Blue

The Color Blue


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Sbedj//


 * Hieroglyphics:**



The ancient Egyptian concept of "blue" covered all shades of the color as well as some greens. Different shades of blue were identified, such as //kheseb// blue (a shiny blue, the color of polished lapis lazuli and the sky), //irtyu// blue (a shade between azure and sky blue, the color of dye from the woad plant), //tjeferer// blue (the dark blue of the sky at dusk, and the plumage of certain birds), and //uadj// blue (the aquatic environment, covering various shades of green and blue.)

In Egyptian statuary and jewelry blue was represented by stones such as lapis lazuli, blue glass, faience, and turquoise. Blue pigments were derived from a fusion of siliceous sand, malachite, and natron, combining iron and copper oxides with silica and calcium, or ground lapis lazuli.

Blue was symbolic of the sky and of water, and represented creation and rebirth. In Egyptian paintings, birds on the surface of a pond or in flight are often pictured as white and blue, relating them to the sky and sunlight. The Bennu, a sacred heron, was pictured with bright blue feathers, to emphasize its association with the waters of the creation. Other sacred animals such as the baboon of Thoth and the hippopotamus of Taweret were colored blue as well.

The gods were said to have hair made of lapis lazuli, a blue stone. The skin of the creator gods Amun and Tatenen were often painted blue, and by extension, the pharaohs were sometimes shown with blue skin as well, as sons of the gods. Benevolent gods often had blue eyes - "The Blue-Eyed Horus comes to you." Because of its association with rebirth, blue clothing was traditional for funerals.

Egyptian Colors