ghosts.[486] This was made, by an Arab, out of an iron nail from a
cross, and the virtue ascribed to it recalls that attributed to a piece
of wood from a gallows. In each case an object that was associated
with a violent and ignominious death was believed to have the power of
exorcising unwelcome visitants from the grave.
The Church father Clemens Alexandrinus, born about 150 A.D.,
says, giving Aristotle as his authority, that a certain Execestus, a
tyrant of Phocis, owned and wore two magic rings, and by means of the
stones set in these rings he had knowledge of future events. They seem
to have done him but little service, however, for he met his death by
assassination, although it is stated that the gems gave him warning of
this.[487]
Flavius Philostratus, who flourished under Septimius Severus (193–211
A.D.) and later, wrote at the request of the Empress Julia
Domna, a remarkable life of Apollonius of Tyana in which he laid
special stress upon the miracles ascribed to this pagan saint. The work
was used later to oppose the teachings of the Christians. Here we read
that Apollonius possessed seven enchanted rings corresponding to the
seven planets, the gift of the Hindu prince Iarchas. These he wore,
one by one, in the order of the week days; “for it is said that he
revered them as divine, so that he changed them each day and made them
partakers of his greatest secrets.”[488]
The Leyden Papyrus (No. V), of the third century of our era, contains
a number of directions, in Greek and Demotic Egyptian, for the
preparation of amulets and talismans, and gives two formulas for the
making of magic rings. The text of one is defective in part, but can be
rendered as follows:[489]
“A ring for constant use and for prosperity ... very efficacious for
kings and emperors. Take an azure jasper, engrave on it a dragon in the
form of a circle, the tail in the mouth, and in the midst of the dragon
(an animal) having two stars on its two horns, and the sun above (with
the name) Abrasax, and place as an inscription upon the stone the same
name, Abrasax, and on the ... engrave the great and supreme appelation,
Iao Sabaoth. Wear the stone in a gold ring. May it be always useful for
you, existing pure and ... for whatever you may desire. Consecrate the
ring and the gem which projects above it. The design upon the gold,
which has been described above, has the same virtue.”
The names Abrasax and Iao Sabaoth indicate that this ring was probably
designed to be a talisman for adherents of the Marcian form of
Gnosticism.
A second formula runs thus:
“Ring to obtain (a wish) a favor and success; it renders glorious,
great, admirable and rich; it insures love. It is proper and excellent
to be worn on all occasions, this incomparable ring. It bears the
wonderful name of the sun, cut in a heliotrope, and is fashioned as
follows: A complete serpent, like a circle, holding its tail in its
mouth; on the inside is a scarab, sacred and radiant. As to the name,
thou shalt engrave this in sacred characters on the reverse side of
the gem, as is taught by the prophets, and thou shalt wear the ring
in all purity. Having it with thee, all thy wishes will be fulfilled;
the hatred of kings and emperors toward thee will be appeased; when
thou wearest it all that thou sayest to others will be believed, all
will favor thee, all doors will be open to thee. Thou wilt rend the
bonds and break the stone-walls, if thou takest out the stone, that is
the gem, and pronouncest the name inscribed beneath it. This ring is
equally useful for demoniacs, give it to them, and on the instant the
demon will flee.”
Dreams of rings set with precious stones have a special significance,
and Achametis tells us, from his Hindu sources, that if anyone
should dream of receiving a ring set with a red stone, the splendor
of the stone signified great authority and much joy to the dreamer.
If, however, a man had a dream of a ring set with a yellow stone,
the vision portended that his wife would be liable to illness and
chagrin.[490]
An Anglo-Saxon dream-book from the time before the Norman Conquest,
gives the significance of various dreams about rings. Thus, for
example, merely to see a ring betokened a desired place; should one
dream of receiving a ring as a gift, however, this denoted freedom from
care. If the dreamer fancied himself to be the owner of a gold ring,
this indicated that great honor was going to be his portion. Lastly,
the dream that a gem had been lost from a ring was a very bad omen and
portended some serious accident.[491]
Three subjects of the Eastern Emperor Valens (364–378 A.D.),
believing that he had incurred the public hatred to such a degree that
he would soon perish at the hands of his enemies, sought the aid of
the diviners Hilarius and Patricius to learn what would be his fate
and who would succeed him. The diviners, having engraved around the
edge of a basin the characters of the Greek alphabet, suspended above
it an enchanted ring, which, by its vibrations marked in turn the
letters that composed the words of the response of the oracle. It was
conceived in the following terms: “The successor of Valens will be an
accomplished prince. The curiosity of those who have consulted the
oracle will be destruction to them, but their murderers will themselves
incur the vengeance of the Gods.” As the oracle had failed to designate
the prince clearly, the inquirers demanded his name. Thereupon the ring
struck successively at the letters T. H. E. O. D., and one of
those present exclaimed that the Gods named Theodore. The others all
accepted this view and the matter appeared so evident that no further
attempt at research was made.[492]
A curious type of magic ring is vouched for by St. Augustine, in the
fourth century, who notes as a superstitious practice the wearing
of a ring (or “fingerband” _ansula_) made from the bone of an
ostrich.[493] Whether the attribution of a magic quality resulted from
the rarity of the bird for the Romans, or from some analogy with its
habits, is left to our imagination to determine.
