| Davy Jones' locker | |
|---|---|
 Davy Jones' Locker, by John Tenniel, 1892 | |
| First appearance | Four Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts (1726) |
| Genre | Nautical folklore |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Euphemism for oceanic abyss, the resting place for sailors drowned at sea. |
| Characters | Davy Jones |
Davy Jones' locker is a metaphor for the oceanic abyss, the final resting place of drowned sailors and travellers. It is a euphemism for drowning or shipwrecks in which the sailors' and ships' remains are consigned to the depths of the ocean (to be sent to Davy Jones' Locker).
The origins of the name of Davy Jones, the sailors' devil, are unclear, with a 19th-century dictionary tracing Davy Jones to a "ghost of Jonah". Other explanations of this nautical superstition have been put forth, including an incompetent sailor or a pub owner who kidnapped sailors.
- ^ However, the depicted character is a fake created by Pipes, Perry and Pickle to scare Mr. Trunnion; see: Smollett, Tobias (1751). The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle. London: D. Wilson. p. 66.