountain. After searching
through many huge palm fronds, Jack spotted a water droplet travelling up on
one of the fronds, defying gravity. He watched it as it crawled upward, then
started toying with it between his fingers. Squinting through the droplet, Jack
spotted a rock wall with the archaic symbol of the Fountain carved on it. The
droplet broke free of Jack's finger and floated upward just as Jack found the
cave entrance.[9]
Torches lit and in hand, the Quartermaster led
Jack, Angelica,
Blackbeard, and the rest of the pirate crew as they climbed down a steep
incline into the blue cave. As the pirates go through a part of the cave where
stalactites hung from above, Salaman touch a
stalactite which caused another to fall and kill another pirate. The pirate
crew continued going much deeper in the cave until the Quartermaster waved his
torch across a wall—a dead end.[9]
Arriving to the Fountain
"Sparrow, I'll be the first to taste
those waters."
Going through the entrance to the Fountain.
Upon seeing the seemingly end of their quest, Angelica began to suspect
that Jack didn't know where he was going. After Jack staged an unsuccessful
attempt to gain entrance into the Fountain by hitting the two Chalices against
one another, Jack revealed that he never been to the Fountain in person.
Angered by this revelation, Blackbeard tried to have Jack killed until Jack was
able to read the words inscribed on the Chalices: "Aqua
de Vida". Water then gradually rose up along the walls,
collecting into a pool above their heads. Jack then had Scrum hold the Chalices as he climbed onto Scrum's
shoulders, where he would use his sword to poke the pool until he was sucked
into it. He then appeared into a misty environment. Picking up his sword from
the ground, Jack found himself in the Fountain of Youth.[9]
Arriving to the Fountain of Youth.
Jack continued forward as Angelica, Blackbeard and the rest of the crew
arrived. As they made their way into the Fountain, the crew gazed upon its environment
as Jack walked up to the central stone, reaching to touch the water. But before
Jack had the chance, Blackbeard stopped him, stating that he'd be the first to
drink from its waters. However, Angelica turned around to see unwanted visitors
emerging out of thefog, the one-legged
man destined to kill Blackbeard: Hector Barbossa.[9]
Fight at the Fountain
"This land is hereby forever claimed
in the glorious name of His Majesty, King George—"
[Groves is shot and killed by the Spaniard]
"...Someone make a note of that man's bravery."
[Groves is shot and killed by the Spaniard]
"...Someone make a note of that man's bravery."
The battle for the Fountain of Youth.
As Barbossa stepped forward with his crew to confront Blackbeard, Angelica
realized that Jack had brought him there. Declaring Blackbeard as his prisoner
by stating the crimes he had committed, including the loss of his leg, Barbossa
pulled out his sword. Blackbeard pulled his own sword out and ordered his crew
to attack. Jack bursts in between the parties, briefly stopping the fight, and
suggested to only let the two captains fight each other, while everyone else
laid back, watch, have a drink and place wagers. However, the fighting
commenced as the two captains engaged in a duel to the death.[9]
Both crews clashed against each other in battle as Barbossa and Blackbeard
fight in their deadlock battle, which results in the death of one of Barbossa's
men, Gillette, who got in
the way. The young missionary Philip Swift was
freed by theCabin Boy, though was run through the stomach by one of
Barbossa's crewmen shortly after. Clutching his fatal wound, Philip avoided the
battle as he ran to the Jungle Pools to
free Syrena, a mermaid
imprisoned by Blackbeard, from certain death. Meanwhile, as the fight went on,
Angelica ordered Scrum to toss her the Chalices and to take the mermaid's tear
to the Fountain. Scrum made his way up until Jack appeared, where they briefly
dueled for the tear, which Jack took from Scrum, only to find himself
threatened by both Angelica and Scrum. Ultimately, Jack ended up with the tear
and entered in a race for the Chalices with Angelica.[9]
The Spanish arrive
to the Fountain.
Blackbeard and Barbossa continued their duel, in which the notorious pirate
was able to trip the privateer to the ground. An infuriated Blackbeard was
about to finish Barbossa off, but wasn't able to get that chance, as Barbossa
pointed out to him, as more unwanted visitors arrived. From out of the fog, the Spaniard and his men arrive
to the Fountain amidst the battle. The fighting ceased as more Spanish soldiers
surrounded the British and the pirates around the Fountain. Upon seeing this, Theodore Groves proclaimed
the Fountain of Youth in the name of King George II, but was shot by the Spaniard.[9]
Destruction of the Fountain
"Only God can grant eternal life, not
this pagan water. Men! Destroy this profane temple!"