A talismanic ring of the late Roman times, about the fifth century
A.D., was found by Lieut. Scheibel, in 1896, embedded in
sand that had been dredged from the bed of the Save River, near
Vincovce, Slavonia, Austria. The hoop is divided by ridges into eleven
compartments in which are engraved the Greek letters _Ζ Η ΓΑΙΣ
ΑΡΙΩΝ_ (equivalent to “Long live Arion”). This ring is in the Albert
Figdor Collection, Vienna.[494]
Among the legends which gathered about the personality of Charlemagne,
none is more interesting than that which tells of a precious stone
which exercised a magic power over him. This legend is of German origin
and probably localized in Aix-la-Chapelle; it does not appear in any of
the numerous French _chansons de geste_ treating of Charlemagne
and his times. It seems to have originated about the thirteenth
century, although it may have been current at an earlier date, and we
have two principle versions, one given by Brandwaldius,[495] and the
other by Petrarch.
[Illustration: Silver-gilt ring with Greek inscription ΧΡΟΝΟΣ
Δ’ΑΝΑΙΡΕΙ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΩΗΘΗΝ ΑΓΕΙ (Time removes all things and
brings forgetfulness). In the interior a sun-dial. Sixteenth
Century
Albert Figdor Collection, Vienna]
[Illustration: Ring of gilt bronze, set with a square table-cut
rock crystal
Albert Figdor Collection, Vienna]
[Illustration: Gold ring. The hoop has eleven ridges between
which are the Greek letters ZΗΣΑΙΣ ΑΡΙΩΝ (Long live Arion). Found
by Lieutenant Scheibel, in 1896, in sand dredged from the bed of
Save River, near Vincovce, Slavonia, Austria. Late Roman, about
Fifth Century
Albert Figdor Collection, Vienna]
[Illustration: 1, copper ring, with glass paste. First Century
A.D. Syria. 2, bronze ring, shape of finger. Found in
grave in Syria. First Century A.D. 3, 4, jadeite finger
rings. Body of the ring pale white jade; top, intense emerald
green. Chinese, Twentieth Century. 5, Chinese signet ring, made
of Burmese jadeite. Top, intense green; sides, pale green.
Twentieth Century. 6, antique Christian hollow ring of fine gold
with Greek Cross engraved on garnet. Second Century A.D.
7, antique ring of fine gold with Nicolo. Black band surrounding
white oblong. 8, Chinese ring of fine gold, with motto. Shank of
ring is in two parts, all fine gold, so they can be made to fit
any finger. 9, ancient Greek ring of twisted gold. Sard engraved
with figure of man. 10, ring of Egyptian gold, carved. Second
Century B.C.]
The first-named version describes the acquisition of the stone in
much the same terms as are employed in the story from the Gesta
Romanorum regarding the stone brought by a serpent to the blind
Theodosius;[496] indeed, the resemblance is so close that one of
these tales must be derived from the other. Here also the serpent rings
a bell outside the palace gates, and finally succeeds in obtaining
justice against a toad which has secured possession of its nest.
Grateful for this service, the serpent appears before Charlemagne, when
he is seated at meat, crawls up on the table and, lifting the cover
of a beaker, drops therein a precious stone. From this point we have
the specifically Carolingian legend. The stone possessed a strange,
hidden power, by means of which it attracted the affections of the
first owner to any one who subsequently acquired it. Charlemagne gave
it to his wife and immediately all his thoughts became centered in her.
