The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-07-20
LOCKS or GOLDEN HAIR.


Legendary Lore Concerning Hair OF San.
culinary Tint-Old Proverbs.
Witty photographers are at present ac-
customed to satifize in many ways tho
red haired girl, her appearance being said
to be connected with the proximate vision
of white horse 1t is perhaps impossi-
BILE to say when this idea originated, Lut
II is probable that it had its rise in the
ancient aversion to red haired persons,
very wide spread. Various reasons have
been assigned for this curious antipathy.
Psychologists claim that red hair repre-
sents the dangerous lightning stroke, or
the whitening rays of the summer sun.
Indra, god of the elments, has golden
hair, and LolSi, mischievous imp, was
red haired. The mermaid is often repre-
sented as combing her golden locks, and
red bearded demons are not uncommon.
''Rothbart, Teufelsart" (red beard,
DEVILS kind), is an old German proverb.
Others claim that the origin of the
superstition that red haired men were
treacherous, came from a notion that
Judas was red haired. Nothing is said
as to the color of his hair in the New
Testament, and he is shown with black
hair in most of the painted representa-
tions of the Middle Ages. A German
fresco of the Twelfth century, however,
pictures the arch traitor as red haired
man. 1t is probable that Christian in
fuence in Teutonic lands brought about
this great antipathy to red hair, as many
OF the heather gods and goddesses wore
golden locks. Red has always been de-
tested color. 1t was the hue of the
pirate flag, and its sanguinary tint has
been chosen for the banner of the An
archists 1t was for long time an I'M
fashionable color in England, and auburn
locks were, therefore, disadvantage to
the possessor.
Again, it is probable that much of this
odium laid upon red haired men arose
from traditional hatred against Teutonic
conquerors, the yellow haired Goths, the
red bearded Danes and the ruddy North
men alike expressing Roman, Saxon and
Gaul.
In the old romances of the Round
Table, the red knight of the Red Lands
represents death, whom Sir Gawain
finally conquers in combat. Shakespeare
alludes to the prevalent superstition on
this subject in ''As You Like It." Nor
is it yet entirely extinct in parts of Eng
land. In Devonshire it is thought I'M
lucky to have a red haired person first
enter the house on New Years day, and
black haired lads 60 the rounds, and
are rewarded by presents. There is a
proverb among Scotch Highlanders,
"Avoid the red head and the steep rock"
In other European lands this dislike also
exists. There is q Danish proverb that
''red heads and elders do not flourish in
good SOIL" A red cavalier figures in
many folk lore tales, and it is said that
"evil speakers and the red cavalier cause
men much distress"
Similar ideas formerly existed in Ger
many. An old poem has it that "Red
haired men and elder trees are rare in
fertile SOIL" Another writer about 1000
A. d., advises the reader, "Not to thee a
red man for special friend" William
of Tyre, writing in the Twelfth century,
say of Fulk, of Jerusalem, who was red
haired; "He was affable, benignant,
and, contrary to the rule of that color,
kind and merciful." French proverbs
carry the antipathy to animals. "He is
wicked as red ass" is a saying in many
places. Rochefort, in an editorial in his
paper, calls political opponent ''red
ass" Another French proverb says,
''Red haired men and woolly dogs are
better dead than known" and there is
an Italian saying to the same effect.
The Chinese antipathy to red hair is
well known. One of their familiar APP
pellations for foreigners is cred haired
devils" A Slavic proverb also illustrates
the same superstition: "At the sight of
a bearded woman and red haired men
one fees away" Among a certain tribe
Of Bedouin Arabs there is u saying
against "evil bringers like Qodar the
red haired" Qodar additionally caused
great evils to the tribe, and hence all red
headed men are regarded as malevolent.
F. S. Bassett in Globe Democrat.