Learn something new every Friday. Join 2,000+ nerds and satisfy your curiosity one question at a time with topics including science, technology, history, and more.
Why is the "ring finger" the ring finger?
Why is the "ring finger" the ring finger?β
|
β Source: Gemological Institute of America Inc. (Photo: Richard P. Goodbody Inc. (CC0 1.0)) |
The tradition spread over time, first to the Greeks following Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt, and then onward to the Romans. In many cultures since, exchanging rings during a wedding ceremony has remained a tradition to this day.
But why have we decided that wedding rings should go on your "ring finger," the finger between your pinkie and middle finger? While we don't have definitive answers, here are two leading theories for why the "ring finger" is the ring finger.
Theory #1: The ring finger was believed to contain the "vein of love."
Ancient Egyptians believed that the fourth finger on the left hand contained a vein that led directly to the heart, later called the "vena amoris" (vein of love) by the Romans. Roman writer Macrobius documented the romantic practice of placing a ring on this finger as a nod to the vena amoris:
It's a romantic notion. But now we know that all veins return blood to the heart, so technically every vein is a vena amoris. β€οΈ
Theory #2: The ring finger was associated with healing and cleanliness.
Stemming from the belief that the ring finger housed the vena amoris, it became associated with various medical remedies in Medieval Europe. Some believed that simply wearing a gold ring on this finger could cure disease.
Others thought a pinch or a round of bloodletting could relieve ailments. For this reason, the ring finger was also known as the "leech finger." (By the way, "leech" was once an old word for doctor, which only later became the name for the bloodsucking worm.)
Other cultures also associated the ring finger with health and cleanliness. The Japanese word for ring finger is kusuri yubi (θ¬ζ), which translates to medicine finger. The belief was that this was the cleanest finger, so it was used to take powder drugs.
π§ Bonus brain points
Why are wedding rings typically worn on the left hand?
In many Western cultures, wedding rings are worn on the left ring finger. This tradition is partly rooted in the ancient Egyptian belief that a vein ran from the left ring finger directly to the heart. But it also has practical advantages: Since most people are right-handed, a ring worn on the left hand will experience less wear and tear from daily use.
But other cultures choose to wear wedding rings on the right hand. For example followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church (common in Russia, Greece, Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Georgia), wear rings on the right hand because of the belief that Jesus sits at the right hand of God. And in Jewish wedding ceremonies, the ring is placed on the right hand of the bride because that hand is traditionally used for oathsβthough many brides switch it to the left hand afterwards.
|
--- Thanks for reading this week's newsletter! If you have any thoughts, questions, or favorite GIFs, my inbox is always open. Just hit reply to send me a note! :) All my best, |
βSources for this week's newsletterβ
|
π Wikipedia article of the week
βOnfimβ
"Onfim was a boy who lived in the Russian city of Novgorod in the 13th century, sometime around 1220 or 1260. He left his notes and homework exercises scratched in soft birch bark, which was preserved in the clay soil of Novgorod.
Onfim, who was most likely six or seven at the time, wrote in the Old Novgorod dialect, a historical variety of Russian. Besides letters and syllables, he drew 'battle scenes and drawings of himself and his teacher.'"
π Catch up on other curious questions
- βWhy do humans kiss each other?β
- βWhat causes the "butterflies in your stomach" feeling?β
- βWhy do we use metaphors?β
P.S. π€ Do you have a question for the newsletter? Click here to submit your question (or reply to this email!)
|
π‘ Today You Should Know
Learn something new every Friday. Join 2,000+ nerds and satisfy your curiosity one question at a time with topics including science, technology, history, and more.
How does a thermos work? This question came from a reader submission (thanks Duncan!). Has a curious question stumped you lately? Feel free to submit your own question here: Submit your question π The short answer A thermos keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold by blocking all three types of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. It does this with a vacuum between its double walls (which eliminates conduction and convection) and a silvered inner surface (which reflects...
Why do we feel the urge to squish cute things? π The short answer Cute aggression is thought to be your brain's way of balancing out an emotional overload so you stay functional enough to actually care for the thing you're fawning over. π The long answer Have you ever spotted a baby with those adorable chubby cheeks and felt the urge toβ¦squish them? Well, youβre not alone. Source This phenomenon, known as βcute aggression,β is the paradoxical pairing of intense adoration with aggressive...
Why do we feel colder as we age? This question came from a reader submission (thanks Gary!). Has a curious question stumped you lately? Feel free to submit your own question here: Submit your question π The short answer Aging causes your body to produce less heat, lose it more easily through thinner skin, and be slower to trigger warming responses, so we feel colder than we did when we were younger. π The long answer Aging β if we're lucky β comes for us all. One day you're a reckless...