Wikipedia

Thumb ring

This article is about the protective archery equipment. For the ordinary jewelry items worn on the thumb, seeRing (jewelry).

Athumb ringis aringmeant to be worn on one'sthumb.Most commonly, thumb rings are used as anarcheryequipment designed to protect thethumbpulpfrom thebowstringduring athumb draw,and are made of leather,stone,horn,wood,bone,antler,ivory,metal,ceramics,plasticorglass.It usually fits over thedistal phalanxof the thumb, coming to rest at the distal edge of theinterphalangeal joint.Typically aflangeextends from the ring to cover the thumb pulp, and may be supplemented by a leather extension.

17th centuryMughalthumb ring

In some cultures, thumb rings also serve adecorativefunction like other types of rings, and are used to signalsocial statusorranks.InEast Asia,such thumb rings are usually made ofjade.

Uses

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Archery

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Tibetan archer using a cylindrical thumb ring, 1938

The most common use of a thumb ring throughout history has been its role inarchery.When drawing abowusing athumb draw,the thumb is hooked around thebowstringjust beneath the arrow and its grip reinforced with the first (sometimes second) finger. The bowstring rests against the inner pad of the archer's thumb and the thumb ring protects the skin. The bowstring rests against the flat of the ring when the bow is drawn. Today, thumb rings are used by archers practicing styles from most ofAsiaand some regions of northernAfrica.

Jewellery

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Decorativenephritethumb ring withqilinengraving

According to some ancient beliefs, wearing a thumb ring can ward off spells, misfortunes, and illness. In many cases, these thumb rings would be engraved with specific symbols to further scare off evil spirits, demons, and dark scourges.

Starting inAncient Greeksocieties, wearing thumb rings was a symbol of power, rank, wealth, and influence. In some cases, the highest and wealthiest authorities would wear multiple thumb rings to prove their importance. This usage is still in practice in many countries today.

InAncient China,thumbs rings are commonly made out ofjadeand worn specifically to signifymilitary ranksorsenioritiesin religioussects.

Historic specimens

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Thumb rings have been in use in Asia since the Neolithic period. The first examples were likely made of leather, but artifacts made entirely of leather do not last thousands of years. Surviving artifact rings are made of bone, horn, or stone; presumably most would have incorporated a leather guard. Comparison with historical and modern rings shows little functional change over the millennia.[1]In the cemetery of the smallRui stateat Liangdaicun nearHanchengon the Yellow River (where it flows south between the provinces of Shaanxi and Shanxi), a Lord of Rui was interred in a tomb, M 27, dated to the eighth century BCE. His grave goods included two thumb rings, made of gold but of an entirely modern pattern.[2]

The author of "Arab Archery" refers to rings as being usually made of leather.[3]A "thumb tip" or "thumb ring" which is called "kustubān" by the Persian and "khayta‘ah" by the Arabs, consists of a ring of leather or some other material. It is worn over the right thumb, leaving the nail and knuckle exposed, and is used for the protection of the thumb against injuries which are usually caused by the string when it is drawn and released. "[4]Possibly, most ordinary archers historically used tabs of leather, much cheaper and easier to make, but such rings are not likely to survive. Metal thumb rings of silver or bronze were thought to be too inflexible in use, and thus were less accurate.

Many surviving historic thumbrings arehardstone carvingsinjadeand othergemstones,or are made of precious metal. Most are very practical but some have the release surface so ornamented as to be unusable. The rings could be displayed on a cord from the belt, or, in China, in a special box. In the 16th century court of theOttoman Empirethey had the extra function of being "used when executing disgraced officials to tighten a handkerchief wound round the throat".[5]

Variants

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A cylindrical Manchu thumbring. The thumb hole is typically round.

In territories of theQing dynasty,Manchurian cylindrical thumb rings gradually displaced more thumb pad shaped thumb rings. These cylindrical thumb rings would go over the primary thumb joint, hooking the draw string around the base of the cylinder.

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  • Jadethumb ring, Mughal Empire, 17th century
  • Goldthumb ring with rubies and emeralds, Mughal Empire, 17th century
  • Three Indian thumb rings inagateand jade, 17th-19th century
  • Korean thumb ring, female type
  • Korean thumb ring, male type
  • Turkish archer's ring, 18th century

References

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  1. ^Dwyer, Bede (1997)."Early Archers' Rings".Asian Traditional Archery Research Network.
  2. ^Rawson, Jessica.Steppe Weapons in Ancient China and the Role of Hand-to-hand Combat.School of Archaeology. University of Oxford. p. 58 and fig. 18 page 91.Retrieved7 February2016.
  3. ^"Arab Archery. An Arabic manuscript of about A.D. 1500" A book on the excellence of the bow & arrow "and the description thereof. Translated and edited by Nabih Amin Faris and Robert Potter Elmer"(PDF).Princeton University Press. 1945. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2009-02-25.
  4. ^"XLII. On thumb-tips and the various kind thereof, from: Arab Archery, by N.A. Faris and R.P. Elmer, 1945".archerylibrary.September 15, 2012.
  5. ^Rogers, J.M.; Ward, R.M. (1988).Süleyman the Magnificent.British Museum Publications. p. 152.ISBN0-7141-1440-5.
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Media related toArcher’s ringsat Wikimedia Commons

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