One Ring to Rule Them All...

Last time I posted about superstitions, I talked about weddings.
Now let's talk about rings.

• Folklore tells us that the Jewish High Priest's access to heaven came through his ring, and a ring was the source of Solomon's wisdom.
• The ring Joseph supposedly gave Mary is on display at a cathedral in Perugia (in Italy). Except the ring is made of gold (probably beyond Joseph's budget), and big enough to fit on a grown man's thumb.
• King Gyges of Lydia was said to have a ring that made him invisible.
• If you wore a ring made from the alchemical metal associated with the planet under whose sign you were born, you would have good fortune.
• Rings can act like a magic eight ball. Words are inscribed on rings and put in a bag. Then the diviner asks a question and pulls out one ring to discover the answer.
• An amber ring cures croup.
• A ring made from a coffin nail cures abdominal cramps.
• Arthritis can be cured by a ring of copper and zinc.
• In ancient Rome, for pain in the side one would wear a gold ring with a Greek inscription on the side opposite the pain.
• Colic is cured by an octagonal iron ring. 
• Rings with the names of the Magi cure practically anything.
• A gold wedding band is literally "a sight for sore eyes."
• Epilepsy can be cured by making a ring from a silver coin you stole from a homeless person.
• Among French peasants, wedding rings were made of an iron horseshoe nail or straw.
• In Russia girls each buried a ring under a little pile of corn, the let a rooster loose. He'll peck at the corn and expose the rings. Whichever girl's he uncovers first will be the first to marry.
• In Sweden, girls play the shell game with a ring, a coin, and black ribbon. Choosing the ring means marriage, the coin, wealth, and the ribbon, becoming an old maid.
• Finding a gold ring brings good luck, silver brings peace of mind, brass brings trouble.

Well, listen, I've got to go pack. I'm leaving for Dallas tomorrow. I'm sorry it's so short, I'll try to update more often after this week.

For now, please enjoy this adorable Victorian couple.