Probably, there is no more popular and mysterious jewelry in the world than a ring. It is difficult to find a lady who does not have a couple of graceful rings in the casket or drawers of the dressing table. And many men do not remain indifferent to rings and seals.
Apparently, the ring earned such fame thanks to its mysterious past. After all, it is no accident that he is extolled by the now so popular fantasy genre, and in numerous fairy tales and legends of almost all peoples of the world, events unfold around the ring. In addition, history knows many rings that have become real artifacts.
"Passport" of the pharaohs and a symbol of love
The ring can be safely called the same age as a Homo sapiens. After all, the first samples of this decoration appeared at the dawn of our times. The first rings - gnarled bone and stone products then served as a kind of amulet against evil spirits. In addition, during the worship of the gods, the priests of the tribes wore rings made specifically for these rites on their fingers.
In Ancient Egypt, rings and signet rings made of precious metals have significantly changed their status. From a decoration-amulet, they became the "passport" of the pharaohs and noble people. Various drawings and hieroglyphs were applied to the rings, the imprint of which was tantamount to the signature of a person burdened with power. Later, such rings were adopted by the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans from the Egyptians.
It should be noted that this invention of the pharaohs is still used by the head of the Roman Catholic Church. The fisherman's name ring confirms the status of the Pope, and his imprint confirms the authenticity of all Vatican papers. After all, it is no accident that after the death of the pontiff, his ring is destroyed, and for the newly elected pope a new one is made, thus trying to avoid forging documents.
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The famous seal "Fisherman's Ring"
In ancient Rome, wearing gold rings became the privilege of emperors and nobility. At the same time, the custom arose to put on the new Caesar a massive gold ring on the index finger - the finger of Jupiter - as a sign of his high rank. Later, many monarchs of Europe adopted this custom, ordering special rings for the coronation.
I must say that in Rome there was also a tradition to "use" the ring for marriage. So, a young man, as a sign of his desire to connect fate with a girl he liked, presented an iron (!) Ring to … her parents.
Later on the day of the wedding, the newlyweds began to exchange rings, putting them on each other's ring finger of their right hand, since it was believed that a vessel passed through it carrying blood straight to the heart, and the gold jewelry on it promised family well-being. It should be noted that this custom was not destroyed even by the era of Christianity - gold rings began to be used in the wedding ceremony.
In the Middle Ages, secret rings appeared in Europe, inside which were placed the strongest poisons. Such jewelry became known thanks to the Borgia family, whose representatives sent many people to the next world using the contents of such rings.
Assistant to sages and magicians
However, for many centuries the ring was also considered a powerful magical artifact - a symbol of eternity. Ancient magicians made special jewelry for themselves, on which powerful spells were engraved.
Such rings became a formidable weapon, subjugating the will of people, the forces of earth, water and fire. A striking example of this is the legendary ring of omnipotence, described in the famous saga of John Tolkien, where such decoration became the cause of terrible wars that swept the vast lands of Middle-earth.
Ancient legends also tell us about magic rings. The “hero” of one of these legends was the magic ring of King Solomon, who not only endowed its owner with wisdom, but also made him the slaves of almighty spirits who fulfilled any desire of the biblical ruler. The founder of Islam, the prophet Muhammad, also constantly wore the coveted ring with carnelian on the little finger of his right hand, which endowed him with the gift of prophecy.
I must say that precious stones increased the strength of the rings many times over and even gave them the opportunity to heal people from many diseases. So, in the medical book of the 16th century, it is said that a ring with a scarlet yacht (ruby) relieved insomnia, and a ring with an azure yacht (sapphire) cured nervous disorders.
The curse of the oprichnik
An interesting fact is that the famous ring of the universe left its mark on the Russian land, in the seal of which, as many ancient sages believed, the code of the universe was hidden. According to legend, this ring made its owner invulnerable to enemies and opened the hidden treasures of the world.
