As I prepared for this lecture and “rug morning,” I consulted quite a few books, but also made some internet scans. Now internet scans can throw up interesting items, but there is an associated problem of quality control. Acknowledging the latter, here are some of the items that my internet scans threw up that I did not use in the lecture.
The images above are of items from Canadian graves about 1,000 BC, red ochre still adheres.
Neolithic hunter peoples considered red to be the most important color endowed with life-giving powers and thus placed red ochre into graves of their deceased. This explains finds of skeletons embedded in red powdered ochre.
Neolithic cave painters ascribed magic powers to the color red.
The German word for "magic" ("Zauber") translates to "taufr" in Old Norse and is related to the Anglo-Saxon "teafor" meaning "red ochre".
In some societies they painted animals in red ochre or iron oxide to conjure their fertility.
Protective powers of the color red against evil influence were common belief. Objects, animals and trees were covered in red paint, warriors painted their axes and spear-catapults red to endow the weapons with magic powers. Some of the Australian aborigines abide by this custom up to the present times.
Roman gladiators drank blood of their dying adversaries to take over their strength.
In some cultures, the newly born were bathed in blood of particularly strong and good looking animals.
Red painted amuletes or red gems, such as ruby or garnet, were used as charms against the "evil eye". Wearing a red ruby was supposed to bring about invincibility.
Red bed-clothes were customary in Germany up to the Middle Ages as protection against the "red illnesses", such as fever, rashes or even miscarriages. A famous example of red bed-clothes is the painting below by Jan Van Eyck, dated 1434.
Red garlands and red scarfs were part of wedding customs in many cultures.
Red wedding gown was en vogue in Nurnberg of the 18th century, but this tradition goes back to Roman times.
Some report that Roman brides were wrapped in a fiery red veil which should warrant love and fertility, although others insist Roman bridal veils were yellow.
Brides in ancient Greece are reported to have worn red veils, associated with Hymen, the goddess of marriage. Greek, Albanian and Armenian brides wear red veils even today.
Chinese brides are wearing red wedding gowns and are carried to the ceremony in a red litter.
The Chinese bride walks on a red carpet and is greeted by the groom who lifts her red veil. Neighbors bring red eggs to the couple after a child is born.
A red rose is the symbol of love and fidelity.
According to the Greek legend red roses arose from the blood of Adonis who was killed by a wild boar on a hunt. In Greek mythology, a red rose was a symbol for the cycle of growth and decay, but also for love and affinity. Red rose is dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess.
There are also negative connotations of this color. Israelites in biblical times painted their doorframes in red blood to scare demons.
Red in ancient Egypt was the color of the desert and of the destructive god Seth who impersonated the Evil. "Making red" was synonymous with killing someone, evil doings were referred to as "red affairs".
Salvation from Evil is the subject of an ancient Egyptian charm: "Oh, Isis, deliver me from the hands of all bad, evil, red things!" Writers of Egyptian papyri used a special red ink for nasty words.
In the Ebers Papyrus, said to be the oldest complete book in existence (c.1550 B.C.), the color red was used for chapter headings, names of diseases, and weights and dosages of drugs.
The image above of a page from it gives the treatment for asthma.
The Egyptians considered themselves the red race and applied red dye for emphasis.
A red flag was used by the Romans as a signal for battle.
In the French Revolution the red flag became the symbol of insurrection.
The word red in Russian also means "beautiful."
In India it is the symbol of the soldier.
To the Chinese and the Hopi, it represents the direction south.
Some studies indicate that women see red better than men.
(I wonder if this means that they also “see red” more frequently.)
To repeat, I don’t pretend that the indications above are the result of deep and careful research, but it is interesting what Google will throw up in searches about the color red.
Regards,
R. John Howe