Did This Cursed Ancient Ring Inspire Tolkien’s Trilogy?
“They stole it from us, our precious. Curse them!”
In 2013 an ancient Roman gold ring, associated with an obscure curse, was put on exhibition by Britain’s National Trust at The Vyne, a 16th-century country house in Hampshire belonging to the Chute family. The ring itself was nothing new, having been unearthed in 1785 in Silchester, when a farmer plowing his field caught a glimpse of metal: Silchester is a town of Roman origins and the site of many archaeological discoveries. Presumably, the farmer who found the ring later sold it to the Chute family, who were known to have an interest in history and antiquities: that’s how it ended up in the red-bricked Tudor mansion, among terracotta busts and hand-painted Lattimo plates.
Now, gold and silver rings dating to Roman times abound in museums and archives around the world — but this particular ring is different: we know its story, and it’s a remarkable one.
One Ring, One Thief, One Curse
About 1-inch in diameter and weighing 12 grams, the ring is a big one: it is engraved with the inscription SENICIANE VIVAS…