The Spanish destroying the Fountain of Youth while Jack looks for the
Chalices.
After forcibly taking the Chalices from Angelica, the Spaniard stated that
only God could grant
eternal life before dropping the Chalices and stomping on them. The Spaniard
tossed the Chalices into a deep pool before ordering his men to destroy the
temple around the Fountain. As the Spanish begin destroying the temple, by
pulling down the columns with grappling hooks, the Spaniard confronted
Blackbeard calling him a fool for seeking in the Fountain for what only faith
could provide. Blackbeard debunked that claim as he felt a cut on his wrist. As
Blackbeard turned, Barbossa stabbed him through with his sword, which was poisoned
by the innards of poison
dart frogs. Angelica tried to help her father, but cuts her hand in
the process. Seeing that Angelica was poisoned as well, Jack ran to find the
Chalices in the pools where the Spaniard had tossed them.[9]
The Fountain of Youth destroyed.
Barbossa took Blackbeard's sword as his own and left with Blackbeard's
remaining human crew joining him. The Spanish struggled with a large column as
Blackbeard's loyal zombies, the Quartermaster and Gunner, fend off
Spanish soldiers. The large column was soon pulled over and crushed the two
zombies as it presented a fatal blow in destroying the Fountain of Youth. The
Spaniard surveyed the Fountain's debris and made the sign of the cross. With
their mission for King
Ferdinandcompleted, the Spanish leave the ruins of the Fountain.[9]
Jack retrieving water from the Fountain.
Only Jack was left, still searching for the Chalices until Syrena emerged
from the pool holding the battered Chalices. Syrena warned him to not waste her
tear before disappearing into the water. Jack then ran to the destroyed
Fountain where he was able to get a few drops of water before it dried up. He
added the mermaid's tear into one of the Chalices before running to offer
Angelica and Blackbeard the Chalices. Although Jack convinced Blackbeard to
save his daughter by drinking the Chalice that takes life, Blackbeard ended up
drinking out of the Chalice that gave life and told Angelica to save him. Even
after the betrayal of her own father, Angelica willingly drank from the other Chalice.[9]
The ruins of the Fountain of Youth.
However, Jack revealed that he may have switched the Chalices. Almost
instantly, Angelica's wound healed as the flowing waters of the Fountain
bursted out, rushing towards Blackbeard in a whirlpool. The Fountain's last
great act would be to taking all the years of life away from Blackbeard as his
flesh rotted away, leaving nothing but bones. Angelica stared in horror as her
father's rotting skeletal arm reached out to her. The waters cleared away as
Jack and Angelica saw Blackbeard's skeleton collapsed,
dead.[9]
Legacy
"Jack, I have to ask. You had the
Chalices, the water, the tear. You could've lived, maybe, forever."
"The Fountain does test you, Gibbs. But better to not know which moment may be your last, every morsel of your entire being alive to the infinite mystery of it all. And who's to say I won't live forever, eh? Discoverer of the Fountain of Youth."
"The Fountain does test you, Gibbs. But better to not know which moment may be your last, every morsel of your entire being alive to the infinite mystery of it all. And who's to say I won't live forever, eh? Discoverer of the Fountain of Youth."
With the Fountain of Youth destroyed, only its many myths and legends would
be told. The Fountain was originally said to be discovered by conquistador Juan
Ponce de León, which sprung many rumors to many adventurers and seekers
ofimmortality.
However, after the events of the quest for the Fountain of Youth came to a
close, Captain Jack Sparrowbelieved
that he himself would live forever as the "Discoverer of the Fountain of
Youth".[9]
Warning:
MAJOR SPOILERS for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides end
here.
Design, power and usage
"And one last thing, Jackie. The
Fountain tests you. Mark my words."
The Fountain of Youth rested within a hidden cavern accessible only by
those who possess the silver Chalices
of Cartagena, from which the words "Aqua
de Vida" are inscribed, and must be spoken in order to reach
the Fountain's location. The Fountain itself appears as a rock formation with a
gapping circular hole through the middle with water flowing vertically from the
bottom of the top most of the circle, pooling down at the bottom.
More valuable than gold, more precious
than pearls, the Fountain of Youth's waters were a treasure of immeasurable
worth. While the waters of the Fountain were known to grant eternal life, it can
also heal any wound, sickness or poisons the drinker was diagnosed with. It was
known on occasion that the Fountain of Youth would test any who searches forimmortality.
