Another etymology for purple

Joannes Richter

Fig. 1: A king in Codex Manesse

This essay is a chapter from the book

“Nederlands voor Gevorderden1” by Joannes Richter (2010).

1
translation: “Dutch for the experienced”
1 A resurrection for dead words
From time to time I wake up in the middle of the night
from a bad dream in which a particular word has only
survived in one single language, being lost forever in
German, French and English and other languages as
well. The dead word is barely alive and may only be
understood if we study the ancient remains of the
prehistoric colour coding.
It was only yesterday I started a discussion with my friend
Stephan, who claimed the world purple cannot be explained as
a religious symbol, because “purple” has been derived from the
special snail from the Mediterranean area, where clever people
managed to produce and export a very expensive dye by
boiling huge portions of snails in large pots.
My antithesis the purple colour originally had to be woven
from red and blue coloured threads could not convince
Stephan. Obviously purple robes had become ceremonial
objects at a time in which the original androgynous symbolism
had been lost.
The very next morning however I woke up after a thought-
dream about the Dutch adjective “paars”, which still preserves
the true symbolism of the English word “purple”. In fact purple
is a mixed dye originally identifying a couple or a pair,
composed from a woman (as a red symbol) and a man (as a
blue2 symbol).

2
There is some evidence the blue colour symbolizes a female element and
the red colour symbolizes a male element at the southern side of the Alps.

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2 “Paars” is the colour for the peers

The official etymological explanation for “paars” is obscure.

Etymological experts suggest a derivation from Persae
'Persians', Persia 'Persia' and perzik (Peach).

The main etymological database http://www.etymologie.nl/

reveals the following entries for medieval words around 1300
AD:
paars Substantive (as a 'colour')
Mnl. perse 'purple (sheet)' [1294; VMNW], perse saye
'purple woolen sheets' [1296; VMNW],
peers bruxsch lakene ' purple sheets from Brugge'
[1343-44; MNW], groen of blaeu of root of paers [ca.
1475; MNW].

Two documents from 1672 and 1742 reveal references to the

words „Paars“ respectively „Pers“, which may be analysed in
details. Both documents describe an assembly hall for the peers
of Leiden, called „Paars“ or „Pers“. Basically these words
have been derived from Latin „Pares“, the “equals”.

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Korte besgryving van het Lugdunum Batavorum nu Leyden
door Simon van Leeuwen – 1672

Het selve Stadhuys is soo onder als boven in verscheide

plaatsen verdeelt, elk tot sijn byfonder gebruyk, als fijn
boven de Grote Vroedschaps-kamer, Burgermeesters
kamer, Schepens kamer, Secretarie, Griffie ende Wees-
kamer, voor ende tussen dewelke een groote Wandel-
plaats, dat men de Paars nomt, ten eynde van dewelke
twee vertrekken voor sijn, daar de Burgen alle nagten
de wagt houden. Boven deselve Paars is de Artelerie
ende Wapen-kamer,

Hedendaegsche historie... - Seite 523

Thomas Salmon, Jan Wagenaar, Matthias Van Goch – 1742
Langs den eerst beschreeven' Buiten-opgang van
twintig trappen naar bovengaande, komt men op eene
ruime Zaal, gemeenlyk de Paars of Pers genaamd, die
zeventig treden lang is.

In order to understand why “purple” and “paars” may have

been used as religious symbols we will have to study medieval
colouring theories in the next chapters.

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3 The rules for colouring the icons
Traditionally icons and most of the other artworks had to be
painted in red and blue, as prescribed by the Bible. The books
Exodus3 and 2. Chronicles4 are specifying the divine
commands for Aaron's garments, who had to perform the rites
in the Covenant Tent and in the temple of Solomon.

Fig. 2: Jesus Christ in red and blue

And even today icons are being painted as in the Middle age.
Jesus and Maria have to be painted in red and blue
combinations. And although the Carolingian synod released the
medieval artists from the burden of colouring anything red &
blue the painters took several centuries to free themselves from
these old conventions. The majority of medieval art has been
painted in red and blue or purple.

3
25 entries in the chapters 25->27 and 35->39
4
Three entries in chapters 2 & 3

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4 A clothing convention from Exodus
From the holy garment for Aaron we may read the command to
use blue, purple and scarlet red, as well as twined linen:

Exodus, Chapter 39
“Of the blue, purple, and scarlet, they made finely worked
garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy
garments for Aaron; as Yahweh commanded Moses. 2He made
the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined
linen. 3They beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires,
to work it in the blue, in the purple, in the scarlet, and in the
fine linen, the work of the skillful workman. 4They made
shoulder-pieces for it, joined together. At the two ends it was
joined together. 5The skillfully woven band that was on it, with
which to fasten it on, was of the same piece, like its work; of
gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen; as
Yahweh commanded Moses.”

As a remarkable fact the German Bible reveals some additional

information by adding a colour attribute “white” tot the fine
twined linen in the Bible. Probably the English translators may
have ignored the word “white” as if any twined linen must
have been considered white.