In the middle of the 16th century, the German Orne entered the service of Ivan the Terrible. It was rumored that he was "driven" from Europe by a dark history of murder and witchcraft. The new oprichnik was cruel and had an incredible imagination, inventing new tortures and executions for his "wards".
Old Russian rings and signet rings
The tsar liked these qualities of the overseas servant, and he granted the German a large estate on the outskirts of Moscow (now this is the Ostankino district). Having settled in the given lands, Orne, much to the surprise of his Russian neighbors, began to tear up old burial places, as if looking for something.
The fact is that a German knowledgeable in witchcraft specially came to the Moscow kingdom and begged the tsar for this estate, since, having devoted his life to searching for the ring of the universe, he read in an old manuscript that the last owner of this artifact was a Russian witch living near Moscow. And it was not by chance that the oprichnik started plundering the graves: he was looking for the remains of a witch, among which the cherished decoration was hidden. Surprisingly, Orne still found the ring, but the German was cursed by pious people who did not suffer such sacrilege.
According to another version, the ring of the universe came to the German in a completely different way. This wonderful ring was bought from a European sorcerer by Ivan the Terrible himself, who decided to personally verify its wonderful capabilities. However, Ornn, who was hunting for the magic ring, attacked the merchants who were delivering his purchase to the king, “pocketed” their goods, and stabbed the overseas guests and drowned their bodies in a swamp.
This unheard-of insolence aroused the terrible wrath of Ivan the Terrible. The king sent people to bring the impudent oprichnik to his trial, but right in front of the astonished envoys, he put a stolen ring on his finger and … disappeared into thin air. Legends say that Ornn was transported to a parallel space, where he must now wander in punishment for his crimes.
But the magic ring does not want to leave the earthly world. They say that during the construction of the Ostankino tower, workers several times found a gold ring on the construction site. However, as soon as the "lucky" man tried on the find, he immediately fell dead, and the strange decoration disappeared without a trace. Esotericists believe that in this way the ring of the universe is looking for a worthy owner to whom it could submit and reveal its secrets.
Poet's talisman
No less mysterious is one of A. S. Pushkin, sung by the great poet in the famous poem "Talisman".
I must say that Pushkin had seven treasured rings, presented to him by his friends and mistresses, but only one of them - a golden ring with an emerald - had mystical power.
Tradition says that this ring once belonged to the tyrant of the Greek island city of Samos, who ruled from 538 to 522 BC, Polycrates, who, wanting to pay off fate, threw an expensive ring into the sea.
However, fate did not accept this sacrifice, and the discarded ring returned to him in the belly of the fish served at dinner. For several centuries, the legendary jewelry traveled across Europe, and in the 15th century it came to Russia. Here its owners were Ivan III, Ksenia Godunova, Peter I, who presented the ring to his favorite Abram Hannibal, after which the ring became a relic of the Pushkin family.
Pushkin was given the ring by his uncle Vasily Lvovich before going into exile. Contemporaries of the great poet recalled that Pushkin was very fond of this ring and believed that it was this ring that would give him inspiration and reveal the secret of the word.
An interesting fact is that the poet, who practically did not part with his cherished jewelry, going to the fatal duel, took off the emerald talisman from his hand and put on a ring with carnelian instead, presented to him by Countess Vorontsova. Perhaps this act predetermined the outcome of the fight.
Dying, Pushkin put a wonderful ring in the hand of his friend, doctor and writer Vladimir Dahl, with the words: "Take it, friend, I won't write anymore."
Later, in one of his letters, Dahl noted: “Pushkin's ring, which he called - I don’t know why - a talisman, is now a real talisman for me … As I look at it, I just want to start something decent. Soon…"
Taking these lines on faith, we can assume that it was the poet's ring that "helped" Dal to create an amazing dictionary of the Russian language.
After the writer's death, Dahl's daughter gave the wonderful ring to the Russian Academy of Sciences, and now it is kept in the A. S. Memorial Museum-Apartment. Pushkin on the embankment of the Moika River.
Elena LYAKINA