Line #4 Main/SeadogBeard


1	[[quoteright:328:[[Series/{{Blackadder}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tve843-00000003-42.gif]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:328:[-[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EfW9znJYjw Compared to him]], you have a ''[[LargeHam WOMAN'S]]'' chin!-] ]]
3
4	->''"I know I'm only a bluff old cove with no legs and a beard you could lose a badger in..."''
5	-->-- '''[[Creator/TomBaker Captain Redbeard Rum]]''', ''Series/{{Blackadder}} II''.
6
7	Men of the maritime or naval business, especially the [[OldSoldier more experienced ones]], will usually grow beards. It's more an issue of practicality - shaving requires fresh water, and you have to conserve this on a ship. But in any case, it is one way to tell that a character is a real FatherNeptune.
8
9	For {{Pirate}} [[TheCaptain Captains]], a prominent beard is such an obligatory part of the [[DressedToPlunder dress code]] that you have a high probability of [[CaptainColorbeard being named after it]]. RealLife [[TropeMaker gave us]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard Blackbeard]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oru%C3%A7_Reis Redbeard]], and fiction has responded with [[Series/{{Blackadder}} Redbeard Rum]] (see right), [[Manga/OnePiece Whitebeard]], Film/{{Yellowbeard}}, [[{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}} Purplebeard]]... everything but Literature/{{Bluebeard}}, which was already taken by a non-pirate.
10
11	Any character sporting this is likely to TalkLikeAPirate. [[TechnoBabble Something about the way the densely packed follicles baffle the sound waves...]] Combine with BeardOfBarbarism for {{Pirate}}s and HornyVikings. Compare SailorsPonytail. SubTrope of ManlyFacialHair.
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Advertising]]
18	%%* The Gorton's Fisherman.
19	%%* Captain Birdseye
20	* Despite what it says in the trope's description, there was a Weetabix advert which featured "Black-, Blue-, Red- and Yellowbeard". All were afraid of the pirate captain of the MarieCeleste, who was in turn scared off by learning the Royal Navy had their Weetabix.
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
24	* Captain Smudge from ''Anime/SerendipityThePinkDragon'' has a big grey beard like this, and [[TalkLikeAPirate talks like a pirate]] too.
25	* Despite mostly serving in space, Captain Okita of the ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' wears the traditional bushy captain beard.
26	* Due to the franchise's roots as an intended parody of the SF anime cliches of the 70s, most ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' series traditionally have the captains of their respective {{Cool Ship}}s to wear the traditional bushy beards. [[Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross Bruno Global]] and [[Anime/MacrossFrontier Jeffrey Wilder]] being the most prominent examples.
27	** [[Anime/Macross7 Max]] [[TheAce Jenius]], though, is an aversion -- he's clean-shaven and [[BlingOfWar impeccably]] clad in white, and wears a CoolShades just to show off what [[TheAce an Ace]] he is. He even looks like a total {{Bishonen}} at 52.
28	*** Creator/ShojiKawamori reportedly [[WordOfGod outright stated]] that Max stopped aging due to his sheer awesomeness.
29	* ''Manga/OnePiece'' ''runs'' on this trope.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:ComicBooks]]
33	* Captain Haddock in ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'', and his old mate Captain Chester.
34	* ComicBook/{{Jommeke}}: Captain Jan Haring.
35	* ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} had one for a while.
36	* Lex O'Malley in ''Comicstrip/{{Dan Dare}}''.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
40	* Lampshaded in ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesInAnAdventureWithScientists'', as the Pirate Captain is very proud of his bushy beard, and it's even one of the judging points of the Pirate of the Year Award. His rival, Black Bellamy, has a bigger beard, which makes the Pirate Captain feel inadequate.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
44	* Most of the male pirates from ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''.
45	* In ''Film/DasBoot'', most of the crew have beards by the end. TruthInTelevision, as fresh water was in limited supply aboard U-Boats. They even shot the movie chronologically, in order to keep beard continuity!
46	* In ''Film/TheFinalCountdown'', several of the crew of the USS Nimitz wear a beard. Granted, this was 1980, so regulations have changed since then.
