Jord’s Red

Description

This dark red pigment is made from Icelandic volcanic rock, ground to an appropriate fineness for making paint. So of course we name this pigment after the Norse goddess Jörð, (which also means “earth”), mother of the mighty Thor. One can imagine medieval Icelandic illuminators illustrating the sagas using earth pigments made from nearby volcanoes, as seen in this image of part of Njál’s Saga from the Möðruvallabók.