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And the following painting, which I found in a major Viennese
art-museum, reveals a saint or Jesus (?) wearing a blue
overcoat over a red garment. Even a slice of white twined linen
is found at the collar area.

Fig. 3: Saint or Jesus in red, white & blue

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5 The symbolism in red and blue
Generally the red sun and the blue may have been considered
male, respectively female at the southern side of the Alps. The
idea may be proved by a male gender for the word sun (Latin:
sol) and a female gender for the moon (Latin: luna).
At the north side of the Alps the genders for the red sun
(female) and the blue moon (male) see to have been chosen at
the opposite side.
The following painting depicts a red sun and a blue moon from
the Viennese Bible (sixth century AD).

Fig. 4: Joseph observing a red sun and a blue moon

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6 The Codex Manesse
Of course the divine commands have been applied to define the
colouring prescriptions for painting the icons and other
religious artwork, but they also have been used to define the
colours for emperor's garments and even for a simple peasant's
clothes. You may inspect the Manesse Codex to check the
garments for the German emperor Henry VI who wears a
purple robe and a blue undergarment. In the illustrated border
the painter confirms the red, white and blue symbolism of the
purple coloured robe, indicating an “androgynous couple” by a
pairwise woven elements of male and female objects.

Fig. 5: Emperor Henry VI (detail Codex Manesse)

The couple's symbolic colour refers to an ancient androgynous

Adam, created as a male and female being, who had to be
separated later.

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Another example of a king and a queen may demonstrate the
standard colour coding as applied for the icon paintings.
The king wears a blue overcoat over a red garment, whereas his
queen is wearing a red-purple overcoat over a blue garment.
Both also reveal some white applications in their dresses.

Fig. 6: King & queen in Codex Manesse

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7 An androgynous symbol
Now why is the Dutch adjective “paars” so important
and why is the associated word missing in all other
languages?
The colours purple, red and blue must have been well known as
religious symbols in biblical eras and in the Middle age.Purple
however also used to be the imperial colour for the “divine”
emperors (including Caesar) in ancient Rome.
Roman emperors used to promote themselves to deities. Nero
did not allow others (except himself and his close relatives) to
wear the divine purple colours. He even sentenced trespassing
Roman citizens to death. Merely the imperial family was
allowed to wear purple clothings and to sleep between purple
blankets. They clothed their babies in purple nappies.
Generally purple is a symbol of a couple's fertility and “paars”
of course refers to a standard married couple (→ “pairwise”).
Purple however consists of the elementary symbols red and
blue.

Fig. 7: Headerline in the Korczek-Bible (Prague- ca.1410)

In the Middle Age only normal, married couples were able to
raise children, which must have been welcomed as a blessing
in times of war, starvation, infectious diseases and poverty. Of
course the Dutch considered matrimony as a holy, religious
institution, which has been inherited from ancient Celtic and
German religions.

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Jacob Grimm identified the ancient German creator god Tuisco
as an androgynous deity, who in analogy to Yahweh had
created an androgynous Adam.
Purple (as translated from the Dutch adjective “paars”) has
been the religious symbol for “pairs” and their androgynous
creator god.

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8 Old traditions
These traditions are old. Yes, they are very old and they have
lost most of their religious symbolism. The Church worked
hard to get rid of these ancient symbols. Unfortunately they
missed the tiny Dutch word “paars”, which escaped unnoticed
and now roams around in dictionaries without any meaningful,
etymological explanation. Nobody seems to be interested in the
real symbolism for this Dutch word “paars”, although it may
be most important to explain some mysterious chapters in the
Bible.
In fact the Dutch adjective “paars” may even be the last and
only word to explain the symbolism for the Biblical colours
purple, red and blue in the books Genesis and Chronicles. All
other traces have been destroyed and cleaned up. Nothing has
been allowed to remain from androgynous symbolism.
In illo tempore individual people may have been considered as
blue or red elements, but they would never reach the divine
image symbolized by the colour purple. Of course androgynous
Adam has been known in the Middle Age quite well from
Rashi's Genesis5 and Rashbam's Genesis6, which prepared the
successful publication for the cabbalistic book Sohar, in which
androgynous creation has been documented and explained in
details.
Probably the Middle Age also provided some hidden areas, in
which people were allowed to remember ancient traditions and
the real symbolism for the Dutch word “paars”...

5
Rabbi Rashi 1040-1105, Northern-Europa (chapter 27)
6
Rasbam, Rashi's successor, 1085-1174, Northern-Europa (chapter 27)

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 Fig. 8: Initials in the Neapolitan Bible

The very word “Paars” may also explain the alternating

colouring writing in red and blue, which may be found in most
of the medieval Bibles and other religious books.
The adjective “paars” for purple will also explain Dante's
masterpiece as a religious document which allowed him to
publish this work at all.

