The Pattern Still Remains

Used by the ancients, and put upon the left third finger, from a supposed connection of a vein there with the heart.

Harper’s Book of Facts, 1905.

A ring of bone surrounding the eye in many species of birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Skulls: An Exploration of Alan Dudley’s Curious Collection by Simon Winchester, 2012.

Some Tolkien fans have suggested that the creature named “Gollum” in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings derives its name from the word golem. Gollum seems to be a slave to the magical ring in the same way that the golems of Jewish myth were slaves to their creators.

Sex, Drugs, Einstein, and Elves by Clifford A. Pickover, 2005.

Any person who is hard to understand, or who speaks in riddles is called a “sphinx.”  Since a person is sometimes hardest to understand when he doesn’t speak at all, “sphinx” has come to be applied particularly to people who speak very little. This fits in with the Greek derivation, which is from a word meaning “to bind tight.” A ring of muscle which can close an opening tightly, such as the muscle which is used to purse the lips, is called a “sphincter.”

Words from the Myths by Isaac Asimov, 1969.

This is the ring of investiture of the Pope, bearing a representation of St. Peter drawing his net full of fishes. It is used by the Pope to seal formal documents and, at his death, is destroyed.

Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, Volume III by William & Mary Morris, 1971.

A magic ring said to enable the wearer to travel long distances without tiring.

Dictionary of Mysticism by Frank Gaynor, 1953.

This stone was supposed to possess magical properties; to fade or brighten according to the wearer’s health, and to keep the peace between husband and wife, were among them.

Who’s Who and What’s What in Shakespeare by Evangeline M. O’Connor, 1978.

Among the common people it was custom to break a piece of gold or silver to seal the betrothal pact. One half of the token was kept by the man, the other half by the woman. This practice antedated the exchange of rings, with which it is closely associated with both in purpose and in the use of precious metals as a medium.

Strange superstitions and magical practices by William Fielding, 1945.

The marriage-ring gave to an Egyptian woman the power to issue commands in the name of her husband, and made her in every way his representative.

5000 Facts and Fancies by William Henry P. Phyfe, 1901.

Gyges was a young Lydian shepherd who obtained possession of a golden ring that rendered the wearer invisible.

5000 Facts and Fancies by William Henry P. Phyfe, 1901.

The fogbow, or white rainbow, faintly blue on the inner rip, faintly red on the outer, with a colorless band between; the very small size of the fog droplets prevent the diffraction that produces an ordinary rainbow.

Whose What? by Dorothy Rose Blumberg, 1969.