Minaryth Blue vs Minaryth Purple

From: Stewart Stansfield <stu_stansfield_at_H72QJtf2ubdN8Y439HFeaW2HbQBwBvnI0oJIvymO_94B2Ur7XN7wkMxnn1dJb>
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:00:27 -0000

Jane:
> Right! So the purple robes are both a reward and a
> sponsorship deal. Any of his literate sage colleagues
> will realise that not only are they purple, those
> Mystic Runes round the hems say "Buy your dye from the
> duDerysi!"

A tale of blue vs purple robes in sages...

I made a typical faux pas at my last graduation. I was chatting with Graham Loud, Prof of Medieval Italian History, and he was wearing his gown for the convocation.

"I see you were at Bristol?" I offered by way of small talk, seeing the colours of his attire (I'd done my doctorate there before going to Leeds).

I was greeted with a look that combined embarrassment, mild irritation and well-meaning pity.

The gown was actually Oxford, and the dark blue facings accompanying the red had faded over the years to purple (the colour of Bristol).

Stu.

P.S. I should point out that Bristolians would say they pwned Oxford in Earth Sciences (grudgingly recognising Cambridge above them in some ways), but to make such an association in the Arts...