Also, blindness to blue is perceived as black or a hue of gray; Homer describes the sea a red. Slowly, the Egyptians spread their blue dyes throughout the word, passing them on to the Persians, Mesoamericans and Romans. Your first criticism, that the sources are invalid because they are translated from their original version, is not really valid. In addition to its peacefulness, blue also offers direction and empathy. As the color of the spirit, it invokes rest and can … There’s so many things that just becomes clearer and quite astounding. ( I don’t know when you wrote the article but it could be that need. Nyhan is being figurative we can assume, recognizing the standard red-blue split if not the significance of the colors. :) Thanks again for your thoughts, hope you don’t mind the correction. They wanted to see how primitive cultures that lived with limited or no contact with modern civilizations perceive colors. Philip Bump. This same navy blue was adopted by militaries and police to convey a similar essence of trust. Could the famous blue of the Aegean Sea, where the Homeric events took place, ever be other than brilliant blue? In the Odyssey, for example, Homer makes hundreds of references to white and black, but colors like red and yellow are only mentioned a few times. Gladstone concluded that ancient people simply saw the world in colors different from the way we see it now. Instead, the author uses descriptions like "wine-dark" to describe blue items such as the sea. Your comment that ancient literature was written mostly written by men is correct on its face, and I have to admit that I haven’t considered it. I see red in many hues. All the sources have been translated from their original version and therefore unreliable. 'Blue blood' is a literal translation of the Spanish 'sangre azul'. The end result was an opaque blue glass, … Wishlist To Cart Details. The need to perceive blue as distinct from black can affect genes that ultimately control the neuronal matrix for color perception. Additional info on Biblical Meaning of blue. If you think about it, there is not a lot of blue in nature. Since the discovery of blue pigments by ancient Egyptians, different shades of the color blue continue to be produced by scientists and chemists around the world. And more importantly: Assuming that we didn’t start seeing the color blue until 1000 years ago. Soon thereafter, Egyptians manufactured Egyptian blue, which quickly spread throughout the ancient world. Giving your own outdoor space a hint of blue is the perfect way to play into history, and it just might keep wasps, evil spirits and nightfall away, too. Yes, it is. Bright blue: cleanliness, strength, dependability, coolness (The origin of these meanings arise from the qualities of the ocean and inland waters, most of which are more tangible.) If you have questions or concerns regarding the accessibility of this blog, please contact us via the contact section of our Accessibility Statement here. A friend of mine turned my attention to an interview with Guy Deutscher, an Israeli linguist who published a fascinating book, “Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages.” In it, he advances the argument that the basis of language is informed by the way we perceive and name colors. So what gives? Blue has significant religious meanings around the world. The dyes were expensive -- only royalty could afford them. While Dunn-Edwards Corporation has undertaken efforts to improve the accessibility of this blog, content is frequently posted and some content may be posted by third-parties, not Dunn-Edwards Corporation, and so may not be accessible to certain users. Yet, it seems that not so long ago in history, colors were far less important to the human experience than they are today. Why were black, white, and red the first colors to be perceived by our forefathers? The latter meaning was created from the song She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, which was brought to America by English settlers and was about waiting for a loved one to return. Etymology. In developing language, the finer the distinction, the latter it is developed. It seems this color was barely distinguished from "neutral" shades like white, light and dark. Presto: An ophthalmologist by the name of Hugo Magnus concluded that ancient people were all color blind in today’s terms, and with time, as the eye absorbed more colors, its sensitivity to them increased, and that newly acquired trait was passed on to subsequent generations. The color of constancy since Chaucer at least, but apparently for no deeper reason than the rhyme in true blue (c. 1500). The ancient Greeks scorned it as ugly and barbaric, but most Americans and Europeans now cite it as their favorite color. And I sincerely believe that what we know right now is just a byproduct of our biases and belief, in short just a made up reality in our heads. Blue represents both the sky and the sea, and is associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, expansiveness, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue Pigments Used in Art. […]. Because Mary stood for innocence and trustworthiness, the color blue was seen as a positive light. You can argue that history's single greatest act of cultural appropriation was the ransacking of blues and R&B by White performers and music executives in the mid- to late 1950s. He posited that reality is an illusion, it is like the shadows of cave dwellers cast on the walls of a cave by a fire at the cave’s opening. Hard to believe they are all color-blind. Learn more about blues, including notable musicians. Love philosophy, and Plato is, of course, one of the best. This theory is supported by the fact that if you never describe the color of the sky to a child, and then ask them what color it is, they often struggle to describe its color. In a sense, the “obvious” distinction between black and blue is a figment of our imagination. Making refinement of colors for which there is no word is more difficult. Thus, different shades of blue needed to be developed in order to convey the color's original peaceful, subdued meaning. Some attempts were so convoluted as to be laughable, but none were persuasive. This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blue