Claddagh-Ring

The Claddagh ring is a finger ring, which comes from the Irish fishing village of Claddagh in Galway ( County Galway). The ring shows two hands holding a heart with a crown. The heart symbolizes love, the hands friendship ( trust ) and the crown loyalty ( loyalty ).

Today, the Claddagh ring also enjoys outside of Claddagh and Ireland's most popular.

Also appeared this ring in the television series Buffy - The Vampire Slayer on. Angel, originally from Ireland, Buffy gives such a ring.

The Legend

Claddagh is a small fishing village in the west of Ireland (now a suburb of Galway) and lived there for about 1660-1737 Richard Joyce. Shortly before his scheduled wedding he was a fisherman or a commercial traveler ( in this case, the legend does not specify ) kidnapped by Algerian pirates and sold to a Moorish goldsmith as a slave. He quickly learned the craft of his Lord and led it to perfection. His masterpiece it was a ring, which he created in longing for his distant fiancé and should be referred to later as a Claddagh ring. The processed as symbol ring shows two hands holding a heart, and hovers above a crown.

Richard was lucky that William III in 1689, was able to conclude an agreement with the Moors shortly after his accession to the throne, which all there imprisoned British allowed the return. Although his former master offered him his daughter along with business participation for his staying, Richard returned to his home Claddagh and found there actually his bride unmarried and waiting outside.

Even if - as with all legends - there are serious doubts as to its correctness, several facts for this: the oldest existing Claddagh rings bear the signature RI and a jeweler named Richard Ioyes (Gaelic for Joyce ) is proven. The signature is also still an anchor, the symbol for hope.

The symbolism

Claddagh rings are used among other things as friendship or engagement or wedding rings.

• If it is worn on the right hand and the heart has away from the support (ie, to the fingertips ), it signals the search for a partner.
• Worn right, pointing to the heart to the carrier, is made ​​known that there is already a love connection.
• The ring on the left hand and the heart directed to the carrier, equivalent to a wedding ring.

It was probably perfectionists who later for the fourth carrying type ( left heart from the support groundbreaking ) had to create a meaning: It is someone divorced. According to other sources, this carrying method show the existence of an engagement to.

Traditionally, a Claddagh ring for generations of mother is passed on to daughter.

Other explanations

In many cases, it is assumed that the Claddagh ring is older than the. Popular in the legend at the end of the 17th Jhds time specified.

In the oldest version will make use of the Celtic mythology. It symbolizes the crown Beathauile, the left hand represents Manu represents, which is considered as the mother of the Gaelic people, and the right hand is Dagda Mór, the powerful father of the gods. The heart of this case represents humanity.

A practical oriented explanation sees the Claddagh symbol as a kind of seal of the fisherman of this region. It was painted not only on ships and sails, it had to also keep with him every fisherman in token of his authorization as a ring. Was picked up a fishing boat whose crew could not produce a Claddagh ring, these were classified as intruders and liquidated without further ado. Understandably, this interpretation no longer find a lot of followers.

Even the church has taken the Claddagh symbol can claim and that's with two explanations for this: first with love, friendship and loyalty as Jesus properties and secondly as a symbol of the Trinity (crown and 2 hands), which humanity (the heart ) protected.

High credibility is another interpretation to From the rulers of the region around Claddagh ( there was even the kings of the Fischer - The Fishing Kings Of Galway ) starting, it should bring the motto of the potentates expressed:

In love and friendship we want to govern.

This interpretation is corroborated by the fact that some of the English kings / queens, such as Victoria and Edward VII have worn the Claddagh ring.

There is also a Dublin version of the Claddagh symbol with two hands and two hearts, but without crown. It has become known as the Fenian Claddagh.