The Color of Folklore

Hope, mother's love, contemplation, piety and sincerity are represented by blue. It is the color of angel's robes and the Virgin Mary. Humble village folk are often portrayed in blue. Blue signifies eternity when applied to deity and immortality when applied to man. It is represented by the metal tin. Blue's precious stone is the lovely sapphire. The planet it stands for is Jupiter. Sky and water are blue. Blue changes to omnious gray and black to give a change in mood.

There is no Irish folktale in existence that does not portray the color green. It is seen in clover and grass. Their little people are dressed in green. Tales which portray happiness, immortality, hope, joy, youth, and spring are rich in green. Green's metal is copper. The pot at the end of the rainbow is copper. If stones are used in a story they are represented by the emerald. The planet it stands for is Venus. Irish tales fill the reader with gladness. He leaves these stories happy and filled with eternal spring and a sense of rebirth. In Jamie Freel and the Young Lady the tranquil green landscape is part of the real life setting. Even the dark and forboding castle is ilustrated with green light shining around its windows.

White is not actually a color. This colorless color signifies purity, truth, innocence and hope. Illustrations often feature priests, Druids and Magi in white. When festivals are a part of the tale white becomes extremely important to convey religious feeling. White's metal is represented by silver. Its precious stone is the pearl. Tales which are set in a water environment often incorporate the pearl. The Japanese tale of Urashima and the Turtle speaks of pearls. Much blue is used in conjunction with white. In planets, white stands for Diana and the Moon.

Folktales, myths, legends and other tales of wonder all paint in colors to describe their world. Illustrators are as important to the reader as is the author. The reader is transported into tales by means of color. Likewise, he leaves with certain feelings, which the tale's colors have imparted to him. If its colors were successful, the tale was also.