The Acceptance Of Redheads In Medieval Europe

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Although almost all “redheads” derive from European regions, red hair is involved in virtually almost all cultures around the globe. What is intriguing about redheads, is that each culture seems to have a different view about them. People with red hair have been adored, scorned, revered, and hated throughout all time periods. While red hair is virtually prominent in each culture, red hair dealt mainly with religious aspects, influential figures, and folklore aspects.
Since most red heads are indigenous to Europe, many of the descriptions about them comes from European sources. Sources today rank Ireland with the highest population of redheads, with 30% of their population displaying the gene (Hay, 3). In the past, many sources expressed loathing …show more content…

Catholics were repulsed by red heads due to many facts. While there are several reasons why red-heads are distrusted by the Church, one of the main reasons was that Judas was believed to be a redhead, and he betrayed Jesus (Scott, 94). In medieval Germany, freckles were called “judasdreck” and both Jews and redheads were slurred as possessing “bad character at best and barbarity at worst.” In medieval times, people who had red hair would be described as "poil de Judas," which meant “Judas hair.” Red hair began to be seen as an insult throughout Europe. Witches would blaspheme the Virgin Mother by addressing her as "la rousse," the redhead. "During the Middle Ages, red was believed to be the color of the Devil," (Reilly, 6). While it is true that God punished Cain for killing his brother and gave Cain and his offspring "the mark of Cain," may medieval philosophers ponder if red hair is the mark of Cain. Christians saw red hair as a sign of several crimes. Christian Europe associated red hair with the crimes of heresy, and thus shunned red-heads (Scott, 97). During the Spanish Inquisition, redheads were sought out, because their hair color was a sign that they had stolen the fires from Hell. In particular, women with red hair were suspected and questioned because of their hair

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