Naturally enough she in no wise objected to this, but when she was
taken dangerously ill she could not endure the thought that some other
woman should acquire the stone, and take her place in Charlemagne’s
heart; therefore, when at the point of death, she slipped it beneath
her tongue and soon thereafter expired. The power of the charm over
Charlemagne’s mind was so great that after his wife’s body had been
interred he caused it to be exhumed, and spent his days and nights
with it. This state of things continued for no less than eighteen
years, until, finally, one of Charlemagne’s ministers discovered the
cause of the enchantment and removed the stone from beneath the tongue
of the corpse. Instantly the spell was broken, but all the emperor’s
regard was now directed toward his minister, whose presence became
indispensable to him. Marking this, and fearing that the gem might
fall into unworthy hands, the minister threw it into a spring, which
chanced to be that of Aix-la-Chapelle. Even here the stone did not lose
its power, and the place became the favorite resort of Charlemagne,
who established himself there and built a church and a palace near the
resting place of the charmed stone.
A somewhat different version of this tale is given by Petrarch,[497]
who states that he had it from the priests of Aix-la-Chapelle. There
is here no mention of a serpent bringing a stone, and the object of
Charlemagne’s love is not his wife but a woman who possesses a magic
ring. The emperor is so thoroughly infatuated that when she dies he
has the body decked out with gorgeous apparel, adorns it with precious
stones and refuses to leave it. Anxious to relieve his sovereign from
this obsession, the Bishop of Cologne prays to God for a solution of
the mystery, and is told, in a vision, that the cause lies beneath the
tongue of the corpse. He searches in the place indicated and finds
there a gem set in a slender ring. When this is removed Charlemagne
regains his normal state, and gazes with surprise and horror upon the
object of his love. The story then proceeds in much the same way as in
the older German version.
The remains of Charlemagne, and presumably whatever ornaments may have
been buried with him, were disinterred at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle)
in 1000, by order of the German emperor Otto III. The bare fact
of the discovery of Charlemagne’s bones is recorded in the early
chronicle,[498] but according to legends of a later time, when the
imperial crypt was opened, the emperor was to be seen seated on a
marble throne and adorned with imperial vesture and ornaments. Such
had been his persistent vitality that his finger-nails had continued
to grow after his death, and had pierced through the gloves on his
hands.[499]
The magic ring of the Nibelungen was given by the Asar Loki to
Hreidmar, as wergeld for the murder of Hreidmar’s son Otr, whom Loki
had killed. As Otr had assumed the shape of an otter when he met his
death at Loki’s hands, the latter was required to furnish enough
blood-ransom to fill the otter’s skin. This he obtained by capturing
the dwarf Andvari and forcing him to give up his riches to ransom his
life. His other treasures Andvari yielded with much hesitation, but
he was extremely loath to part with his ring, and when finally forced
so to do, he pronounced a curse upon all who should ever come into
possession of it. This curse was fulfilled by the successive violent
deaths of Hreidmar, killed by his son Fafner who wished to rob him of
his treasure; of Fafner, who in the snake or dragon form he had assumed
was slain by Sigurd; of the hero Sigurd himself and of Brunhilde upon
whom he bestowed the fatal ring.[500] This is the legend as related
in the Volsung Saga, composed in the fourteenth century from older
traditions.
Caxton’s English version of the tale of Reynard the Fox, derived from
the eleventh century “Roman de Renard,” contains a detailed description
of a magic ring.[501]
A rynge of fyn gold, and within the rynge next the fyngre were
wreton letters enameld wyth sable and asure, and there were thre
Hebrews names therein. I coude not my self rede ne spelle them,
for I understonde not that langage, but moister Abrion of Tryer,
he is a wyse man, he understandeth wel al maner of herbes ... And
yet he bileveth not on God, he is a Jewe, the wysest in conynge,
and especially he knoweth the vertue of stones. I shewde hym this
ryng, he saide that they were the thre names that Seth brought out
of Paradys, when he brought to his fadre Adam the oyle of mercy.
And who somever bereth on hym thise thre names, he shal never be
hurte by thondre, ne by lyghtnyng, ne no witchecraft shal have
power over hym, ne be tempted to doo synne. And also he shall
never take harm by colde, thaugh he laye thre wynters nyghtis in
the feelde, thaugh it snowed, stormed, or froze never so sore, so
grete myght have thise wordes.
