Morgan Freeman wears an earing because of pirates!
Now, most people would wonder what being a sailor and wearing an earring have to do with each other. The answer is probably more than you think! In an interview, Freeman said that he wears an earring because he watched a pirate movie as a child and always thought it was “sexy.” When he grew up he developed a passion for sailing.
Freeman describes himself as an adventurer and loves the idea that if he were to die somewhere foreign, he would always be able to pay for the funeral with gold or diamonds in his earring, which is a major reason why pirates wore earrings! Both sailors and pirates began wearing earring to mark where they had traveled to.
Much like Boy Scouts and their badges, earrings were used to commemorate feats such as first crossing the equator or rounding particularly dangerous waters such as Cape Horn. They also had superstitious motives. Many believed that the metals in earrings would ward off disease or bad luck.
The most famous reason for wearing an earring however was for funeral purposes. Pirates always tried to have some sort of rare metal in their ear because if they were to die in a foreign land they would always have a way to pay for the funeral!
