Don't accessorize with horned helmets
June 20, 2018 11:25 AM Subscribe
Don't accessorize with horned helmets
My brain originally turned "horned helmets" into "hornets", and I wondered why on earth that warning would even be necessary in the first place.
Other than that, interesting article.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:00 PM on June 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
My brain originally turned "horned helmets" into "hornets", and I wondered why on earth that warning would even be necessary in the first place.
Other than that, interesting article.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:00 PM on June 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
For some reason I keep seeing decorative items (ceramic pitchers, mugs, glass ware etc) with hornets on them and I have no idea why? So yeah- that’s a thing.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 12:02 PM on June 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 12:02 PM on June 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Oooh, I love the chemistry of historical and primitive dyestuffs - especially the sources for the reds, blues and purples! The interactive image let’s you click on the color and it’ll give you a blurb describing it, it’s source, etc.
One of the colors the Vikings used — the intensely scarlet red — is noted as cinnabar. Many folks are aware that it is mercury(II) sulfide, a highly toxic form of mercury-containing ore and associated with the pigment color vermilion.
The more orange-red color is “red lead”, which is lead(II,IV) oxide, used extensively in the ancient world and also highly toxic when ingested.
The darker, brick red color is iron(III) oxide, a relatively non toxic compound more familiarly known as rust. It’s the same pigment that was historically blended with linseed oil and used to paint barns — still seen in use for that purpose throughout the world!
These reds were highly prized because their colors were very vivid and their brightness was fairly permanent. In contrast, the bright reds that could be generated from organic sources, like madder root and cochineal, tended to oxidize over time and eventually fade to a dull brown.
Very cool link - thank you!
posted by darkstar at 12:06 PM on June 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
One of the colors the Vikings used — the intensely scarlet red — is noted as cinnabar. Many folks are aware that it is mercury(II) sulfide, a highly toxic form of mercury-containing ore and associated with the pigment color vermilion.
The more orange-red color is “red lead”, which is lead(II,IV) oxide, used extensively in the ancient world and also highly toxic when ingested.
The darker, brick red color is iron(III) oxide, a relatively non toxic compound more familiarly known as rust. It’s the same pigment that was historically blended with linseed oil and used to paint barns — still seen in use for that purpose throughout the world!
These reds were highly prized because their colors were very vivid and their brightness was fairly permanent. In contrast, the bright reds that could be generated from organic sources, like madder root and cochineal, tended to oxidize over time and eventually fade to a dull brown.
Very cool link - thank you!
posted by darkstar at 12:06 PM on June 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
My brain originally turned "horned helmets" into "hornets", and I wondered why on earth that warning would even be necessary in the first place.
They're pretty fearsome, could make worse heraldric choices.
posted by curious nu at 12:20 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
They're pretty fearsome, could make worse heraldric choices.
posted by curious nu at 12:20 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
This article is obviously just telling us how to decorate well, not how to decorate like a literal viking.
/s
posted by graventy at 12:23 PM on June 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
/s
posted by graventy at 12:23 PM on June 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
This will go well with my efforts to get my wife to dress like Lagertha. Then we need baby goats. And an English priest as our house boy.
posted by Ber at 12:45 PM on June 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Ber at 12:45 PM on June 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
Decorating, that's where I'm a Viking!
posted by arcticseal at 12:57 PM on June 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by arcticseal at 12:57 PM on June 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
Disappointing lack of drinking mugs made out of your enemy's skull.
posted by Phreesh at 1:37 PM on June 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Phreesh at 1:37 PM on June 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
I keep seeing decorative items (ceramic pitchers, mugs, glass ware etc) with hornets on them
They're pretty fearsome, could make worse heraldric choices
Representations I have no problem with; actual live hornets (which was my initial thought) no thank you!
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:47 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
They're pretty fearsome, could make worse heraldric choices
Representations I have no problem with; actual live hornets (which was my initial thought) no thank you!
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:47 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
No blue, which is interesting... I know the anglo-saxons had woad
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:49 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:49 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
This will really change the aesthetic of heavy metal album art.
posted by peeedro at 1:54 PM on June 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by peeedro at 1:54 PM on June 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
My brain originally turned "horned helmets" into "hornets"
Ha, I did the exact same thing! I had to read the title *three times* to make my brain read it correctly.
