Fig. Nov 2022 a metal detectorist found this wedding ring from the 1330s -- made at the height of chivalry and courtly love.
Back at a time when the word 'Britain' was sort of a new thing vs. Britons (or as the Celtic tribes called themselves, Britt-os), a man speculated to be Thomas Brook made this for his wife, Joan, a widowed woman. The inscription is in medieval French 'Ieo vos tien foi tenes le moy', which I'm told reads 'I hold your faith, hold mine'. It embodies a sentiment we often lose track of when looking at historical periods. Love and value, in this case aimed at a woman.
Looking at this ring, I'm reminded of the ring given to Ruel by his wife, Skysawen-torr. When someone goes to kiss his hand, the King points out that the ring is sharp and cuts 'as she meant it to cut'. Seeing the inter-woven golden bands of this medieval ring, thought to symbolize interlocked lives, I have to wonder at Skysawen's decision. A ring like that can poke and cut others. What could that mean for Ruel?
We know Ruel is considered a great beauty among his own kind, and others, in fact. A sharp ring like the one his spouse gave him means that touching his hand, or kissing it, could be dodgy and even painful. It might give him a break from the kind of attention he often attracts. It might warn others off of messing around with him, romantically. It's definitely one way to marking one's territory. Maybe even with droplets of blood.
But, there's also the fact that the ring is most usually around Ruel himself. It belongs to him. Since he wears it, there's no one who spends more time in its presence. If it cuts others, surely the unintended consequence is that it must cut him too. And it must have done this to him more often than for others, at least, until he learned how to handle the ring. So there are hidden outcomes, even to the simple selection of a wedding ring in his case. Makes you wonder What's the relationship there?
Fig. As close as I could find to Ruel's Ring.