Myths, Legends, and Famous Red Hair

My red hair isn’t something to which I’d given much thought before I visited “gingerist” Britain. The bizarre hostility I encountered there was eye opening.  This article covers redhead facts, and while I’m not keen on the writing style, some of the trivia is pretty cool.

Russian tradition declares that red hair is both a sign of a fiery temper and craziness, and a proverb warns, “There was never a saint with red hair. Indeed, red hair figures in the bible, The word Adam is supposedly the Hebrew word for red or ruddy, and Judas – poster boy tor tratorious – is often portrayed with red hair as is Mary Magdalene. King David is thought to have been a redhead, and some even believe the mark of cain to actually be red hair.

The association of red hair and untrustworthiness and ugliness somehow prevails in the modern age. The Nazis discussed whether red haired people should be allowed to wed, fearing their degenerate offspring. Red hair is often portrayed in less than flattering ways in films and on TV. An Irish judge in 2001 fined a man for disorderly conduct stating “I am a firm believer that hair coloring has an effect on temper and your coloring suggests you have a temper.” Thomas Wolfe was right: you cant go home again. At least not if youre from Ireland and have red hair.

via Redheads: Myths, Legends, and Famous Red Hair.

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