At 10:38 AM 4/20/02 -0400 Gautam Mukunda wrote: >You wouldn't - fair in this context means "beautiful" not "light-colored."
Ok, maybe this is an urban-legend, but my understanding was always that "fair maiden" referred to "pale-skinned." That is, in the Middle Ages the only way a woman could become "pale-skinned" would be to spend all her days indoors, and as such, be fairly wealthy. JDG Me: Oh there's no doubt in my mind that this is precisely what the derivation stems from. It's not just true in Europe, either. My parents have told me that when I was first taken to India by my parents as an infant, the first comment made by many of my relatives was "Good, he's very light-skinned." Thus taking after my mother, I guess, although that wasn't their point. It's just that the meaning has become independent of the skin color context, and has been for centuries, I believe. Gautam
