Possibly Egyptian
Had a great metal detecting adventure yesterday! I found civil war bullets, colonial buckles and buttons but the main find was a gold ring with an eagle on it! I have not been able to find a similar ring anywhere. I believe it is a military ring since it has the eagle with what appears to be an olive branch in his mouth. What I thought were scratches on the back appears to be some sort of makers mark or symbols? If you figure it out let me know! video here
The characters inside the ring certainly appear to be Egyptian. The Standing Hippopotamus is the same hippopotamus that is in the center of the Dendera Zodiac discovered in the Temple of Hathor in Dendera Egypt. This hippopotamus glyph represents for the Pole Star or the cosmic center around which all the Northern stars circle about. As you know, the pole star is that star which navigators used to "stay on course". Therefore this glyph represents "guidance" or "purpose".
The middle symbol is the Egyptian glyph for the Mountain. However it represents something more than just a mountain. It also has cosmic and spiritual significance in that it also pertains to lofty travels, insights and objectives beyond just the physical plane.
The final glyph with the two legs is an Egyptian symbol for "motion", "movement" or "traveling".
Therefore the three glyphs together represent something like "He who travels (or seeks) lofty pursuits by way of higher guidance", or "An Illuminated seeker who stays the course in his pursuit of higher Wisdom", or something similar to this.
Therefore, it appears that the owner of this ring was either a lone pursuer of higher wisdom, or, belonged to a society who pursued such Truths.
If this ring represents Egyptian symbolism, as I feel it does, then the bird on the front can possibly represent the benu bird, or Phoenix; which is constantly being re-born. And this would suggest that the owner of this ring becomes re-born to higher planes of Wisdom as he constantly pursues his spiritual goals.
This is my opinion. You can search the glyphs I mentioned online and make a final determination for yourself.
In the end, it is a beautiful ring and if I found it I certainly would treasure it.
Congratulations,
Joe
