Re: was hump day :Blue Dye ?
jim singer wrote:
the druids, my dear, who celebrated the solstice, dyed/painted their
bodies blue. i have no idea why. there is a line in the old movie "gunga
din" when sam jaffe [who plays, i think, a high hindi priest] says to a
brit soldier [played, i think, by cary grant] "we were a great empire
when you were still painting your bodies blue." or something like that.
At 12:38 PM 12/21/02 -0600, you wrote:
you go girl - have one for me. Sunny here but gale force winds. I'm
curious about the dye too BTW
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The why is an interesting question. Perhaps a sacred color ?
The what with is easier. Likely with Woad (Isatis tinctoria,
I. glauca works too) which was the only blue dyestuff before
the days of Indigo. Leaves pounded to a pulp, the juice painted on the
skin where it turned blue on oxidation by air. Later woad was used
as a fixative for Indigo. Would make an intriguing eye-shadow for
garden gals...?
-jrf
--
Jim Fisher
Vienna, Virginia USA
38.9 N 77.2 W
USDA Zone 7
Max. 105 F [37 C], Min. -0 F [-17 C]
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