Csenge Virág Zalka's Blog, page 88
April 13, 2014
L is for Lilac in its many shades
It's getting closer to the time when lilacs start to bloom. Somewhere. Not around here, but somewhere.
Thinking about a color for L, lilac was the first one that came to mind. In Hungarian, our world for purple is "lila." Also, I love the flower; it has an amazingly sweet scent.
As for the stories: One that pops up a lot is the Telltale Lilac Bush, a version of a folktale type that is
Thinking about a color for L, lilac was the first one that came to mind. In Hungarian, our world for purple is "lila." Also, I love the flower; it has an amazingly sweet scent.
As for the stories: One that pops up a lot is the Telltale Lilac Bush, a version of a folktale type that is
April 11, 2014
K is for Kadmos, dragon teeth, and earth tones
Watch my hands.
K might turn out to be the trickiest letter in the color alphabet. Most lists had exactly one entry for it: Khaki, which is not only a "meh" color, it also has no good stories attached to it. So I decided to go the alternate route and look at colors in Hungarian (hey it's not cheating if you're bilingual!). This is how I ran into cadmium colors, and from there it was only a step
K might turn out to be the trickiest letter in the color alphabet. Most lists had exactly one entry for it: Khaki, which is not only a "meh" color, it also has no good stories attached to it. So I decided to go the alternate route and look at colors in Hungarian (hey it's not cheating if you're bilingual!). This is how I ran into cadmium colors, and from there it was only a step
April 10, 2014
J is for the Jade Rabbit on the Moon
J was for Jasmine last year, and even though Jasmine is also one of the few color shades that start with a J, I'm not going to repeat myself. You can read about the Jasmine Princess here.
The second runner-up was Jazzberry Jam, but sadly that search did not produce any folktales. Go figure.
So that leaves us with Jade.
Jade is a pale green gemstone especially popular in Chinese and Japanese
The second runner-up was Jazzberry Jam, but sadly that search did not produce any folktales. Go figure.
So that leaves us with Jade.
Jade is a pale green gemstone especially popular in Chinese and Japanese
April 9, 2014
I is for Ivory, Castles and Dreams
(For those of you who are not avid Blackmore's Night fans, the title is a reference to this song.)
Ivory is a material that comes from the tusks and teeth of various animals (most often elephants and hippos). It also stands for the pale white-yellow color of these teeth. While a lot of people associate ivory with pure white, is is more of the pastel shade.
One of my favorite stories involving
Ivory is a material that comes from the tusks and teeth of various animals (most often elephants and hippos). It also stands for the pale white-yellow color of these teeth. While a lot of people associate ivory with pure white, is is more of the pastel shade.
One of my favorite stories involving
April 8, 2014
H is for Heliotrope, and blaming the other woman
Yet another flower that saves me from using colors like "hooker green" or "hot pink."
Heliotrope is both a color and a flower, in a nice deep shade of purple. The name literally means "turn after the sun," which is what this flower tends to do (much like a lot of other plants). If anyone, I can most definitely relate to trying to follow the sun's heat. In fact, I have been seriously debating
Heliotrope is both a color and a flower, in a nice deep shade of purple. The name literally means "turn after the sun," which is what this flower tends to do (much like a lot of other plants). If anyone, I can most definitely relate to trying to follow the sun's heat. In fact, I have been seriously debating
April 7, 2014
G is for Green, and some mysterious princesses
This post will be short and sweet, since I just tumbled home from a road trip down south to Tennessee. To honor the fact that I have seen green for the FIRST TIME IN FOREVER, G is for Green today.
First off, we have yet another one of the Seven Princesses to visit: The Tartar princess of the Green Pavilion. This princess tells Bahram Gur a story about a scholar whose only joy in life was his
First off, we have yet another one of the Seven Princesses to visit: The Tartar princess of the Green Pavilion. This princess tells Bahram Gur a story about a scholar whose only joy in life was his
April 6, 2014
F is for Flamingo Pink
Man, finding a color for every letter is harder than I thought. Here, have some pink.
Flamingo pink, once again, is officially a color, as weird as it sounds (I apologize to all the male readers that only ever wish to distinguish 16 basic colors, bear with me.)
While I could not find a myth or folktale about the flamingo and its color, there is a delightful tale that I can include here. While
Flamingo pink, once again, is officially a color, as weird as it sounds (I apologize to all the male readers that only ever wish to distinguish 16 basic colors, bear with me.)
While I could not find a myth or folktale about the flamingo and its color, there is a delightful tale that I can include here. While
April 4, 2014
E is for Ebony
Ebony is a kind of wood known for its shining black color. Because we already used B for Blue. Also, ebony sounds better!
And with this letter we return once again to the palace of Bahram Gur, the Persian King with the Seven Wise Princesses. After visiting the Turquoise Pavilion in B for Blue, we no visit the Black Pavilion of the Ebony Princess.
The Ebony Princess is from India. She tells a
And with this letter we return once again to the palace of Bahram Gur, the Persian King with the Seven Wise Princesses. After visiting the Turquoise Pavilion in B for Blue, we no visit the Black Pavilion of the Ebony Princess.
The Ebony Princess is from India. She tells a
April 3, 2014
D is for Darling Dandelions and Depressing Daffodils
If you are doubting that Daffodil or Dandelion are official colors, check out this list. And be glad I didn't pick "Dollar green."
We will circle back to Yellow at the end of the month, but I wanted to give you a taste of flower shades, mostly because it is pouring ice cold rain outside my window and there is no spring in sight. So. Flowers.
I love dandelions. Their Hungarian name is '
We will circle back to Yellow at the end of the month, but I wanted to give you a taste of flower shades, mostly because it is pouring ice cold rain outside my window and there is no spring in sight. So. Flowers.
I love dandelions. Their Hungarian name is '
April 2, 2014
C is for Cinnabar, or, Immortality is not always good for your health
Cinnabar is a mineral of a strong signature red hue that produces the pigment called vermilion. The word cinnabar allegedly comes from the Persian word for "dragon's blood."
I have already mentioned one of the Four Symbols in Chinese mythology, the Azure Dragon of the East. Well, the Vermilion Bird of the South is also one of them, and is fabled to live in a cinnabar cave somewhere in the South
I have already mentioned one of the Four Symbols in Chinese mythology, the Azure Dragon of the East. Well, the Vermilion Bird of the South is also one of them, and is fabled to live in a cinnabar cave somewhere in the South
