Riding the Wave, 19. The Nine Rings.

Tolkien had to have gotten his idea of a magical ring from somewhere. Perhaps he heard of the legend of the nine bishops of Santo Estevo in Ourense, and their nine magical rings. Whether or not he did, the legend seems to have a basis in fact. Four rings were found in a bag in a reliquary by the monastery's altar during repairs.

Santo Estevo is a restored monastery in the area of the Ribeira Sacra, in the province of Ourense. It is now a luxury hotel (enough so I can't entertain considering even one night's stay), but the main cloister and the church can still be visited. The first written reference dates from the tenth century, though a hermitage of sorts must have existed since much earlier. 

The nine bishops arrived at the monastery fleeing the Moors. They were, Osorio, Servando, Froalengo, Isaura, Viliulfo, Vimarasio, Pelaio, Afonso, and Pedro. (Strangely enough, Isaura is now a woman's name.) They carried with them nine rings that had miraculous powers. Blind people who touched them could see, lame people could walk, people who were possessed were relieved of their devil. The bishops were canonized and buried in the church, and later, their bones and the rings were kept in silver reliquaries by the altar, to be taken out when needed. They were last seen in the sixteenth century, and now were re-discovered. Along with the rings was a document explaining what they were, and that of the nine original rings, only four were left.

The document explains, "Por ellos se pasan agua para los enfermos y sanan muchos." (Over them water is passed for the sick and many heal.) Possible they were placed in holy water which was then shaken at the sick with a hyssop. It was said that even standing in front of the reliquary where they were, was sometimes enough to heal a person. Whatever the beliefs, the rings are of silver, one of them with a turquoise stone, two others with a light-colored stone that is unrecognizable, and the fourth is missing its stone. They aren't about to be put to the test, at any rate not now. The bishopric is holding them in its power until it can be determined whether or not they actually belonged to the sainted bishops. And after that, I doubt the actual, modern-day Church will try to use them to see if they really are miraculous and can cure someone. Legends will remain legends. 

While Tolkien decided that the nine rings allocated to mortal men were corrupt, these seem to have been the opposite. Who knows if he heard about the legend and turned it around to suit his book? Whatever the case is, there are still many legends out there whose truth is still to found.

Life continues.

The rings and the bag they were in.