Cinnabar

Cinnabar (HgS mercury sulphide), created from the blood of a battle between an elephant and a dragon. A toxic red pigment used for millennia. From Roman chariots and frescoes to Chinese lacquer boxes.

My curiosity about toxic elements began while reading about the history of art pigments. From Ochre and Carbon to Pantone Colour Standards, the history of  pigments and dyes has been an enticing, often dangerous journey for artists, chemists, and seekers of knowledge in general.

Mercury the mystical element, referred to as Quick Silver, and thought to have medicinal qualities. First Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang, drank an elixer containing mercury to increase his longevity, resulting in an early death at 45 years. The same emperor associated with the terracotta warriors buried in his mausoleum. Legends suggest mercury rivers, and Indiana Jones style traps for those who try to enter.

Dragons are universal in mythology. The original dragons were serpents, an explanation for the unexplainable. Fossil fuel and geothermal events, embellished with wings and teeth and fiery breath. Like all good stories.

penny youngash