Symbolism of Wedding Rings
By Peter Breslin
"The meeting of two personalities is like the
contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both
are transformed." -C.G. Jung
Rings have been exchanged as a symbol of the bond
of marriage for so long, and in so many different cultures, that the
origin of the practice is obscure. Certainly, the circle of a ring
represents undying love and the continually renewed vows of the married
couple.
Circles have long been archetypes for not only timelessness,
but also wholeness and homecoming. The circle also speaks to the constant
round of the heavens, as well as the eternal return of the seasons,
marked by cyclical ritual and celebration.
In addition, the circle in rock art, sacred stone
arrays, and astrology represents both the Sun and the Moon, themselves
astrological and alchemical symbols for the masculine and feminine
aspects of the cosmos.
This correspondence with the Sun and Moon is emphasized
by the frequent practice of choosing gold for one betrothed and silver
for the other, as gold and silver are the metals long associated with
the Sun and Moon respectively.
Rings in general have a deeply rooted magical significance.
Enchanted rings figure in many ancient folk tales. Incantations and
spells for the protection of the wearer of rings are common motifs.
Today, in traditional religious ceremonies, Christian
and otherwise, the wedding rings are blessed by a minister or priest,
thus continuing the symbolic practice of imbuing rings with protective
powers.
The widespread tradition of embellishing the plain
gold or silver wedding band with various designs and patterns has
been known since at least 700 AD, in both Pan-Hellenic and Celtic
cultures.
The quite ancient symbol of the ouroboros, the serpent
which consumes its own tail, was a theme used for wedding rings made
of iron in Rome. The ouroboros itself is a symbol of the oneness of
creation and destruction in renewal, and the life principle which
timelessly feeds on its own inspiration. It also represents the hope
for a lifelong marriage union that’s continually renewed.
Celtic wedding rings are often gorgeously decorated
with geometric knot work patterns that have a long history and central
place in Celtic art. These patterns are strongly vegetative, suggesting
tendrils and vines.
In fact, in much of Celtic art, including the famous
illuminated Bible, The Book of Kells, these Celtic Knots emerge from
or transform into vegetative foliage. The beautiful symmetry of these
woven patterns is often not square, rigid, or overly formal, but organic,
flowing, and a stylized reflection of the curves and spirals found
in nature.
Indeed, the Celtic Knots that embellish wedding rings
herald the ideas of spring, fertility, and the eternal reawakening
of the life force - all of which bode well for a fruitful life partnership.
Wedding rings have most commonly been worn on the
third finger of the left hand. Speculation has it that this is because
the Romans believed that a vein ran directly from this finger to the
heart.
An alternate suggestion for this tradition is that
each finger on the hand is associated with a planet in the ancient
systems of astrology, and the ring finger of the left hand was associated
with the Sun.
In this way, the wearing of a wedding ring on that
finger signifies the public proclamation of the union in the daylight,
in other words, the conscious and clearly visible world of human community.
This correspondence is perhaps even more strongly
emphasized by the general tendency to craft wedding rings out of gold,
which is symbolically the metal of the Sun throughout folk history
and across cultures.
Wedding rings capture the full range of the ceremonial,
symbolic, and communal aspects of marriage, and preserve these many
levels of significance as a durable and constant reminder.
Ancient yet contemporary, steeped in lore and mystery
yet almost universally exchanged, wedding rings combine the art of
the jeweler, the reverence of the betrothed, and the beauty of love
and partnership in a single, resonant symbol.
Peter Breslin,
Reflective Images
http://www.artisanweddingrings.com
http://www.celticjewelry.com
Email at: marek@celticjewelry.com
Peter Breslin is a musician, astrologer, Tarot
reader, teacher and freelance writer for Artisanweddingrings.com and
Celticjewelry.com living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has taught mathematics,
music, writing, and literature in the course of a 20-year teaching
career in Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, and California. Writings
include a variety of pieces for publications online and otherwise.
He is currently at work on a novel.
