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 There
are many stories about the Claddagh Ring and its meaning. Just a few
follow -
Some say that the right hand of the ring represents the Dagda--the
father of the gods - who had the ability to make the sun stand still.
The left hand represents Anu, the universal and ancestral mother of
the Celts, later known as Danu. Legend has it that the crown represents
Beathauile. The heart represents the element which gives the Gael
everlasting music, and the heards of all mankind.
The ring supposedly originated in the small fishing village of Claddagh,
near Galway. The design was supposedly the symbol of the "Fishing
Kings of Claddagh," which meant "in love and friendship
let us reign."
One of the more gory tales of the ring's origin is that a king who
was madly in love with a peasant woman. Unable to wed her because
of her lower status, he killed himself and had his hands chopped off
and placed around his heart as a symbol of his undying love.
Another tale of its origin is that Richard Joyce of Galway was being
sent by sea to be sold as a slave in the West Indies. Captured by
a band of pirates, he was sold to a Moorish goldsmith. Upon his release,
he returned to Galway and designed the ring.
Rules of the Ring:
When worn on the right hand, the crown facing in and the heart out,
the wearer is free as the birds in the sky.
When worn onn the right hand, the crown facing out and the heart facing
in, the wearer is spoken for.
When worn on the left hand, the heart facing in and the crown facing
out, the wearer is happily married for evermore.
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