It’s long been speculated what exactly inspired J. R. R. Tolkien to create the infamous One Ring from THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT. Now, the ring rumoured to have been the inspiration for the One Ring is on display for fans and history lovers alike to admire.
The ring is one that was found in a field near a historic Roman town in southern England in 1785. It is made of gold, weigh 12 grams, has an etching of the goddess Venus and is inscribed in Latin, “Senicianus live well in God.”
This ring is supposedly cursed and linked to a tablet found separately near a temple dedicated to a god named Nodens. The tablet states that a man named Silvianus lost the ring and to curse on Senicianus until he returned the ring to the temple.
Tolkien was a professor at Oxford University in 1929 when his friend, an archaeologist involved with this case, asked him for help in discovering the roots of the names on the tablet. Tolkien also visited the temple many times before he even put pen to paper, so it’s very possible that this cursed relic from the 4th century could have been what inspired the most famous ring in literary history!
(Photo courtesy of Helen Sanderson)