In Chapman’s translation of Homer’s hymn to Pan the god is again represented stained with red, but with the original idea of blood.
A lynx’s hide, besprinkled round about
With blood, cast on his shoulders.
By imitation of greatness and the semblance of divinity the faces of generals when they rode in triumph, e. g., Camillus as mentioned by Pliny, quoting Verrius, were painted red.
On the tree which supports the Vatican figure of the Apollo Belvedere are traces of an object supposed to be the στέμμα δελφικόν, which was composed of bushy tufts of Delphian laurel bound with threads of red wool into a series of knots and having at each end a tassel. This is an old sign of consecration and is possibly connected with the traditional gipsy sign of mutual binding in love signified by a red knot, as mentioned in a letter from Mr. Charles G. Leland.
The Spaniards distinguished red as the color par excellence, and among many of the savage and barbaric peoples red is the favorite and probably once was the sacred color.
COLOR RELATIVE TO DEATH AND MOURNING.
Charlevoix (a) says of the Micmacs that “their mourning consisted in painting themselves black and in great lamentations.”
Champlain (f), in 1603, described the mourning posts of the northeastern Algonquian tribes as painted red.
Keatings’ Long (g) tells that the Sac Indians blackened themselves with charcoal in mourning and during its continuance did not use any vermilion or other color for ornamentation.
Some of the Dakota tribes blackened the whole face with charcoal for mourning, but ashes were also frequently employed.