47	* ''Film/CabinBoy'' has some quite impressive one. [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1TriKNPbNb4/Tdr-YzFe1pI/AAAAAAAAAR4/BqxZ3akMjO0/s1600/cabinboy.png Just take a look]]
48	* In ''Film/ANightToRemember'', Captain Edward J. Smith of the ''RMS Titanic'' is shown with a beard befitting a distinguished ship master, just as he had in real life.
49	* Captain Nemo from ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'' has one, though a bit more neatly-trimmed than most, befitting his WickedCultured status.
50	* [[HuskyRusskie Captain Ramius]] from ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'' has an impressive beard. So does the nameless chief on his boat.
51	* Thomas Wake in ''Film/TheLighthouse'' has an impressive sailor's beard. [[spoiler: He also ([[MindScrew possibly]]) becomes Neptune during his fight with Winslow]].
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Literature]]
55	* While not strictly speaking ''sea'' dogs, many of the SkyPirates in ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'' have beards of this nature, especially Tem Barkwater.
56	* [[Literature/TheRimeOfTheAncientMariner The Ancient Mariner]]
57	--> By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
58	--> Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?.
59	* [[SpaceIsAnOcean Surprisingly]] ''[[SpaceIsAnOcean not]]'' [[SpaceIsAnOcean prominent]] in ''Literature/HonorHarrington'', Aivars Terekhov is one of those few who have it.
60	* Invoked in ''Literature/GoingPostal'', where Reacher Gilt affects an ostentatious pirate "look" including a beard. Mostly so that he can [[BeardnessProtectionProgram lose it]] when it's time to disappear.
61	* ''{{Literature/Redwall}}'': Several shrews, otters and searats (all sailor-types, though only searats practice piracy) are noted to have beards.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
65	* The page quote and image are of Redbeard Rum from ''Series/{{Blackadder}}''. He's ultimately eaten by cannibals, and all his comrades manage to save is his beard.
66	* ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' gives another BritCom example with Uncle Albert.
67	* Commander Wil Riker famously [[GrowingTheBeard grew a beard]] in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.
68	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. In "Bliss", we have a plot involving an alien captain on a long quest to destroy an EldritchAbomination. It's a lampshaded MobySchtick plot, so naturally the alien has to have a beard to go with his [[RubberForeheadAliens rubber forehead]].
69	* Fleet Admiral Vance from ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' has a salt-and-pepper beard, and he once calls himself an "old salt".
70	* Capt. Gregg sports a very neat and well-groomed one in ''Series/TheGhostAndMrsMuir''. It does add considerably to his raffish charm.
71	* Ice Master Thomas Blanky in ''Series/TheTerror'' is a FatherNeptune with a long beard and a peg leg.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Music]]
75	* There is a popular German folk song called "Alle, die mit uns auf Kaperfahrt fahren". The Lyrics are "Alle, die mit uns auf Kaperfahrt fahren müssen Männer mit Bärten sein" (All who go on a sea raid with us have to be men with beards).
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
79	* ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'':
80	** Bluto/Brutus has this overlapping with BeardOfEvil.
81	** Popeye himself is eerily hairless.
82	** Popeye's father, Poopdeck Pappy, has thick PermaStubble.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:VideoGames]]
86	* [[FatherNeptune Zigo d’Acosta]] of ''Videogame/BioShock2's'' multiplayer.
87	* ''VideoGame/{{Brawlhalla}}'' has Thatch, [[RedBaron The Madman of Barbados]], who sports a messy black beard among his many {{Gonk}} traits.
88	* In ''VisualNovel/BurlyMenAtSea'', the three seafaring Beard Brothers, and the mysterious old man at the coffee shop who is probably a retired sailor, all have enormous beards.
89	* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2'': When you first see [[spoiler: Capt. Price]] he looks like a crusty old sea captain.
90	* Kunkka from ''VideoGame/Dota2'', an Admiral with a pirate-y outfit who uses lots of gratuitous nautical lingo.
91	* Gangplank from ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends''.
92	* ''VideoGame/ShadowGambitTheCursedCrew'': Among the pirate crew of the ''Red Marley'', Captain Mordechai has a very impressive braided beard, that somehow stays on his skull even after his flesh is gone. John Mercury has a beard, too.