The Fountain's waters taking Blackbeard's life
after theritual was
performed.
The Ritual of the Fountain
Main article: Profane Ritual
"Water...from the Fountain of Youth.
The shimmering tear of a mermaid.
The Silver
Chalices of Ponce
de León. With these items..."
"Yes."
"With these items, you may take all of the years of life from another, Jack."
"Yes."
"With these items, you may take all of the years of life from another, Jack."
Legends tell that eternal life could be found at the Fountain of Youth, but
only those who possess the knowledge of the ritual of the Fountain could
achieve it. The two silver Chalices
of Cartagena were needed, for the ritual required not just a
seeker of youth but also a victim whose years would be consumed. Only a mermaid's tear,
placed in one of the Chalices, would set the rejuvenating forces of the
Fountain to work. After both drinkers drunk from the Chalices, the Fountain
would give the seeker all the years of life from the victim.
Behind the scenes
Fountain of Youth concept art
"Rob Marshall, from the very
beginning, wanted the Fountain to be something natural that was not carved or
embroidered by men. It was a natural formation, but we had this idea that
thousands of years ago the Fountain was discovered by humans who built some sort
of temple around it that has since been taken over by natural growth. For a
while we played around with the idea of wooden totems from a tribal culture.
Then we started moving more in the direction of a ruined stone temple, and that
wines are growing around it, pulling it down and tearing it apart."
§
For the filming of On Stranger Tides, the
Fountain of Youth scenes were filmed in two locations. The scene near the
Fountain's cave entrance was filmed in Waiakapala'e located on Kauai's North
Shore—an appropriate choice because the Hawaiians believe
that the waters in Waiakapala'e have their own life-giving power. The scenes
inside the Fountain Cave and the Fountain of Youth itself was filmed at Pinewood Studios, with the Fountain scene filmed in 007
Stage.[2]
§
The Fountain of
Youth set took three months to construct and features a ruined temple "in
a mixture of architecture," according to production designer John Myhre,
"with Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, even Japanese elements."[2]
§
The development of
the concept for the Fountain of Youth was the longest and most challenging of On Stranger Tides for Jerry Bruckheimer, Rob Marshall, and John Myhre. At least
60 ideas for the Fountain of Youth were considered.[10] Throughout the evolution of the Fountain's concept,
one thing never wavered, as stated by John Myhre: "Rob Marshall, from the very beginning, wanted the Fountain
to be something natural that was not carved or embroidered by men".
Though there was a temptation to go big and elaborate with the Fountain of
Youth, but Marshall and Bruckheimer resisted.[2]
§
According to real
myths and legends, the real location of the Fountain of Youth was in Florida. The
Fountain also did not need a ritual in order for it to be used.
§
In the
"Charting The Return" extra for the Dead Man's Chest DVD,
director Gore
Verbinski stated that every crazy idea was put on the table for
the concept of expanding The Curse of the Black Pearl into
a trilogy. The Fountain of Youth was one of the ideas he put in particular[11]; though it ended up in On Stranger Tides.
§
In the first
screenplay draft of At World's End, Hector Barbossa starts
to search for the Fountain of Youth, using thecaptain's
journal of Juan
Ponce de León that he took from Tia Dalma who
in turn received it from a mermaid.
§
Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Fountain of Youth was the
proposed title of the fourth installment of the POTC movie, which was highly used by both critics and
fans. However, on September
11, 2009, Johnny Depp announced
that the film was going to be called Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and
that it would be released Summer2011.
§
The Fountain of
Youth appears in Tim
Powers' novel On
Stranger Tides, which was used as a plot basis for thefourth installment of the Pirates
of the Caribbean films.
§
The plot involving
many parties searching for the Fountain of Youth, including the British, the
Spanish and pirates, which eventually led to its destruction is remarkably
similar to Age of Empires III.
Appearances
The Pirates
of the Caribbean wiki has a collection of images and
media related to Fountain
of Youth.
Sources
External links
Notes and references
3. ↑ The people who
had used either the logbook and the map were able to find the Fountain.
5. ↑ JHM: "On Stranger
Tides" will attempt to recapture the fun & adventure of Disney's first
"Pirates" picture
7. ↑ Disney
Second Screen: Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides
8. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: On
Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, p8-9: "Captain Jack
Sparrow"
9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
11. ↑ "Charting
The Return" - Dead Man's Chest DVD
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