There are many theories behind the wedding ring. All of which are very interesting but there is not one theory that trumps the others. For example one theory is that wedding rings originated with the Egyptians and were then passed onto the Greeks. Other theories talk about why the ring finger, on the left hand, was picked to wear the wedding ring. One reason there are so many theories is many cultures have wedding traditions, so we have to take all of these with a grain of salt. The well known and documented traditions come from the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Christians. This history can also be applied to the creation of promise ring history.
Thanks to sallyrye for this picture
The Egyptians are the earliest civilization that has a wedding ring history. Egyptians believed that the circle represented eternity and consequently love, since love should be never-ending. The hole in the middle of the ring acted as a symbol of a doorway one would pass through to the known and unknown. The ring finger was picked due to a belief that a nerve ran from the heart directly to the ring finger. The ring finger symbolized the heart; consequently it was picked to place the wedding ring on which symbolizes love. Information that was believed to be derived from an Egyptian priest states “… because of this nerve, the newly betrothed places the ring on this finger of his spouse, as though it were a representation of the heart.” Wedding rings, during Egyptian times, were fashioned out of leather, bone, or ivory.
Thank to jj.fegueroa for the picture
Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 B.C., and as a result the Egyptians’ wedding ring traditions were passed onto the Greeks and Romans. The Greeks took on the belief that a vein ran from the heart to the ring finger, called the vein of love or in Latin, vena amoris. The wedding ring was placed on this ring finger symbolizing the love of the heart and the commitment of the ring. In Greece, during the fifth century B.C., marriage contracts were spoken and not written. The only proof that a bride and groom had of the ceremony, and consequently the marriage, was the wedding ring. During this time two different types of wedding rings were worn, one for public life and one for private life. Gold wedding rings were worn in public to show the prestige of the wearer, but in private a wedding ring of plain iron was used. Many Romans and Greeks liked iron wedding rings because iron is the symbol of strength. Since rust is an inevitable problem for iron, these wedding rings were later made with a thin layer of gold on the inside of the ring. Wedding rings later became made out of gold and platinum, but many times only the rich could afford these.
During Christian ceremonies the wedding ring was also placed on the ring finger. The reason for this was during the ceremony the priest would take the first three fingers of the left hand and say “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” As a result, the wedding ring ended up on the ring finger since it was the third one to be touched.
An engagement ring or betrothal ring is a form of a wedding ring. In the past the only difference is the finger that wears the engagement ring or wedding ring. For example, as authors Joanne Dubbs Ball and Caroline Torem-Craig who wrote the book, Wedding Traditions Here Comes The Bride discovered that in nineteenth century America the courtship rules were as follows:
If a gentleman wants a wife, he wears a ring on the first finger of the left hand. If he is engaged, he wears it on the second finger. If married, he wears it on the third finger. When a lady is not engaged, she wears a hoop or diamond on her first finger. If engaged, she wears it upon the second finger. If she intends to remain a maid, she wears her ring upon her fourth finger. Thus, by a few simple tokens, the passion of love is expressed.
In 860 A.D., the Pope Nicholas I demanded that the engagement ring be worn on the thumb. The consequence for not being wed after engagement was to be excommunicated or banished to a religious order. During the fifth century, the Visogoth law was that once a couple was engaged they could not call the wedding off unless both parties agreed to it, thus making it just as important as the wedding ring. Another example of how significant a ring is comes from the Manx period, estimated to be around the thirteenth century, on the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man law states: If a man was found guilty of having done injury to a maiden, the latter was given a sword, a rope and a ring, signifying that she could either have him beheaded, or hung, or else could force him to wed her. That the last-mentioned choice was the one most frequently made is most probable, as the rehabilitation of her good name thus attained might well outweigh any satisfaction to be gained from the exercise of revenge.
One ring that ties perfectly the wedding ring and the engagement ring together is the gimmel or puzzle ring. This ring was popular during the fourteenth to seventeenth century when there was newfound wealth and cultural expression. The gimmel ring had three separate rings that all connected together to form one ring. When the bride to be was engaged one of the gimmel rings went to her, the second to the future husband and the third to a close friend who would also be at the wedding and act as a witness. Once at the wedding the three separate gimmel rings are connected together to form one ring. This ring is then given to the bride as her wedding ring. Later, another form of gimmel ring was created, it had six individual rings that linked together to form one wedding ring. Three of these hoops had enameling on them, two had clasping hands to symbolize betrothal, and the last ring had a key to symbolize the starting of a home.
In the past, wedding rings presented such a financial burden to the buyer that in Ireland and England during the early parts of the twentieth century renting them was the option for many. These were primary gold wedding rings and didn’t have any special significance to the borrower. Once the wedding was over, the wedding rings were returned to be rented out again. Since this tended not to reside well with the borrower, a belief was invented that wearing a borrowed ring was a sign of good luck.
Inscriptions of have been seen as far back as the fourth century B.C. for wedding and engagement rings. During the seventeenth century in England and France these rings were called poesy rings and were primary made with silver. These rings were personalized with a poesy or love poem on the inside of the ring and were extremely popular. Poesy rings faded in style primary due to the owner inscribing anything they wanted on it. For example, one wedding ring was inscribed with “I love the rod, and thee, and God” another said “Faithful but unhappy, ultimate good, not present pleasure, if I think my wife is fair, what need other people care.”
Currently the wedding tradition follow those of the past. A ring is still used to symbolize the union between a man and woman and it is worn on the ring finger. One key difference that started during World War Two was the husband wore a wedding ring for the first time in documented history. One possible reason for this is that men serving overseas in the military wanted to reminded of their wives back home. Some believe this was an attempt on the jewelry companies to commercialize wedding traditions. Weather it is true or not, wedding rings are traditional and historically a symbol of love and commitment and are here to stay.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and probably can see why I named it promise ring history, because really without the wedding ring there probable wouldn’t be a promise ring.
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