Catching up on Seasons 1 and 2 of Outer Banks? Need a quick rundown on Denmark Tanny and how he relates to the show’s plot? We thought so — let’s get into it…

The first time we see or hear of the enigmatic Denmark Tanny is via an old portrait hanging in Ward Cameron (Charles Esten)’s office in Tannyhill Plantation, where the Cameron family lives. Why is there a portrait of this man in Ward’s workspace? Because the formerly enslaved Denmark Tanny was the founder of Tannyhill. We know what you’re thinking and John B (Chase Stokes) thinks it and asks it too in Season 1, Episode 4: “How did a slave found a cotton plantation?” Luckily Sarah (Madelyn Cline) has some context for him. “He’s kind of a mystery,” she tells John B. “He showed up out of nowhere and paid for all the land around here in gold.”

But as the story unwinds, we learn that Denmark Tanny is much more than just a painting and the namesake of this lavish Figure 8 estate. Although Outer Banks is all about hidden treasure, the core of the show revolves around this character’s legacy. Here’s how Denmark Tanny holds the key to the biggest mysteries of Outer Banks — and how he’ll take the Pogues on their biggest quest yet in Season 3.

Who is Denmark Tanny?

Born in 1806, Denmark Tanny was an enslaved man serving as a cook on the Royal Merchant ship, helmed by Captain Herman Limbrey. The Royal Merchant sank. After the shipwreck, Tanny was the only survivor and collected all the treasure on board — but he didn’t keep it all for himself. Using the fortune that he rescued, Denmark paid for his own freedom and purchased what would become the Tannyhill Plantation.

But that’s not all! He also used that money to pay for freedom for all the enslaved people on Kildare Island, including his three sons. He attempted to pay for the freedom of his wife, Cecelia, and their daughter, but the Limbrey family refused his payment and killed Cecelia and the young girl. In 1844, after gathering the remains of his family and burying them under a tree, Denmark was also killed by the Limbreys.

Is Denmark Tanny real?

While Denmark Tanny is a fictional character in Outer Banks, his story is inspired by that of Denmark Vesey, an activist and community leader who lived in Charleston, South Carolina. Sold to South Carolina slave trader Captain Joseph Vesey, Denmark Vesey won a $1,500 lottery in 1799 when he was 32 years old. He used that money to buy his own freedom and start a successful carpentry business in Charleston. Much like the character Denmark Tanny does, Vesey also attempted to buy the freedom of his family, but his bid was rejected. 

As a well-respected figure in his community, Vesey used his influence to speak out against slavery — this included playing an active role at an African Methodist Episcopal church and using it as a meeting place for other formerly enslaved men that he had liberated. In 1822, Vesey and his followers planned a major revolt to kill slaveholders and free their slaves in Charleston, then sail to Haiti. However, his plan was leaked to authorities and he was arrested and executed. In 2014, a monument was dedicated to Denmark Vesey in a Charleston park.

Why is Denmark Tanny important in Outer Banks?

All (gold-paved) roads lead back to Denmark Tanny. Although each character has their own motives in the show, most of their storylines intertwine because of Denmark Tanny and his treasures. 

What do Big John and John B have to do with Denmark Tanny?

Season 1 begins with the disappearance of Big John (Charles Halford), who became obsessed with tracking down the legendary Royal Merchant for its treasure. Big John believed there were no survivors on the ship and dedicated his life to finding the gold lost at sea. After his dad disappears, John B gets involved in the search. Ultimately, John B discovers that Denmark Tanny survived the Royal Merchant’s sinking, which means that the treasure was never in the shipwreck —  it’s been buried on Kildare Island all along.

Why does Ward Cameron care about Denmark Tanny?

Ward was enlisted by Big John to help search for the Royal Merchant, but the two had a falling out over splitting the gold. After the Cameron family moved into Tannyhill, Ward donated Denmark’s journal, almanac and documents to the law library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In Season 1, John B and Sarah take a trip to the library to dig through Denmark’s archives to learn more about his life. They stumble upon a letter that Denmark penned to his son on the same day he was lynched, in which he asks his son to harvest the wheat in parcel nine. Written in Gullah (a creole language spoken by the Gullah people), this note is a major clue in helping the Pogues find Denmark’s gold. 