93	* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'': Captain Daitetsu is the very model of the old salty captain, with beard and pipe.
94	* Captain Ed Shivers from ''VideoGame/TimeSplittersFuturePerfect''.
95	* In ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}: The Lost Chapters'', when the Hero sails to the southern continent to try and destroy [[BigBad Jack of Blades]] once and for all, the voyage takes so long that he's grown an impressive beard by the time he makes land again.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Web Animation]]
99	* ''WebAnimation/Plan3'': The cursed pirate has a short but bushy beard and mustache.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Webcomics]]
103	* ''Webcomic/EerieCuties'' has {{ghost pirate}} [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/scurvy_swabs! Jim Beard Sprynter]] as a phys.ed. coach in [[AllGhoulsSchool Charybdis Heights]].
104	* Bikke the Pirate in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater''. It's one of the few pirate-related things he excels at.
105	* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': The British Admiral who welcomes Captain Hawkins and her surviving crew back to England has an [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20180214 impressive beard.]]
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
109	* In ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPugwash'', Pugwash's ArchNemesis Cut-Throat Jake sorts an enormous black beard and an EyepatchOfPower.
110	* ''WesternAnimation/TheDeep2015'': Captain Hammerhead, captain of the [[SubmarinePirates pirate submarine]] the ''Dark Orca'', sports a long, bushy BeardOfEvil.
111	* Captain [=McCallister=] of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' fits this to an extent given his nautical work, VerbalTic of "yar", and roughed up beard.
112	* Yellowtail from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has a large, bushy beard, befitting his job as a fisherman.
113	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': One of the few ways the probably-fisherman Jerd looks apart from his gameshow host cousin Chris is the presence of a bushy beard down to halfway his neck.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Real Life]]
117	* As mentioned above, it was largely EnforcedTrope in time of WoodenShipsAndIronMen and even into the later 19th/early 20th century for most seamen (at least while at sea) - shaving without freshwater was next to impossible, and most of the limited supply of freshwater carried by ships of the era was necessary for drinking and cooking. This condition existed even longer on smaller naval vessels (not equipped with dedicated freshwater condensators), such as destroyers and especially submarines.
118	* In the Royal Navy, you can have a beard and moustache, or be clean-shaven. That's all the choice you have.
119	** Prince Philip grew an impressive beard while serving at sea during World War II. Then-Princess Elizabeth kept a photo of the bearded Philip in her room because their courtship had to be kept secret and he looked like an entirely different person from his normally clean-shaven look.
120	* The US Navy actually prohibits beards among sailors- due to the need to get a gas mask on.
121	** Beards were a bit of a naval tradition in the Royal Navy, and in the US Navy (since the latter was pretty much based on the former). During Zumwalt's term as the American Chief of Naval Operations, beards were re-authorized for American Navy personnel, though they've been banned since. This rule does not appear to stop [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Murphy certain SEALs]].
122	*** It's fairly common for commanders of special forces units to turn a blind eye to shaving regulations. It's almost an unspoken rule that they've "earned the right" due to the particularly grueling and dangerous work they do.
123	*** It also helps them do their job in places like Afghanistan, where most men have beards. Beards are considered an essential sign of masculinity in Afghan culture and many Afghans won't take a clean-shaven man seriously.
124	*** They also aren't breaking any rules. SpecOps personnel (and those working with them) are given "grooming waivers." Other personnel with skin issues can be issued "No Shave Chits" which, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin allow the bearer to not shave]].
125	** Many US submarines allow the beards while underway. Traditionally, a sailor buys a $5 No Shave Chit, which goes into the ship's recreation fund. However, as soon as the ship pulls into port or if there are riders aboard, then they're immediately required to shave.
126	* Edward Teach had such an ominous beard that he's better known as [[CaptainColorbeard Blackbeard]].
127	* During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons Kriegsmarine]] took pride in not shaving, as they considered it a waste of resources.
128	** Even nowadays, German sailors on subs tend to eschew washing and shaving. But yes, with limited freshwater resources, this is [[JustifiedTrope justified]].
129	[[/folder]]
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