research. Color is subjective, so different peoples and individuals might see it differently – that doesn’t mean that we evolved the ability to see blue. Ancient Egypt associated blue with divinity and the sky. One theory suggests that before humans had words for the color blue, they actually saw the sky as another color. Summary: Blue Color Meaning. What's the meaning of the phrase 'Blue blood'? Lapis, a semiprecious stone mined in Afghanistan, became highly prized among the Egyptians. Moses, Aaron, two of Aaron's sons, and the seventy elders of Israel went up Mount Sinai to worship God before he gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments in stone (Exodus 24). Although a good read…this doesn’t pass the sniff test. The first color words to appear in English, and most other languages for that matter, were words for "white" and "black." There he investigated the Islanders’ perception of colors. Personally, I think it is more likely that people in the past just did not have a word for blue, because, as you said, they did not need one. […] Well, yes. Hulton Archive/Getty Images. The Blues means a lot of things to a lot of people. Blues History Blues is an American Heritage, and it should be noted as such. The blood that which flows in the veins of old and aristocratic families. 4000 years ago. Please wait, your files will be ready for download in a minute... An error happened while processing your download request. In 1898, the psychiatrist W.H. 'Blue blood' is a literal translation of the Spanish 'sangre azul'. Short History of Blue Pigments. Some describe it as colorless or white. Until I see hard genetic (or epigenetic) evidence to to prove the point, I view it as a plausible hypothesis, intellectually intriguing, but far from proven. The phrase blue devils may also have been derived from Britain in the 1600s, when the term referred to the "intense visual hallucinations that can accompany severe alcohol withdrawal". Everything in between is really shades. (All you Biblical mavens, hold the gotcha emails: The color “tehelet”, mentioned in the Bible was wrongly thought to mean blue. It symbolises stability, loyalty, confidence, intelligence and peace. We, standing outside the cave, see the shadows only, not the real occupants. Not at all. What's the origin of the phrase 'Blue blood'? My only comment is that the Techelet mentioned in the Bible IS generally accepted by Rabbinic scholars as blue. Blue appeared last. Turns out, color perception is part wavelength, part interpretation, part cultural indoctrination, part imagina…. […] Experiment was conducted in 1898, in which the elders described the sky as black and the children as […], […] for an article to support this thought because I was so certain I didn’t make it up – This summary is a really fascinating look at the history of how humans came to see “blue” as […], […] Here’s the link to the 2017 article found in a blog named The Doctor Weighs In (Sorry about all the ads on the blog!) Scientists believe that it is not just a simple case of nomenclature; the Islanders indeed perceive the sky a bit darker than we do. The book was translated into 8 languages and was selected by the New York Times, The Economist, and the Financial Times as one of the best books of 2010. Is blue the deep, brooding symbol of deep, unexplored waters? Coming to think of it, another ancient document, based on oral folklore and epic poetry, was written at about the same time in history, the 5th century BCE. The blood that which flows in the veins of old and aristocratic families. The evolutionary explanation is quite straightforward: Ancient humans had to distinguish between night and day. Even if you haven’t read the Homeric epics of the Iliad and the Odyssey, you must have heard his famous, and enigmatic, description of the “wine-red sea”. The simple but expressive forms of the blues became by the 1960s one of the most important influences on the development of popular music. If Blue Didn't Originally Mean Blue What Did It Mean? Because Mary stood for innocence and trustworthiness, the color blue was seen as a positive light. The Blues is a musical genre. But not a hint of blue. In order for all the people of the world to see the color blue today, there would have had to have been multiple identical genetic mutations occurring in every part of the globe – pretty much at the same time – be dominant and produce a significant evolutionary benefit. When one thinks of sight and color, the two go hand-on-hand. National correspondent focused largely on the numbers behind politics. You know way more than me about lots of stuff; I just happen to know a bit about philosophy. Light blue is associated with health, healing, and tranquility while dark blue represents a more powerful, serious, but sometimes melancholic nature. My only comment is that the Techelet mentioned in the Bible IS generally accepted by Rabbinic scholars as blue. In fact, blindness to red-yellow is the most prevalent. Information has come to light since) Argaman refers to purple and tolaat sheni as scarlet/crimson red. It is wonderfully written and provides many examples to support his thesis. Once upon a time in the deep South, many people painted their porch ceilings a specific shade of Haint Blue, a soft blue-green, to ward off evil spirits called “haints.” The history of the flag since 1865 is marked by the accumulation of additional meanings based on additional uses. And the same is true for ancient Chinese writings. Today, we know that acquired capabilities cannot be passed on genetically. The observers are in the cave, watching a shadow puppet show (of sorts) on the wall. But, not one mention of blue. The history of blue as a color for everyday man began when the Catholic Church made an important move in the year 431 AD. The color blue, it turns out, is never mentioned. The first meaning was first seen in Kansas in 1867, when suffragettes chose the colour of the state flower – the sunflower – for their ribbons. Over time, the shade of blue that Mary wore became what is now known as "navy blue." The Bible states they not only saw God but also noticed that under his feet was some sort of pavement made of Sapphires.. And they saw the God of Israel. I have a few problems with this premise: 1. And they found what they were looking for. But there is another factor at play here. But what is the need for naming the color blue? Yes, you guessed it: the Bible. My wife sees peach and orange and strawberry as distinct colors. Men wrote these works, using the words that men spoke. The adjective blue has long been used to signify, of a person, the heart, a feeling, etc., depressed, sorrowful, miserable. When philosophy and science interweaves, it brings forth confusion and wonder.hee It’s quite fascinating the way the world worked back then, and how we operate it right now. How to use blue in a sentence. Amun, the chief deity of the Egyptian Empire (also known as King of Gods), would turn his skin blue in order to fly (invisibly) across the sky. