I wear a ring. A silver Celtic cross. I used to wear another traditional Irish ring....the Irish have always fascinated me......their stories.....their faith....their luck. I don't have much luck with them though. But anyway....the ring I wear now is a testament to my faith in God.. Silver is actually a soft metal....pliable and easily bent.....the band of this ring bears that out. But the ornate cross is strong and beautiful and this ring reminds me of God's never ending love and care for us. His strength holds together the fragile inner workings of our lives. The ring I used to wear was a testament too....but of a differant kind. I used to wear a silver Claddagh. The legend of the Claddagh is an interesting one.
An original symbol of the "Fisher Kings" of the Galway town of Claddagh, Ireland, (pronounced clada) the design was first fashioned into the traditional ring back in the 17th Century during the reign of Mary II.Legend has it that an Irish young man, Richard Joyce, bound for the West Indian slave plantations - no doubt the Irish Carribean island of Montserrat - was kidnapped himself in rough seas by a band of Mediterranean pirates and sold to a Moorish goldsmith who over the many long years of his exile helped him perfect the skills of a master craftsman.When in 1689 King William III negotiated the return of the slaves, Joyce returned to Galway - despite, it said, the Moor's offer of the daughter's hand in marriage and a princely dowry of half of all his wealth.Back in Ireland a young women had never stopped faithful waiting for her true love to return. Upon which time when he presented her with the now famous Royal Claddagh gold ring - a symbol of their enduring love. Two hands to represent their friendship, the crown to signify their loyalty and lasting fidelity, and the sign of the heart to symbolise their eternal love for each other.They soon married, never to be separated again.
I gave him my ring a few months ago. I told him to return it to me when he was ready. Well....he's not ever going to be ready. He wants to be friends though.....but no matter how pliable the silver is....I can't imagine seperating the love and the loyalty from the friendship.
So I guess he will have to keep all three.
3 comments:
In a Christian version of this Irish legend, the crowned heart represents God the Father and the two hands signify Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Let love and friendship reign
Thank you. A new perspective does make all the difference.
Ok....all you "anonymous" posters are confusing me. The one who I thought posted this said she didn't. It made sense to me if she had been the one to post it. But it doesn't make sense to me if the "other anonymous" has posted it. Although I know readership is up...I can't imagine why anyone else would care about this topic. Even still....it's a profound way to look at it and I hope everyone takes it to heart......whether they are serious or not.
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