Abhiroop Das
Created by Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke, Netflix’s ‘Outer Banks‘ follows the Pogues on a revenge campaign, as they try to locate and kill Groff as payback for killing JJ. However, there is also another mission at hand, and it is to recover the elusive Blue Crown and return home in one piece. As they encounter stiff resistance, not just from Groff but also from the Corsairs, led by Anton Finch, a new discovery is made. Turns out, the Blue Crown is believed to have the ability to bring the dead back to life, but to do that, one must locate the precise instructions and incantations that are etched onto a scytale. In search of this mythical device, the Pogues return to North Carolina, uncovering a rich history linking Blackbeard, Denmark Tanny, and a lake in Azerbaijan, all through the scytale.
The Scytale in Outer Banks is Not Based on Any of Blackbeard’s Real Life Treasures
The scytale seen in ‘Outer Banks’ is a fictional artifact created by the writing team of ‘Outer Banks,’ as a complementary item to the Blue Crown, introduced in season 4. Given that multiple characters believe that the scytale was buried right alongside the crown, it’s likely that the creators invented a similar origin story for both the artifacts, especially with regard to Blackbeard. As per records, in the summer of 1718, Blackbeard wrecked his ship at Beaufort Inlet, then called Topsail Inlet, off the coast of North Carolina. The site has since been recognized for its historical value, with hundreds of artifacts being recovered over the years. It is entirely possible that the creative team of ‘Outer Banks’ fitted this as the backstory of how the scytale ended up in North Carolina, where the show is also set.
Interestingly, while the Blue Crown seems loosely inspired by the Angkor Blue Crown, a legendary artifact from the Cambodian Khmer Empire, no single inspiration can be attached to the scytale. The Angkor Blue Crown was once spotted on Blackbeard’s ship off the coast of North Carolina, which backs up the fictionalized depiction of the Blue Crown with some realism. However, there are no historical records of a scytale ever being in Blackbeard’s possession in real life, which suggests that the connection introduced in the show is purely to further the plot.
Real-Life Scytales Were Largely Used For Military Communication
Historically, scytales and similar cryptographic devices were used mainly by the Greeks and the Spartans for communication during military campaigns. The device typically has two parts: a cylinder designed with very specific measurements and a parchment containing an encoded message, along with several scrambled letters. The only way to read the message is by wrapping the parchment around the cylinder in the correct fashion, such that the message can be read lengthwise. While useful for espionage and wartime communication, in ‘Outer Banks’ it is depicted as serving an entirely different purpose.
The scytale in the show supposedly contains an incantation in Persian script that, when decoded and read at the right place at the right time, can invoke supernatural phenomena. In real life, scytales were not typically used outside Greek and Spartan cultures, which already sets the show apart from history. Furthermore, scytales typically encoded wartime instructions and intelligence rather than secret or supernatural incantations. No such scytale has been discovered as of writing to fit a similar purpose. Arguably, the most famous anecdote about historical scytales and their connection to Persia comes from the story of Spartan admiral Lysander, who is believed to have received a scroll from Spartan magistrates, warning him of a Persian attack well in advance. This is a far cry from the scytale depicted in ‘Outer Banks,’ though, and cements its identity as a fictional construct.
Read More: Outer Banks Season 5 Ending Explained: Is Groff Dead or Alive? Who Gets the Blue Crown?
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