This wonder-working ring was set with a stone “of three maner colours,”
red, white and green. The red part had the fabled quality of the ruby
for “the shynyng of the stone made and gaf as grete a lyghte as it had
been mydday.” The white portion was a remedy for diseases of the eye,
for headache, and, indeed, for almost all ills, “sauf only the very
deth,” if the part affected were stroked with the stone, or, when the
malady was internal, if the patient drank of water in which the stone
had been placed. The third color was “grene lyke glas,” with some small
spots of purple. This procured love and friendship for the wearer and
also victory in battle; even should he be “al naked in the felde agayn
an hondred armed men,” he would escape with honour. However, the ring
must only be worn by one of gentle birth.
[Illustration: THE “HERMIT STONE,” A TALISMAN OF CHASTITY WHEN
WORN SET IN A RING
Lapidario del Rey D. Alfonso X, Codice Original, Madrid, 1881,
fol. 14]
[Illustration: FINDING OF STONE WHICH WHEN SET IN A RING ASSURES
MALE OFFSPRING TO THE WOMAN WHO WEARS IT
Lapidario del Rey D. Alfonso X, Codice Original, Madrid, 1881,
fol. 3]
The “Lapidario,” an astrological treatise on stones, written at the
instance of the Castilian King, Alfonso X, the Wise, (1221–1284),
ostensibly a translation from a “Chaldee” original, but probably mainly
based on Arabic lore, gives, under the obscure name _ceritiz_, an
account of an Indian stone found on the banks of the river of the same
name. It was of a very dark green hue, was exceedingly tough and its
weight is fixed at 120 drachmas. When cleaned and polished it cast a
reflection like that of a fine mirror. A piece of this stone set in a
ring and worn by a woman would assure her a series of boy babies.
Another ring-stone, one having a different effect, was that called the
“hermit’s stone,” which was washed up by the waves on the shore of the
Red Sea. Its color was yellow, transparent, and had a sheen like that
of pure oil; possibly this may have been chrysolite. It was eminently
and rigidly a stone of chastity. The lapis lazuli was dedicated to
Venus, and any man who wore one set in a ring, while Venus was in the
ascendant, would attract the love of women, especially of those with
blue-gray eyes. On a woman’s hand, it had a corresponding effect upon
the opposite sex.[502]
An old German lay tells of a magic gold ring set with a diamond. Should
the woman wearing this ring prove unfaithful in love, the gold turned
to dross, and the diamond became glass. The Latin name of the diamond,
_adamas_, is the form used in this poem.[503] This word, which
primarily signified an exceedingly hard metal, finally came to mean
the diamond, or at least what was believed to be a diamond, although
it might in reality be only a colorless corundum, much less hard than
the genuine diamond, but harder than any of the other precious stones
except the colored corundums, ruby, sapphire, etc.
The thirteenth century German romance, “Wolfdietrich,” celebrates a
ring given by the empress to the hero of the poem. This ring was set
with a stone destined to double the strength of the wearer, and to
protect him from the sheets of flame ejected by the fearful dragon he
was about to combat. However, before his encounter with this fabulous
monster, Wolfdietrich determines to return the ring, and sends it back
to the empress, whereupon she bursts into tears, exclaiming: “I let
it down from the battlements with my own hand. Does he value it so
lightly, that he sends it back to me?”[504]
In a satirical and malicious life of Pope Boniface VIII (ca.
1228–1303), the bitter opponent of the French king Philippe le Bel
(1268–1314), written by, or at the instance of his royal enemy, it
is related that when this pope was dying and was told that he must
prepare his soul for the great change, he cast his eyes upon a stone
set in a ring he was wearing, and exclaimed “O you tricky spirits
imprisoned in this stone, why have you deceived me to abandon me now in
my extremity?” And so speaking he snatched off the ring and threw it
away.[505]
One of the old monkish tales from mediæval times, collected under the
title of “Gesta Romanorum,” runs as follows:
Frediricus, who reigned in a Roman city, had been a long time
without offspring. Finally, by the advice of wise counsellors,
he married a beautiful girl in parts far distant and lived with
her in an unknown land and had offspring. After this, he wished
to return to his realm but could not obtain his wife’s consent;
indeed, she always repeated that if he abandoned her she would
kill herself. Hearing this, the emperor caused two splendid rings
to be made, and had engraved upon two gems images of the following
efficacy: one of remembrance and the other of forgetfulness.
