Symbolism of the Color Gray / Grey
Gray is traditionally associated with old age and by correlation, wisdom. [1] Gray is a combination of opposites, black and white, with more white or more black changing the shade and value of gray. Regardless of the shade, gray symbolizes balance or neutrality. [3]
In the East, gray symbolizes helpers and travel, and in Feng Shui gray represents the element metal and is of the passive Yin aspect. [2] Feng Shui emphasizes gray's indefinite and dull nature. [2] In the West, gray symbolizes boredom and plainness. [2]
In Greco-Roman mythology, gray is the color of Saturn, or Cronos, who was the lord of time, with wisdom among his major attributes. [1] On the Kabbalistic tree of life, gray symbolizes wisdom. [1]
In Western Europe, gray symbolizes mourning, lamentation, and death because of its correlation to ashes. [3] The Bible sports gray as a symbol of repentance, fasting, selflessness, and worship. [3] Holy practitioners in Europe chose gray as a color for garments to symbolize simplicity and repentance. [3]
Modern associations with gray include seniority, neutrality, tradition, and pollution. [3]
Gray / Grey Dragons
Gray dragons possess great wisdom. An older dragon may be gray with age. Gray, as a symbol of travelers and helpers, makes the gray dragon likely to help a polite passerby.
Since a gray dragon combines black and white characteristics, attributes associated with those colors apply to gray dragons.
All of the dragon graphics on this page were created by Donna Quinn.
Footnotes
- O'Connell and Airey 115
- Visual Color Symbolism Chart by Culture
- Color Symbolism of Gray: A Tangent of Balance & Neutrality
For more information on footnotes and references, please see the bibliography.
