Blue has been a traditional "lucky" colour amongst the Deitsch (that is, "Pennsylvania Dutch"). I still homes here in York County PA that even have the floors painted blue. The tradition is fading, but it is still spoken of by older residents. At both the churches that I and my wife attend, blue is commonly used on ornamentation because it is lucky. My wife (who's of Swedish descent) was not the least bit astonished by this in her (Lutheran) church because the Swedes seem to think it's lucky also (perhaps it is common to the Germanic tradition). Although most of the persons in my (Reformed) church are, like me, largely of French background, I believe we probably picked up the belief or superstition (or whatever!) after we fled in the Pfaltz after 1572.
Anyone else out there who can verify (or trounce!) that possibility?
Erek
--- Berglaug Ásmundardóttir <
berglauga@...> wrote:
heh, but can you imagine a corpse at winter in iceland? somehow i think blue(which in these instances is most often very nearly black( dying a blue colour with herbs is tricky, you most often get a reddish-blue black, or a dark purple of a kind)) is a very appropriate colour to associate with death in a coldish climate.. the blood dries soon enough, and then it's basically blackish.. and, just to confirm the thing, we're taught in 'highschool' or 'college' or whatever you call it, that a person wearing blue (see former comment on the colour) signifies that a death is imminent.
berglaug
----- Original Message -----
From: Sarah Bowen
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2004 5:54 PM
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Hrafnkel 152 - 176/ Sarah
Thanks for this Daniel. I know colours have often had symbolic value in literature of the years, interesting that blue might have been associated with death. [I would have thought red might have been better - less messy!!]
Cheers,
Sarah.
----- Original Message -----
From: Daniel Bray
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2004 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Hrafnkel 152 - 176/ Sarah
Heil, Sarah,
This may be apocryphal, but I've been told that when heroes die in the sagas, they are most often wearing blue. Coincidence, or is there some deeper significance?
Sarah Bowen wrote:
Hello!
Can anyone tell me the significance (if any) of Hrafnkel wearing blue when he goes out to confront Einar?
Thanks.
Kveðja,
--
Daniel Bray
dbray@...
School of Studies in Religion A20
University of Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe." H. G. Wells
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