It's 'Talk Like A Pirate Day' - second only to 'Christmas Day' in the fun stakes as far as we're concerned - so to celebrate, we've rounded up 8 of the most fearsome seadogs to ever to order anyone to walk the plank in literature.
From characters like Captain Hook and Long John Silver who helped shape the idea of what a pirate does and looks like in the minds of the entire world, to the more obscure sea tyrants who exist on the fringes of some of the greatest adventure books written, this is a who's who of fictional pirates.
Which is your favourite? Is there anyone we've missed? Let us know below, me hearties!