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Your argument that the “sudden” appearance of the perception of blue nessecitated a mutation affecting all humans at the same time is also flawed. Thus, blue remained rare for many centuries, though it slowly became popular enough to earn its own name in various languages. Blues, secular folk music created by African Americans in the early 20th century, originally in the South. In this fascinating history, the renowned medievalist Michel Pastoureau traces the changing meanings of blue from its rare appearance in prehistoric art to its international ubiquity today. In fact, biblical Red is described in many of its hues (“argaman”—dark red, just like Homer’s sea, “shani”-pink, “siqrah”-deep red). Bear in mind, though, that he proposed it as the idea of evolution was just getting underway. As the article points out, there are cultures that still don’t perceive blue as a distinct color, and this is because their environment does not necessitate it, and hence exerting no epigenetic pressure on the genome to acquire this trait. You have entered an incorrect email address! English Language Learners Definition of blues : a feeling of sadness or depression : a style of music that was created by African-Americans in the southern U.S. and that often expresses feelings of sadness Red vs. Blue: A history of how we use political colors. What's the meaning of the phrase 'Blue blood'? Is this unusual? Learn how your comment data is processed. Blue is a cool color, it’s the color of the sky and sea. Green and yellow entered the vocabulary as the need to distinguish ripe fruit from unripe, grasses that are green from grasses that are wilting, etc. Thanks for the article, though. The color blue has positive affects on the mind and the body. Blue law, in U.S. history, a law forbidding certain secular activities on Sunday. Even as the English language developed, blue took a distinct backseat to other colors. Cave paintings from 20,000 years ago lack any blue color, since as previously mentioned, blue is rarely present in nature. Does blue take meaning from the uniforms of the men and women dedicated to preserving our safety? To compound the mystery, the colors red, black, and white are mentioned many times in the ancient manuscripts, and in the later one, like the Bible and the Koran, green and yellow are mentioned as well. Lazarus Geiger, the linguist, discovered that in the modern European languages words for ‘blue’ are derived from ancient words for ‘black’ or ‘green’. Deutscher believes that ‘black’ is a wider term for the Islanders than for us, that they see blue as simply a hue of black. The Blue Flower was the symbol of German 19th century Romanticism, thanks to the novel fragment Heinrich von Ofterdingen, by the German poet Novalis. This post was first published on 07/19/2011. It seems that only after being told that the sky is blue, and after seeing other blue objects over a period of time, does one start seeing the sky as blue. If blue is your favorite color, check out … I suppose it’s possible that the word for “red” doesn’t mean the same thing for us as it did for the ancients, but… I will continue to think on this one (a little). And then there is the matter of certain isolated tribes who still to this day don’t have a word for blue. Black and red predominated in the ancient texts of India. The history of blue is indeed fascinating and enigmatic. blue (adj.2) "lewd, indecent" recorded from 1840 (in form blueness, in an essay of Carlyle's); the sense connection with the color name (see blue (adj.1)) is unclear, and is opposite to that in blue laws (q.v.). Though these attributes are promising, blue is also fragile and somewhat cowardly. How would we know if there was a word for blue that women, who rarely are missing blue color discerning cones, may have used. But what is less known is that he was a classical scholar, and published a seminal 1700-page study of Homer’s epic poetry. The color blue is associated with two of Earth’s greatest natural features: the sky and the ocean. Also used by the Romans. They used chemistry to combine the rare lapis with other ingredients, such as calcium and limestone, and generate other saturated blue pigments. Information has come to light since) Argaman refers to purple and tolaat sheni as scarlet/crimson red. English: generally a fairly recent Americanized form of German Blau or the French cognate Bleu. Email. Robin's egg blue and pale, powder blue were developed for this purpose. These varying qualities make blue the perfectly balanced shade that so many love, trust, and adore. In addition to its peacefulness, blue also offers direction and empathy. Next, red, the color of wine and blood appeared, followed by yellow and then green. He loves to write about the brain and human behavior as well as translate knowledge and complicated basic science concepts into entertainment for the rest of us. Sight is integral to the human experience. Within a decade of the end of the war (even before the end of Reconstruction in 1877), white Southerners began using the Confederate flag as a memorial symbol for fallen heroes. This progression suggested to Geiger as well that some kind of evolutionary process was going on. They adored the bright blue color of this mineral. The blue field was to contain 13 white stars and represent a new constellation, a symbol for the new country. Who created the first flag based on the Congressional resolution? 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