Rachel Louise Ruhlen wrote: > > Spoiler space > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Vlad said Zerika has golden hair "and if I'd meant blonde, I would have > said blonde". Paarfi says "Zithra" has blonde hair. This seemingly small > detail has already led to a big argument this morning (hey, it still > beats arguing over money or housework!) So I thought it might provoke > some discussion here. Here's my thought (before he has a chance to get > his opinion out): > In the army, you can have brown, blonde, red, or black hair. Most hair > is brown. People who claim to have blonde hair will often be listed as > brown. Similarly, eyes are either blue or brown. Green eyes are blue, > hazel eyes are brown. In other words, the army is not interested in > nuances. And neither is Paarfi. > Or, Paarfi said "blonde" in an attempt to disguise the fact that Zithra > is Zerika, an attempt that did not fool me at all (although it fooled my > husband, which is why this led to an argument, although if he'd just > admit that I'm much smarter than he is, it wouldn't have :). > Or possibly, Phoenix use sorcery to color their hair golden, and without > sorcery they are merely blonde, which is a rare color anyway for > Dragaeran hair except for those of the House of Phoenix. > Rachel A simpler explanation is that Dragaerans don't generally have "blonde" hair, but when they do, the term includes the brilliant golden color that Vlad distinguishes from the more common blonde that might be found among Easterners.