Typhon and Red-Haired Men: Addendum

Whilst searching for information about the claim that red-haired men were anciently sacrificed I came across these passages, which I'll relay below simply to catalogue them.

Firstly:

From an 1844 work titled, Crania Aegyptiaca.

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Crania_Aegyptiaca/852cAkr93L4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=manetho+red+hair&pg=PA55&printsec=frontcover

"Plutarch, quoting Manetho, asserts that Tiphonean or red-haired men were sacrificed in the temples of Eletheias, and their ashes scattered to the winds. Was this done in commemoration of the hatred which the Egyptians bore to the red-haired Hykshos?"

I should make a note to have a search in regard the Hyksos. I don't think they were actually red-haired, but it might be an interesting avenue to explore.

Secondly:

From an 1834 work titled, Descriptive Catalogue of a Cabinet of Roman Imperial Large-brass Medals.

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Descriptive_Catalogue_of_a_Cabinet_of_Ro/-vOHRVPRxOQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=manetho+red+hair&pg=PA164&printsec=frontcover

"Macrobius tells us that Osiris was the Sun; and as the Egyptians considered that luminary as the demiurgus, or creator, he was held in the first consideration; and, according to Manetho, all red-haired men were immolated at his tomb."

Thirdly:

From a 1734 work, with the cool sounding title, An Historical Dissertation on Idolatrous Corruptions in Religion from the Beginning of the World.

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/An_Historical_Dissertation_on_Idolatrous/EwQrAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=manetho+red+hair&pg=PA209&printsec=frontcover

"Their Hatred to Typho carry'd them so far, that "they had certain Solemnitys," as we are told by Plutarch, "wherein, to abase and affront him, they mishandled and abus'd such Men as they found to have red Hair." Nay, Diodorus tells us that "they antiently sacrific'd such Persons as had red Hair like Typho, at the Sepulchre of Osiris." And Manetho relates, that they were us'd in antient Times to burn live Men in the City of Adythia, entitling them to Typho; and then they made a Wind, and dispers'd and scatter'd their Ashes into the Air." And we may with Probability conjecture, that they might in like Manner contumeliously scatter in the Air the Ashes of the red Oxen they sacrific'd."

In this passage Diodorus is mentioned alongside Plutarch, so I should really try to dig that source up too. Incidentally, I really love these old writing styles.

Plutarch: Typhon and Red-Haired Men

Way back in the ancient days, long before this blog, when there was just the website, we noted with glee and horror the tales relayed in the book, The Golden Bough, about red-haired men being sacrificed in ancient Egypt.

http://www.themythsandhistoryofredhair.co.uk/theancientworld.html

Anyway, I recently revisited the topic, in the hope of discovering more. The original source for the claim is the work, Aegyptiaca, by the Egyptian priest and writer Manetho. However, this work is now lost, and only survives in fragment form in the works of other writers.

The following quotes come from Plutarch's On Isis And Osiris.

"..occasionally they humiliate and insult him [Typhon] at certain festivals, when they abuse red haired men and tumble an ass down a precipice; for example this is done by the people of Memphis, because Typhon was red haired, and like an ass in complexion."

Typhon is the Greek name. In Egyptian the god is known as Set or Seth, and is the god of storms, disorder, violence and foreigners.

"The Egyptians, believing that Typhon was born with red hair, dedicate to sacrifice the red coloured oxen, and make the scrutiny so close that if the beast should have even a single black or white hair, they consider it unfit for sacrifice"

It's interesting how similar this is to the idea of the sacrificial Red Heifer in Judaism. Particularly the notion that the animal must be perfect and unblemished.

"For in the city Idisthyas they used to burn men alive, as Manetho relates, calling them "Typhonians," and by tossing their ashes in a winnowing-fan made away with and scattered the same."

I guess this last quote is the source for the claim. The line (and wider surrounding paragraph it's from) doesn't mention red hair specifically. So it seems to be the case that the red hair is implied by the label "Typhonian," and the wider context of Typhon being viewed as red-haired.

An Old Italian Legend about Red Hair

The other day I came across the pdf Legends, Mysteries an Curiosities of the Province of Rimini. The province of Rimini is located in the Emilia-Romagna region, in northern Italy. The city of Rimini and the whole riviera romagnola are probably famous abroad above all for their summer entertainments, but the city and its province have a very risch cultural, artistic and environmental heritage. 

 If you go to page 108, you’ll read a legend of Rimini about kidnapping of virgins. According to it, a group of friars were used, once a year, to kidnap a virgin, give her a sleeping potion, and use her to celebrate, in secret, a living representation of the miracle of the Mother of God (which I don't know what it is). The girl would be eventually taken back to her house and she would remember nothing. 

However, one night Brother Bartolomeo kidnapped a red-haired girl. I quote from the pdf: “While she was also awakening a voice emerged from the buzz, it was that of the Supreme Father, who scolded them for the stupidity of having kidnapped a red-haired virgin, causing bad luck. And he continued: “I will end this dangerous tradition that has been going on for too many years, it will eventually cause serious problems with the inhabitants of Rimini. God wanted you to choose the wrong young lady to warn us of his discontent. This is an evil omen since the red hair is a symbol of the evil forces and bring misfortune. A confrontation right inside the walls of our sacred refuge. Go away! Bless it and take her away! This girl is not loved by God, and can never imitate the Virgin Mary.” 

So, even according to this legend red hair was something evil, or at least a bad omen. However, as we have seen in this blog, the Virgin Mary has been  described several times as red-haired, and paintings with a red-haired Jesus (and Mary) are countless. This dichotomy is very interesting and, at the moment, we don’t have an explanation for it.