Gancho... Capitão Gancho

I found out tonight from a Brazilian spectator at saturday's batizado that my name was called out as "Capitão Gancho", which is indeed Portuguese for Captain Hook. Good to know. I'd heard a previous report from an American friend that she might have heard "Capitão Grande" (pronounced 'granji'). I wouldn't have gone a bundle on Captain Big.

So wikipedia tells me that "It is said that he was Blackbeard's bosun, and that he was the only man Long John Silver ever feared. He wears an iron hook in place of his left hand, which was cut off by Peter Pan and eaten by a crocodile; the crocodile liked the taste of him so much that it follows him around constantly, hoping for more."

Sounds tasty. What else?

"The symbolism of Peter Pan's fight with Captain Hook (traditionally played by the same actor as Wendy's father), combined with Hook's fear of time in the form of the ticking crocodile, possibly hints at Jungian subtext."

Crikey. Ok, so he has depth. And?

"It is hypothesized that Captain Hook was modeled after the famous English captain Christopher Newport. Both were dark-haired captains of dubious pasts, and both were missing their right hands which were replaced by metal hooks. Newport commanded the ships that landed the settlers at Jamestown in Virginia. He also seems to have a distinctive similarity to Bartholomew Roberts (pictured left), especially regarding his choice of clothes and his impeccable manners..."

A stylin' international man of mystery, indeed. And of course an easy hallowe'en costume...