Having set these in their appropriate rings he gave one--that of
forgetfulness--to his wife, and kept the other for himself ... The
wife began straightway to forget the love of her husband, and the
emperor, noting this, journeyed back to his realm with great joy,
and never returned to his wife. He ended his life in peace.[506]
Welsh legend offers us parallels to the ring of Gyges and to that set
with the “Stone of Remembrance” told of in the Gesta Romanorum. In the
old Welsh epic, the Mabinogion, the following directions are given by a
damsel to her lover in regard to a ring of the former type: “Take this
ring and put it on thy finger with the stone within thy hand; and close
thy hand upon the stone, and as long as thou concealest it, it will
conceal thee.” This Stone of Invisibility was regarded as one of the
thirteen rarities of the ancient British regalia, formerly treasured
up in Caerleon, Monmouthshire, and in another Welsh legendary cycle
(the Triads) it is said to have “liberated Owen, the son of Urien,
from between the portcullis and the wall.” Whoever concealed the stone
would be concealed by it. Here indeed the similarity with the story
told of the ring of Gyges is so close that it is apparent we only
have to do with an adaptation of the classic tale. As to the stone of
Remembrance, however, the Welsh tradition seems to be essentially an
independent one. The Mabinogion makes Iddawe say to Rhonabwy: “Dost
thou see this ring with a stone set in it upon the Emperor’s hand?
It is one of the properties of that stone to enable thee to remember
that thou seest here to-night, and hadst thou not seen the stone, thou
wouldst never have been able to remember aught thereof.” This refers to
a dream or vision accorded to Rhonabwy while he lay upon an enchanted
calf-skin.[507]
Dactylomancy, as it was called, was resorted to in the Middle Ages by
those who sought to probe the mysteries of the future. This art was
practiced by the use of a ring (sometimes bearing the figure of one of
the constellations), which was suspended by a thread in the middle of
a glass or metal vessel. The number and quality of the strokes it made
against the sides of the vessel as it swung free on the thread, were
interpreted by the magician according to a secret formula, and were
explained by him to signify that some expected or dreaded event would
or would not take place.[508]
Among the Sagan Kerens of southeastern Asia there is a curious
superstitious use of a ring in connection with funeral feasts. On such
occasions a metal ring is suspended from a support just over a brass
basin. One by one the relatives of the deceased person approach and
strike a succession of quick taps on the edge of the basin with a piece
of bamboo. When it comes to the turn of the one who was most beloved by
the departed, the spirit is believed to answer the call by making the
string twist about and lengthen, so that, finally, it either parts and
permits the ring to fall into the basin, or else swings and lengthens
sufficiently to cause the ring to strike the basin edge.[509]
A magic ring is introduced by Sir Thomas Malory in his “Morte
d’Arthur,” written in 1469 or 1470, the tale being of course borrowed
from some one of the numerous sources he used in this compilation
of the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The
ring was given by Dame Liness to Sir Gareth, who wished to hide his
personality while competing in a tournament. The dame assured the
Knight that this ring had such virtue that it would turn green to red,
blue to white, and vice versa, and so through all the range of colors.
The lady required, however, a solemn promise that her ring would be
returned to her at the close of the tournament, for in addition to its
other virtues, it possessed marvellous cosmetic powers, increasing her
beauty to an extraordinary degree.
In the tourney, the baffling changes of color in Sir Gareth’s arms
and equipment confused his assailants and rendered him more easily
victorious than he would otherwise have been, good knight that he was.
Having ridden for a moment out of the press of knights to adjust his
helmet, which had become loosened, a dwarf approached him, offering a
cup of wine to quench the knight’s thirst, at the same time asking to
hold the ring lest Sir Gareth should let it slip from his finger while
drinking. The knight gave it to him, but in his eagerness to join again
in the affray, forgot to take it back. But now his armor retained its
normal yellow tint, and, fearing recognition, for it was important for
him to conceal his personality at this time, he noted that his ring
was not on his hand. He quickly sought the dwarf and obliged him to
surrender the magic ring. No sooner was it on his finger than his armor
changed color, and he was able to avoid a threatened pursuit, as all
were in search of the Yellow Knight.
A ring having magic power to protect the wearer from danger appears in
the mediæval romance of Sir Eglamore. The tale appears to have been
known to Shakespeare, to judge from the line: “What think’st thou of
the fair Sir Eglamore,” which occurs in Two Gentlemen of Verona. This
ring was given to the gallant knight by his lady love:[510]