Although pirate ships are traditionally portrayed as flying a skull and crossbones ensign, many did not. Some buccaneer vessels sported a plain red flag, some had a plain black flag, and some had red or black flags with fanciful designs. The red flag was known as the Joli Rouge ("pretty red"), and this may have been corrupted into the "Jolly Roger" in English.
The black flag did not inspire as much terror as the red flag. The black flag signified that the pirates would accept a surrender and spare the lives of the crew of the target ship. The red flag meant that the attackers would give no quarter and that it would be a fight to the death. You would think that a pirate captain flying a red flag would realize that he is just making his job more difficult, as his prey will be markedly more uncooperative; on the other hand, pirate captains often could be characterized as risk-takers.
For a few examples of the banners employed by historical pirates, click here.
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