Scottish proverbs about red hair

In spite of Scotland being one of the two countries (with Ireland) with the highest number of people with red hair, here too we find proverbs depictings redheads in an unflattering manner. As you will see, some of them are similar to others we already know, whcih makes me think that most of these proverbs come from a common substrate.

 

- A red beard, and a black head, catch him with a good trick, and take him dead.

 

- To a red man reade thy reade,
With a brown man break thy bread;
At a pale man draw thy knife,
From a black man keep thy wife.

(Although here it's not clear whether the proverb is about hair colour or not) 

 

- Cocks with red combs are good traders. (A jest upon a man that has red hair)

 

- Bean ruadh, dhubh-shùileach,
Cù lachduinn, las-shùileach,
Fear an fhuilt dhuibh 's na fiasaige ruadh
Na tri còmhlaichean is mios air bith.
A red-haired, black-eyed woman,
A dun, fiery-eyed dog,
A black-haired, red-bearded man,
The three unluckiest to meet.

- Fear a’ chinn duibh ’s na fiasaige ruaidhe, na teirig eadar e ’s a’ chreag. 

Black head, red beard—don’t go between him and his rock. 

- Fear dubh dàna; fear bàn bleideil; fear dónn dualach; ’s fear ruadh sgeigeil. 

Black man bold; fair man officious; brown man curly; red man scornful.

- Is fhearr a bhi dubh na ’bhi bàn; Is fhearr a bhi bàn na ’bhi ruadh; Is fhearr a bhi ruadh na ’bhi carrach; Is fhearr a bhi carrach na ’bhi gun cheann. 

 It is better to be black than white; It is better to be white than red; It is better to be red than bald; It is better to be bald than headless.

 

- Is fhearr an dubh na ’n dónn; ’S fhearr an dónn na ’m bàn; ’S fhearr am bàn na ’n ruadh; ’S fhearr an ruadh na chàrr. 

Better black than brown, Better brown than fair, Better fair than red, Better red than scabby.

 

- An uair a bhios an sgadan mu thuath, bidh Murchadh ruadh mu dheas. 

When the herring is in the north, red Murdoch is in the south. (Red Murdoch is the restless, unlucky man, always out of the way when something good is to be got.)

  

- Fear a’chinn duibh ’s na fiasaige ruaidhe, co ’thuig riamh a nàdur? 

The man with the black head and the red beard, who has ever understood his nature?

Sources: Paroimiographia Proverbs, A complete collection of Scottish proverbs explained and made intelligible to the English reader, Gaelic Proverbs & Proverbial Sayings, Gaelic Proverbs.