Fig. 9: Codex for Dante's

Divina Commedia

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Ancient and medieval people must have had a common
knowledge for the religious symbolism of purple, red and blue.
The biblical book Numeri 15:37-41 provides us with some
information, that:
37
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 38Speak to the
children of Israel, and bid those who they make them
fringes in the borders of their garments throughout
their generations, and that they put on the fringe of
each border a cord of blue: 39and it shall be to you for a
fringe, that you may look on it, and remember all the
commandments of Yahweh, and do them;
Instead of the word “blue” the German translators however
preferred “purple”.

The following painting from 1336AD reveals Jesus wearing a

purple overcoat over a blue garment. The colour code exactly
meets the previous painting of the German emperor Henry VI.
The garments however does not depict the fringes, which had
been commanded for any Hebrew person.

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Fig. 10: Judas kissing Jesus (1336)

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9 Hochdorf

Fig. 11: Celtic sovereign in red & blue towels (530 BC)

Purple has also be found at the garments for the Celtic

sovereign, discovered in an untouched grave at Hochdorf. The
weaving reveals extremely thin singular threads which may
only be identified as red and blue elements under a microscope.
Around 530 BC this weaving technology has been exported to
Italy and weaving red & blue tor produce purple must have
preceded the manufacturing of purple dye in the Mediterranean
area.

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The Celtic sovereign had been wrapped in several alternating
coloured red and blue blankets. The grave has been erected
around 530 BC.

Fig. 12: Celtic sovereign wrapped in red & blue towels

These resemblance between the colouring codes of the

Hochdorf grave and the Bible's book Exodus may trigger the
idea whether there may have been a common colouring code
shared by the Hebrew and the Celtic people. If successful the
idea may have to be expanded to the Greeks7 and the Romans8.
7
Androgynous creation legend in Plato's Symposium
8
Purple as an imperial colour and divine symbol

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10 The Dutch flag
If a biblical and religious expert were to choose a recipe to
design a banner for his country he may probably choose:
28-15“You shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the
skilful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it;
of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined
linen, shall you make it.

Fig 13: Dutch banner

The word “Paars” also explains why emperor Henry VI wears

a purple overcoat at the codex Manesse and why the red-white-
blue colours may have been used to create the Dutch national
banner.

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11 Tuisco
That's why I keep the Dutch word “paars” (purple) as a treasure
with mine and as a last farewell to my ancestors' ancient
religion; to Tuisco, who has been honoured by naming the
cities of Duisburg and Doesburg.
The word “Paars” taught me to read U and I as androgynous
symbols, and explained me how to understand the religious
symbolism of matrimony. The word “Paars” explains that red
and blue initials in an overwhelming number of decorated
medieval Bibles cannot be understood as neutral illustrations,
but have been designed to symbolize religious ideas. The
initials are symbolizing the return and transformation of
married couples to androgynous Adam and the return to the
original androgynous deity.

Fig. 14: Initials in a codex from 14th century

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12 Weaving words “like purple”
Purple may be identified as a symbolic colour for the
interwoven letters and words of the Utrecht Bible and other
codices if you are allowed to look at the manuscript from a
distance.

Fig. 15: Utrecht Bible (1460)

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13 Pomegranate arils
At a few locations we may be able to find references towards
the colouring codes in the Bible. According to Wikipedia the
pomegranate´s seeds and surrounding pulp, ranging in colour
from white to deep red, are called arils. There are some
cultivars which have been introduced that have a range of pulp
colours such as purple (see photograph).
Exodus9 directed that images of pomegranates be woven onto
the hem of the me'il ("robe of the ephod"), a robe worn by the
Hebrew High Priest. The book Kings10 describes pomegranates
depicted on the capitals of the two pillars Jachin and Boaz
which stood in front of the temple King Solomon built in
Jerusalem. It is also a symbol of fruitfulness. The pomegranate
is one of the few images which appear on ancient coins of
Judea as a holy symbol, and today many Torah scrolls are
stored while not in use with a pair of decorative hollow silver
"pomegranates" (rimmonim) placed over the two upper scroll
handles.

Fig. 16:
Pomegranate arils

9
Exodus 28:33–34
10
1 Kings 7:13–22

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14 Conclusion
A globally accepted convention accepts light red as a female
and blue as male symbol for genders. A special colour symbol
for androgynous genders or matrimonial couples does not seem
to be well known.
Dutch language however provides us with a word “paars” for
the colour “purple”, which may have been in use in ancient
eras as religious symbols in analogy to the colours red and
blue.
From the recipe for painting icons and the books Exodus and
Chronicles we may identify the religious symbolism for the
colours purple, red and blue.
In fact we may even discover these symbols from the flags of a
number of countries: the Netherlands, France, England, USA
and Russia.
A medieval etymology for the Dutch word “paars” (equivalent
to purple) refers to the free citizens of the Dutch city of Leiden,
whose assembly hall has been named “de Paars”, respectively
“de Pers” for their “peer”-members. The colour of “paars” is
the symbolic colour for the peers.

Keywords
Bible, Genesis, Chronicles, paars, pair, Purpur, purple, Flag,
Pomegranates, androgynous, Tuisco, Tuisto, Colourcode,
etymology, Manesse, Codex, Hochdorf, Rashi, Rashbam, icon,
Henry, emperor

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