Hair in Myth and Tradition

08/14/21 • 14 min

The strange significance of hair!
Check out some cool vintage hair products via the Smithsonian at https://www.si.edu/spotlight/health-hygiene-and-beauty/hair-care
Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com!
Say hello at [email protected]!
Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash.
Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash.
Music: "Wonderland" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Bibliography:
Akesha (The Hair Historian). "A Brief History of Blondes: From Bird Poop to Balayage." HJ. July 11, 2019. Accessed August 10, 2021. https://www.hji.co.uk/blonde/brief-history-of-blondes-hair-historian/
Burgess, Anika. "The Intricate Craft of Using Human Hair for Jewelry, Art, and Decoration."
Atlas Obscura. January 12, 2018. Accessed August 10, 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/intricate-craft-art-human-hair-jewelry-mourning-braid-mutter-museum
The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Delilah." Encyclopaedia Britannica. January 6, 2020. Accessed August 10, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Delilah
The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Manu-smriti." Encyclopaedia Britannica. February 15, 2015. Accessed August 10, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Manu-smriti
Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences. Edited by Cora Linn Daniel and Prof. C.M. Stevans. University Press of the Pacific: 1903.
"Hair Care." Cosmetics and Personal Care Products in the Medicine and Science Collections. Smithsonian. Accessed August 10, 2021.
https://www.si.edu/spotlight/health-hygiene-and-beauty/hair-care
"Hair Coloring." Encyclopedia.com. August 8, 2016. Accessed August 10, 2021. https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports-and-everyday-life/fashion-and-clothing/clothing-jewelry-and-personal-adornment/hair-coloring
"Nazirite/Nazarite." New World Encyclopedia. Accessed August 10, 2021. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Nazirite/Nazarite
Struck, Peter T. "Hair." Greek & Roman Mythology Tools. University of Pennsylvania. Accessed August 10, 2021. https://www2.classics.upenn.edu/myth/php/tools/dictionary.php?regexp=HAIR.&method=standard
Trueb, Ralph M. "From Hair in India to Hair India." International Journal of Trichology, Volume 9. January-March 2017. Accessed August 10, 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5514789/

Previous Episode

Myths of the Zodiac, Part 2: Cancer, Leo, and Virgo

The stories behind the signs!
Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com!
Say hello at [email protected]!
Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash.
Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash.
Music: "Forest Walk" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Bibliography:
Allen, Richard Hinckley. Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning. Dover, 1963.

The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Leo." Encyclopaedia Britannica. June 15, 2021. Accessed August 4, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/place/Leo-constellation

McClure, Bruce. "Cancer? Here's Your Constellation." EarthSky. March 29, 2021. Accessed August 4, 2021. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/cancer-heres-your-constellation/

McClure, Bruce. "Leo? Here's Your Constellation." EarthSky. April 13, 2021. Accessed August 4, 2021. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/leo-heres-your-constellation/

McClure, Bruce. "Virgo? Here's Your Constellation." EarthSky. May 27, 2021. Accessed August 4, 2021. https://earthsky.org/constellations/virgo-heres-your-constellation/

"The Nemean Lion." The Perseus Digital Library. Tufts University. Accessed August 4, 2021. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/lion.html

Next Episode

Blacksmithing

An ancient and legendary profession!
Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com!
Say hello at [email protected]!
Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash.
Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash.
Music: "Wonderland" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Bibliography:
The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Brigit." Encyclopaedia Britannica. May 1, 2020. Accessed August 25, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brigit
The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Itsekiri." Encyclopaedia Britannica. December 12, 2016. Accessed August 25, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Itsekiri
The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Wayland the Smith." Encyclopaedia Britannica. February 12, 2020. Accessed August 25, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wayland-the-Smith
Greenberg, Mike. "Kagutsuchi: The Japanese God of Fire." Mythology Source. November 3, 2020. Accessed August 25, 2021.
https://mythologysource.com/kagutsuchi-japanese-god/
Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences. Edited by Cora Linn Daniel and Prof. C.M. Stevans. University Press of the Pacific: 1903.
"Iron versus Steel - What is the difference?" Queen City Forging Co. Accessed August 25, 2021.
https://www.qcforge.com/forging-innovations-blog/iron-versus-steel-what-is-the-difference/
Kennedy, Lesley. "The Prehistoric Ages: How Humans Lived Before Written Records." History. October 21, 2019. Acessed August 25, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/prehistoric-ages-timeline
Molina-Diaz, Erick. "The Greatest Swordsmith in Japanese History." Jackson Journal. Accessed August 24, 2021. https://jacksonjournal.news/50788/world/humans-of-history/the-greatest-swordsmith-in-japanese-history/
Omondi, Sharon. "What Was the First Metal Used by Humans?" WorldAtlas. May 16, 2018. Accessed August 24, 2021. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-was-the-first-metal-used-by-man.html
Vuckovic, Aleksa. "Wayland the Smith: The Lost Germanic Legend of the Flying Blacksmith." Ancient Origins. November 20, 2020. Accessed August 24, 2021.
https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/wayland-smith-0014565
Yasuka. "The Birth of the Katana." KCP International. July 7, 2021. Accessed August 25, 2021.
https://www.kcpinternational.com/2021/07/the-birth-of-the-katana/

Scholar Minor - Hair in Myth and Tradition

Transcript

"Thy hue, dear pledge, is pure and bright

As in that well-remember'd night

When first they mystic braid was wove,

And first my Agnes whisper'd love."

Welcome back, friends, to Scholar Minor. As you may have guessed from our opening poetry excerpt - from To a Lock of Hair by Sir Walter Scott - the topic for this week’s episode is hair.

While there are some folks who follow cultural or religious traditions regarding the wearing and maintenance of their hair, a