The Feelings of a Ring Rings True

Many myths and stories use accessories to convey ideas and messages towards the ways we act in various situations. Rings are generally used as very powerful objects in fairy tales, whether they hold magical powers over emotions. Gaining ownership of the ring can signify the gain of great power, while destroying the ring can signify a rebirth of the soul or the relinquishing of a great evil. In The Twelve Huntsman by the Grimm Brothers, a young prince gives a ring to his soon to be wife, a symbol of his everlasting love for her. Yet, upon his farther dying request he must marry another woman. And by his honor and word he agrees to marry this woman. That morning, the ex-fiancé asks her father to gather eleven women that look exactly like her. They are all dressed in “huntsman apparel,” meaning, covered in cloaks that disguise distinguishing characteristics. She then goes to the kingdom to offer her service with the eleven other women as huntsmen that will always follow the king as his protection. On the day the prince-turned-king sets out on a journey, word is heard that his betrothed is on her way to the kingdom to be wed. At this news, the young ex-fiancé faints and the king rushes to her side, to help his trusted huntsmen. He pulls of her glove to help her and sees the ring. Instantly, he recognizes her ring from before and proclaims his love to her. He sends word that he changed his mind and will marry his huntsmen instead.

The ring symbolizes the love that these two have for each other. The young maiden wears it as a symbol of hope that she will always be near the man she loves. She imagines her beloved saying the words, “You are mine, and I am yours, and no one in the world can alter that,” every time she looks at the ring. This is the same feelings and comfort that married couples find in their own wedding bands: a symbol of their love and union that will remain long after they are gone.

In the story, the ring offers the couple an opportunity to rekindle their love, allowing them the freedom to love the one that they care about the most. The ring is a metaphor for the eternal love one feels even when they feel as though they are at their lowest point. An object that you instill these feelings into gives you strength and hope whenever you look at it. 

In the essay, "Wearing your values on your sleeve" by Daniel Yim, from the book Thinking with Style, he states that, "One of the primary ways we navigate our relationships with other persons, competing values, and even with ourselves is by means of social practices involving the adornment of our bodies," (p. 105). Meaning, we express our relationships through the accessories that we wear. The ring from the twelve huntsmen is a great example of this. Giving a engagement ring to your loved one/future spouse is a long standing tradition that holds moral values of commitment and fidelity to the receiver. And how you show of the accessory also affects what the ring is meant to symbolize.

At the same time, showing of these morals and emotions through an adornment can be sometimes detrimental. In the consumerist society that we live in today, the process of buying a ring has become very arduous. The appearance and glamour of a ring has almost become synonymous with the health of the relationship, especially for the more affluent couples. It is often said that a male has to spend three to four months’ salary on a ring. This was more realistic when inflation and class distinction was lower; however, even today, wedding rings can be thousands of dollars. For a less affluent couple, this can strain monetary resources and sometimes have negative repercussions. So, it’s a fine balancing act between showing your love for someone through an expensive accessory, finding an object that means a lot to both partners, and being practical.

For a more superficial couple, the ring can represent a false sense of love for each other. The ring can be a symbol for replacing their love for a shiny gem that can be shown off to show prominence and a false front. It is often the topic of dramas on TV; but this does occur in real life, too. Some couples try to warp or shape the image that they portray to others through buying fancy rings to cover flaws that are in their relationship. This is also true for the individuals, trying to convince themselves that are truly in love with the partner they are with. Here the adornment has taken on negative morals that the couple shares whether in socially or in relationships. In this case, the ring is symbolizing an evil or a ghost in the closet that couples don’t want to let out.

The ring doesn't always have to be a wedding ring either. This contrasting view of a different type of adornment can be seen in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, wear Frodo along with the fellowship must cast the ring into Mordor to destroy it and all the evil that it holds. While that sounds simple, the ring shows its power by manipulating his mind and body to save itself. In each book of the trilogy, the ring acts in desperation to save the feelings and morals that have been bestowed upon it. This show of power and dominance is also seen through sports championship rings, where the winning sports of a shiny ring to show their power over the others. In the Lord of the Rings, the ring represents evil and the urge to survive, while in The Twelve Huntsmen, the ring represents the urge to bring an everlasting love together again. This can be translated to the real world. A ring can symbolize many different ideas and emotions depending on the ideals that have been woven into the ring.

Such is the same within our lives with the emotions we place on different treasured objects. However, those ideals can change rapidly based on what the object once represented and what it represents now. There is much more to a ring besides shine and beauty.

Ethical Questions:

1      1)      Is it ethical to spend a large amount of money on a ring if it will possibly or put you into debt?

2      2)      Does it make sense to place such extreme emotions into an inanimate object?



                                                                      Citation:
   Wolfendale, Jessica, and Jeanette Kennett, eds. Fashion: Philosophy for Everyone: Thinking with    Style. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.