When someone bows their head and presses lips to a ring - especially on the hand of a king, a bishop, or even a mob boss - it carries centuries of meaning. This isn’t just about respect. It’s about power, submission, loyalty, humility and sometimes, fear.
But how did this unusual custom begin? Why the ring? Why the kiss?
To answer that, we need to go way back.
Kissing the Ring: Where It All Began
The tradition of kissing rings dates all the way back to ancient Rome. Back then, high-ranking officials and emperors wore rings that symbolized their status. These rings weren’t just decorative - they were powerful objects. They often bore seals used to stamp official documents, signifying legal authority.
Kissing the ring became a way to recognize that power. It was a physical act of deference, a way of saying, You’re above me, and I accept that. When someone kissed the ring of a Roman senator or emperor, they weren’t just being polite. They were acknowledging the hierarchy.
This wasn’t unique to Rome. The gesture traveled across continents and centuries, evolving along the way but always carrying that same core idea: kissing the ring as a sign of loyalty or submission.
The Church Took It Further
In medieval Europe, the tradition was embraced and amplified by the Catholic Church. Bishops, cardinals, and popes all wore ornate rings known as episcopal or papal rings. These weren’t just jewelry - they were sacred symbols of their spiritual authority.
Kissing a bishop’s ring, especially the Pope’s, became a ritualized sign of obedience and faith. It meant recognizing the divine authority believed to flow through church leadership. And because religion in those times wasn’t just a private matter - it was the backbone of law, culture, and identity - this small act of kissing the ring took on immense weight.
Even today, Catholics still sometimes kiss the Pope’s ring. The gesture has softened, but the symbolism remains.
Royal Courts and the Language of Power
Kings and queens weren’t going to let the church have all the drama.
In royal courts across Europe, monarchs wore elaborate signet rings that held both practical and symbolic power. These rings were pressed into wax to seal decrees and commands - literally sealing the fate of laws, alliances, and sometimes lives.
Kissing a monarch’s ring meant something different than shaking hands. It was never casual. It said, I recognize your divine right to rule. In a time when kings were believed to be chosen by God, this gesture became one of submission not just to a person, but to an entire worldview.
The ring acted like a portable throne. When you kissed it, you weren’t just acknowledging the ruler. You were kneeling to the entire system they represented.
From Thrones to the Underworld
And then there’s the more modern twist: the mob boss.
In films, especially from the mid-20th century onward, we see crime families mimicking old-world traditions. The don extends his hand. A subordinate leans in and kisses the ring. It’s ceremonial, deliberate, and a little chilling.
That’s no accident. Organized crime groups often styled themselves as parallel kingdoms - structured, hierarchical, and deeply loyal. Kissing the ring became part of the performance. A signal of allegiance. Of knowing your place. Of understanding who really holds power.
And it worked. Because symbolism is a powerful language.
So Why the Ring?
A ring isn’t just any object. It’s worn on the body, always visible, always close. Unlike a crown or a robe, a ring is small - intimate. But that makes it more personal. More permanent.
A ring represents continuity. Something that doesn’t break. That lasts.
That’s why it became the perfect object to focus so much ritual around. You don’t kiss a sleeve or a shoe. You kiss the thing that says I belong to this office, this rank, this bloodline, this authority. The ring becomes the badge of everything someone represents.
A Strange Custom That Still Lingers
Most of us don’t go around kissing rings anymore. It’s largely fallen out of daily life - a remnant of a time when social order depended on public displays of hierarchy. But you still see traces of it. In formal church ceremonies. In films and television. In echoes passed down through cultural memory. And maybe that’s what makes it so fascinating.
