Woad

• Woad is used in Dye.

  Caesar says Britons stained themselves with vitrum. A Roman report of a dye-practice, not a pan-Celtic blue theology.

  from Julius Caesar · Gallic War, c. 50s BCE

  used in · sourced · culturally specific

• Woad is associated with Blue.

  Woad yields a blue. Caesar’s vitrum and later antiquarian “Pictish blue” are not indigo plantations.

  from Julius Caesar · Gallic War, c. 50s BCE; Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE

  associated with · sourced · documented

• Woad is used in Medicine.

  Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica lists woad/isatis among plant drugs with astringent leaf uses, kept apart from Caesar’s Briton body-stain speech already walked. A named woad in that handbook, not a Celtic tattoo dump alone.

  from Pedanius Dioscorides · De Materia Medica, 1st century CE

  used in · sourced · documented

• Woad is historically related to Chalk.

  In Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture, for want of indigo painters dye selinusian or anularian chalk with woad (Greek isatis) to make an imitation of indigo — woad dyes that chalk.

  from Vitruvius; Morris Hicky Morgan (translation) · De Architectura, 1st century BCE; Morgan English 1914

  historically related to · sourced · documented

• Woad is historically related to Vinegar.

  In Culpeper’s English Physician, after powders steeped in rose vinegar are dried, comfrey, horsetail, woad, and other simples are mixed with bole-ammoniac washed in vinegar, frankincense, pitch, and turpentine into a plaster.

  from Nicholas Culpeper · The English Physician, 1652 (and later PD editions)

  historically related to · sourced · documented

• Woad is historically related to Bole.

  In Culpeper’s English Physician, a plaster powders and steeps simples, then takes woad with comfrey and horsetail among the herbs, and bole-ammoniac washed in vinegar with frankincense, myrrh, and litharge, finished with pitch and turpentine.

  from Nicholas Culpeper · The English Physician, 1652 (and later PD editions)

  historically related to · sourced · documented

• Woad is historically related to Myrrh.

  In Culpeper’s English Physician, a plaster takes woad with comfrey and horsetail among the herbs, and frankincense, myrrh, aloes, and mastich among the gums, finished with pitch and turpentine.

  from Nicholas Culpeper · The English Physician, 1652 (and later PD editions)

  historically related to · sourced · documented

• Woad is historically related to Frankincense.

  In Culpeper’s English Physician, a plaster takes woad with comfrey and horsetail among the herbs, and frankincense, myrrh, aloes, and mastich among the gums, finished with pitch and turpentine.

  from Nicholas Culpeper · The English Physician, 1652 (and later PD editions)

  historically related to · sourced · documented

• Indigo resembles Woad.

  Both yield a blue dye. Indigofera indigo and European woad are different plants and different trades.

  resembles · interpretive · documented

Celtic tradition

• Woad is associated with Celtic tradition.

  The dye is often hung on “the Celts” in later writing. Caesar’s Britons are his enemy-report; Irish and Welsh literatures are other files.

  from Julius Caesar · Gallic War, c. 50s BCE

  associated with · partially sourced · historically uncertain

Roman religion

• Woad appears in Roman religion.

  Pliny’s Natural History seats woad/vitrum among northern body-staining and dye plants in Roman report. A named woad in that encyclopedia, not woad-caesar as the Gallic War dye use already walked and not indigo as the later trade blue.

  from Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE

  appears in · sourced · documented