Is Pope Heyward related to Denmark Tanny?

In Season 2, Pope (Jonathan Daviss) learns that he’s a direct descendant of Denmark Tanny after traveling to Charleston to meet with a strange woman named Carla Limbrey (Elizabeth Mitchell). Carla believes Pope’s in possession of a key that leads to the gold Cross of Santo Domingo, a seven-foot-tall treasure that Denmark Tanny also saved from the Royal Merchant shipwreck. In Denmark’s diary, he writes that Captain Limbrey (note the captain and Carla share a last name) had the cross stolen from another sinking ship. After the wreck, Denmark hid it somewhere on Kildare Island along with the gold. 

Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

How is Carla Limbrey connected to Denmark Tanny?

As a descendant of the Royal Merchant captain’s family, Carla is desperate to find the Cross of Santo Domingo because she’s terminally ill and believes the artifact also holds an ancient holy relic that could cure her. She’d previously worked with Ward and assisted him in finding the Royal Merchant’s gold, but unsurprisingly, he ended up betraying her. Now, she’s looking for her next treasure-hunting accomplice and thinks Pope can help her out. The Pogues end up finding the key and claiming the cross, which is hidden in the structure of an old church. The celebration doesn’t last long, however, because by the end of Season 2, the gang loses it to Ward and his troubled son Rafe (Drew Starkey), who set sail to Guadalupe with it. 

🤐 SPOILER ALERT 🤐

Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

Who is Carlos Singh? And why is he after Denmark Tanny’s diary?

Denmark’s legacy takes Season 3 to new treasure highs and lows — as well as to destinations, such as the Caribbean and South America. In Season 3, Episode 1, Kiara (Madison Bailey) is captured by a Caribbean don named Carlos Singh (Andy McQueen). She’s locked up in his lavish compound, and much to her surprise, Rafe is also there. Carlos explains that he’s after Denmark’s diary because it holds the answer to “the greatest quest in the history of the Western Hemisphere,” and he believes they know where the original diary is. What exactly is this quest? Carlos believes Denmark’s diary will lead him to El Dorado, the lost city of gold. People have been searching for it for over 450 years, and he’s determined to find it.

Who has Denmark Tanny’s diary?

Kiara tells Carlos that she doesn’t know where the original diary is, but she does know that John B has a copy. Unfortunately, he left it out in The Twinkie, his old VW van, with the windows open, and it was destroyed by rainwater. John B remembers that Mr. Sunn (Chris Gerard), his high school history teacher who helped him translate Denmark’s first letter, possesses the original diary. When Big John and John B pay him a visit, Carlos’ smugglers have already beat them to it. John B watches in shock as his dad ruthlessly kills the two men and steals the diary back. 

Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

What’s in Denmark Tanny’s diary?

Denmark’s diary holds clues that will lead to El Dorado’s secret location. Big John and John B learn from Denmark’s writings that they must collect various artifacts along the way, including the Gnomon of Solana. Similar to a sundial, the gnomon projects a message using light and shadows. In the Season 3 finale, Big John, John B and Sarah find the Temalacatl, a stone platform in Venezuela that will give them directions to El Dorado. In order for it to work, they must place the Gnomon of Solana on the Temalacatl for the moonlight to strike at just the right angle. 

Who is Clarice Tanny?

At the end of Season 3, Episode 7, Pope and Cleo are digging through his family’s belongings when they find an unopened letter addressed to Denmark’s daughter, Clarice Tanny. As Pope explains, Clarice never met her father and was raised by the Limbrey family on their plantation. In the letter, Denmark reveals that while on the Royal Merchant, he overheard the priest onboard talk about an idol and a city of gold, El Dorado. Also included in the envelope is a page with symbols, which could help the Pogues decipher the directions to El Dorado.

Jonathan Daviss of Outer Banks Reveals How Pope Was Almost Stabbed in Season 1Don't worry, John B would've lent him his bandana for the wound.

Join the Pogues on their hunt for El Dorado by streaming Outer Banks Season 3 now.