What Is the Meaning of the Thumb Ring?
The thumb ring is deeply rooted in history. It was used by medieval archers for protection from their bows and Chinese military officials to determine rank. Today, it has become more of a fashion statement.
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Archery
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According to the anthropology museum at the University of Missouri, "Early examples of archers' thumb rings have been found in Zhou dynasty (1100 - 221 B.C.) graves in China." They were made of leather, bone, wood and ceramics.
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Historical Meaning
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Around the 1500s, wearing a thumb ring meant the wearer was either a doctor or a fake one. After a woman's husband would die in battle, she would wear his wedding band on her thumb as a way to remember him.
Palmistry
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The thumb itself is related to strength. Wearing one means your independence is being emphasized.
Left Hand
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Wearing the ring on the left or right hand has different meanings. According to an article written by Gail Leino, wearing a thumb ring on the left hand reflects "on the subconscious or your instincts, beliefs and basic attitudes."
Right Hand
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Wearing one on the right is to focus more on the conscious, rather than subconscious. According to Leino, "More recently to wear a thumb ring on the right indicates that you are into same sex relations."
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Resources
- Photo Credit "Playing with the ring" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: apesara (Sara Petagna) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
