This stable phrase - "a man of blue blood" - is perceived today only as an allegory that distinguishes people of aristocratic origin from ordinary people. But why, out of the entire spectrum, is blue chosen as the most noble? There is an opinion that the whole thing is in the thin light skin of aristocrats, through which bluish veins shine through.
According to another statement, people of noble birth never related to representatives of the lower classes and were extremely proud of this, protecting the purity of their blood. Although this is far from the only explanation for the amazing concept - blue blood. The expression was born in the early Middle Ages, and maybe even earlier.
What does the story say?
The medieval historian Aldinar (12th century) in his chronicles mentions the noble English knights who fought against the Saracens, fell to the ground wounded, but not a drop of blood flowed from their wounds! In the same chronicles, the concept of "blue blood" is also mentioned. Later, in the 18th century, the expression was quite popular in Spain. noble hidalgosfound confirmation of the purity of blood in only one thing: on the wrist there should have been thin, light skin with translucent bluish veins. Otherwise, the person was suspected of mixing blood with Moorish or Arabic.
In more recent history, the concept was actively exploited to promote racism, the superiority of some nations over others. Suffice it to recall German fascism and its dominant idea of blue Aryan blood.
Is there blue blood in nature?
Yes, there are blue-blooded creatures in nature. They live mostly in the ocean - these are horseshoe crabs, squids, octopuses and other branchial mollusks. In their blood there is no substance that gives the liquid a reddish tint - iron. This is the key word in matters of blood color, but more on that later.
People of blue blood. Who are they?
No matter how fantastic it sounds, such people live on planet Earth. According to various sources, their number ranges from one to seven thousand. The blueness of the fluid flowing through their veins does not affect their “commonness” in any way: the blood flows in the same way through their veins and carries oxygen. But it's really blue in color. There is an explanation for this. As mentioned above, iron gives red color to blood cells. In people of "blue blood" the role of iron in the blood is played by another element - copper, which, reacting with the small amount of iron (which is still present), stains the blood in a bluish-purple hue. It would seem that no fantasy. But an ordinary person will certainly have a question: where are they, thesepeople? Who saw them? Or is it some kind of mystical creatures? Or maybe even aliens? By the way, this is one of the versions.
What does science say?
Science says that the great wisdom of nature is expressed in this phenomenon. The blue color of blood or variations with the main pigmenting element - copper instead of iron - is nothing more than a safety net in case one species of living beings disappears. By the way, medieval legends could testify that copper in the blood contributes to the disinfection of wounds, their rapid healing due to the rapid blood clotting. That is why the rivers of blood did not flow from the knights.
In the meantime, all this is just a hypothesis - humanity prefers to use this expression allegorically, endowing people of noble birth with all sorts of flattering epithets: a blue-blooded prince, a white-bones aristocrat…
