Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/452

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Colour Symbolism.

Colours of Mythical Ages.

Mexican

- I. White,

2.

Yellow, 3.

Red,

4. Black.i

Celtic -

- I. White,

2.

Red, 3.

Yellow,

4. Black.2

Indian I.

- I. White,

2.

Red, 3-

Yellow,

4. Black.3

„ II.

- I. White,

2.

Yellow, 3.

Red,

4. Black.4

Greek -

- I. Yellow,

2.

White, 3-

Red,

4. Black.5

White is a lunar colour, that of the " silvery " moon (" Cweta white as the moon " •*) ; yellow is a solar colour, that of the " golden " sun. It may be therefore that the precedence given to white in the Mexican, Celtic and Indian Ages has a lunar significance and had originally a con- nection with the lunar calendar. Both the Mexican and Celtic colour sequences are found in India.

In India the castes w^ere connected by some ancient sages with the Yugas or Mythical Ages, while others connected them W'ith the various coloured moods of the Creator. In the Mahd-hhdrata it is stated :

" The Brahmans beautiful (or, dear to Soma) were formed from an imperishable [akshara), the Kshattriyas from a perishable [Kshara) element, the Vaisyas from alteration, the Sudras from a modification of smoke. While Yishnu was thinking upon the castes [varnan), Brahmans were formed with white, red, yellow and blue

1 Kingsborough's Antiquities of Mexico, vol. vi. pp. 171 et seq. ; Brunton, The Myths of the New World, pp. 249 et seq., etc.

2 H. D'Arbois De Jubainville, The Irish Mythological Cycle (trans.), pp. 5-7, 25, 26, 69, 70. The Milesians were the " Black race."

p. 447). etc.
 * Vana Parva of the Mahdbhdrata, section cxlix. (Roy's trans,

P- 569).
 * The Vana Pana of the Mahdbhdrata, section cl.xxxix. (Roy's trans.

Ages. The " Ages of Heroes " is evidently a late interpolation. Hesiod's Works and Days, 109-173.
 * That is, the Greek " Golden," " Silver," " Bronze " and " Iron "

^ Mahdbhdrata [Bhishma Parva, section iii.).