Gripla - 20.12.2005, Page 257

REFLECTIONS ON THE COLOR OF ESAU’S POTTAGE OF LENTILS 255
amples (about half), bleikr is used about facial color or skin tone. In these in-
stances, the term is frequently equated with nár (e.g., ‘bleikr sem nár’ (Bær-
ings saga 1884: 86.32) or bast (e.g., „flviat stvndvm setti hana r√›a sem blo›,
en stvndvm bleika sem bast“ (Bærings saga 1884: 97.38-40), and it often ap-
pears together with bló›lauss (e.g., „ok fyrir flui at hon sa hann blæikan ok
blo›lausan. fla hug›i hon at hann være dau›r“ (Strengleikar 1979:20.18-19)
and litlauss (e.g., „hann var bleikr ok litlauss í andliti ok honum horfin öll
hans fræg›“ (Karlamagnúss saga1860:285.11-12). In eight of the examples,
bleikr is used about human facial hair; one of these is the oldest example
recorded by the Ordbog and may be dated to the second quarter of the
thirteenth century: „Har hans var a›rummægin ræikar blæict en a›rumægin
rautt“ (Óláfs saga helga 1922:42.3-4). In nine of the examples, the term is
used to describe the color of domestic animals. In six, it is used about silver
and gold. In three, it is used about stones. In another three, it is used about the
color of fields or meadows. It is also used to describe the rays of the sun and
the moon, and in four of the examples, it is used as a by-name. Bleikr is con-
trasted with blár, eplóttr, grár, hvítr, rau›r, rau›blár, and svartr.
In order to understand the compiler’s choice and use of bleikr in the pas-
sage concerning Esau’s selling of his birthright for a pottage of lentils, one has
to bear in mind the events surrounding the episode. At birth, Esau is said to be
„rau›r ok lodinn allr sem eitt skinn“ (Stjórn 1862:160.8-9; cf. „rufus [...] et
totus in morem pellis hispidus“ [Genesis 25:25]).10 When he grows up, he
becomes a skilful hunter and his father Isaac’s favorite son, partly because he
is the first-born and partly because Isaac eats of his hunting. His brother Jacob
becomes the favorite of his mother Rebecca, who eavesdrops on her old hus-
band when he tells Esau to hunt and prepare fresh game so that he may bless
10 Sarna (1989:180) makes the following comment on the color red: „Hebrew ‘admoni is also
used – admiringly – of David in 1 Samuel 16:12 and 17:14. The term, therefore, is not likely
to mean redheadedness, which was popularly associated with the sinister and the dangerous.
More likely, a ruddy complexion is intended. This may well be connected with the con-
vention found in Egyptian and Cretan art, as well as in the Ugaritic texts, that equates red
skin with heroic stature.“ About Esau‘s hairiness, he comments: „This detail anticipates the
crucial role of Esau‘s hairiness later on in the narrative. Hebrew se’ar, ‘hair’ (sa’ir, ‘hairy’),
is also an allusion to the land of Seir, the habitat of Esau/Edom, as mentioned in 32:4 and in
other texts. This region probably derived its name from the shaggy nature of the terrain. [...]
Esau’s unusual hairiness brings to mind the account of Enkidu in the Gilgamesh Epic. His
entire body is also said to have been covered with hair, a condition that was popularly taken
to be a sign of boorish uncouthness.“