A whole lot of historical cultures loved colour, I would have loved to see what Rome actually looked like in Roman times! The colour suggestions I've seen look positively carnival-esque.
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:49 PM on June 20, 2018
Ha, I did the exact same thing! I had to read the title *three times* to make my brain read it correctly.
A whole lot of historical cultures loved colour, I would have loved to see what Rome actually looked like in Roman times! The colour suggestions I've seen look positively carnival-esque.
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:49 PM on June 20, 2018
Yeah, ffs...er...fearfulsymmetry, it was always my understanding that Vikings used both woad and indigo for blues. Strange it isn’t on the list here.
This link as well as this one both cite woad and indigotin (indigo) as being Viking pigments in use.
Very puzzling!
posted by darkstar at 2:55 PM on June 20, 2018
This link as well as this one both cite woad and indigotin (indigo) as being Viking pigments in use.
Very puzzling!
posted by darkstar at 2:55 PM on June 20, 2018
This article seems to be about pigments used for painting, rather than dyes for textiles, which would explain woad and indigo and blue cloth, but not necessarily blue paint.
posted by elsietheeel at 3:32 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by elsietheeel at 3:32 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Woad is a great dye, but a crappy paint. You saw azurite and ultramarine in manuscripts and stuff, but I'm not sure when the first blue paint, like for a building, came into existence.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 4:08 PM on June 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 4:08 PM on June 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Here’s a good article on the history of blue in paint pigments. They’re primarily mineral-based.
posted by darkstar at 4:17 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by darkstar at 4:17 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
The darker, brick red color is iron(III) oxide, a relatively non toxic compound more familiarly known as rust. It’s the same pigment that was historically blended with linseed oil and used to paint barns — still seen in use for that purpose throughout the world!
Is that the same as Falun(?) Red, the colour of every rural building in Sweden that's not pale yellow?
posted by acb at 4:50 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Is that the same as Falun(?) Red, the colour of every rural building in Sweden that's not pale yellow?
posted by acb at 4:50 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Wikipedia describes Falun red as being sourced from red hematite and containing “silicates, iron oxides, copper compounds, and zinc.” So, yes, the redness in Falun red is fundamentally from iron(III) oxide in the hematite.
I’m not sure how the copper compounds affect the hue or, indeed, if they appreciably do, as they tend to be blue-green or black, so they may just be impurities in very low quantities.
It’s a great red! Iron(III) oxide, also called ferric oxide, is very resilient to weathering and the color is highly saturated. When I use iron(III) oxide in my lab demos, I have to be really careful about getting the powder anywhere because it is a BEAST to clean up.
posted by darkstar at 5:20 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I’m not sure how the copper compounds affect the hue or, indeed, if they appreciably do, as they tend to be blue-green or black, so they may just be impurities in very low quantities.
It’s a great red! Iron(III) oxide, also called ferric oxide, is very resilient to weathering and the color is highly saturated. When I use iron(III) oxide in my lab demos, I have to be really careful about getting the powder anywhere because it is a BEAST to clean up.
posted by darkstar at 5:20 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
As a side note: the word hematite comes from the same prefix we use in hemoglobin (from the Greek haima, for blood), due to the blood-red color of the iron(III) oxide in the mineral.
posted by darkstar at 5:24 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by darkstar at 5:24 PM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure that's the same palette used by Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
posted by kimota at 7:03 AM on June 21, 2018
posted by kimota at 7:03 AM on June 21, 2018
This was not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:15 AM on June 21, 2018
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:15 AM on June 21, 2018
I'd forgotten I read a book on the history of colour a while back which went on about the relative rariry of blue paint - hence the Virgin Mary often painted with precious blue clothes.
Not sure what type of paint the viking's used on their buildings but as an example limewash appears to be mostly earth tones, even today.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:47 AM on June 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not sure what type of paint the viking's used on their buildings but as an example limewash appears to be mostly earth tones, even today.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:47 AM on June 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
So I was procrastogoogling all sorts of paint/wood staining/medieval/viking... and came across this photo from this article. They might end up repainting in light of the new knowledge.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:07 AM on June 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:07 AM on June 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
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The evidence, among other things, brings to mind that Berserker ode Two Shades of Grey.
posted by y2karl at 11:55 AM on June 20, 2018 [1 favorite]