Absalon's ring, 1075 - 1125, National Museum, Kobenhaum, Denmark. Photo Arnold Mikkelsen.

The finger ring is first mentioned in 1673 in the Inventory of the Royal Art Gallery, but the exact circumstances of its acquisition are not known. In 1690 it was mistaken for another ring, a sapphire ring that had been found in Archbishop Absalon's grave in Sorø in 1536, hence the somewhat misleading name "Absalon's ring". The runic inscription reads 'Thorger', which is a male name. On the other half of the ring plate there are a number of signs that must be interpreted as ornamentation.