I do Whit Hayden's linking ring routine, including much of the patter. I've changed it slightly but not enough to call it my own. That's not important here...

One of the lines is "the ancient miracle of the Chinese Linking Rings!". There is also a line "these jokes are 2000 years old". After one performance I was informed, in a friendly way, that the linking rings are not ancient, and in the realm of magic, not really that old either, by local magician, cartoonist, and historian and scribe for S.A.M. Assembly 9, Alan Wassilak. Alan went on to tell me a bit of the actual history, but ended by saying something like, "this doesn't mean you should change your routine, it's okay to lie to your audience."

I recently did the routine and chose a young girl from the audience, maybe 4 or 5 (just a guess, I'm terrible with ages). The contrast was great, and she did a good job through the first link. She concentrated when I said to hold the rings tight, and when I asked her to blow on the rings to separate them, she did it with enthusiasm. I turned to the audience to get them to give her a round of applause and she immediately ran to the security of her mother's lap.

She would have been perfect, but she was a little too young or maybe a little too shy. When I asked for a volunteer she raised her hand. Live and learn.

I agree. For a younger child, 100 people clapping and making a lot of strange noise around them can get very intimidating.

Where does Wassilak get 'his' information? I have evidence of the rings being done in the 1500s and if that isn't 'ancient' what is? I have seen bits in an archeologiacal digs from a Roman Theater and bits dating 2BC that "could be" linking rings. And I firmly believe they man NOT be Chinese in origan.

Use the descriptive wording that fits your act and don't worry about being historically accurate... it is just a playlet.

I have been told by informed sources that the linking rings are indeed ancient. References to the linking rings and cups and balls do in fact go back a thousand or two thousand years. Besides, what difference does it make? It makes a great story for a great effect, and entertainment's what it's all about.

Jim

I agree, and Alan would agree too, that it doesn't matter for the performance, but I trust him as far as the evidence goes. He's pretty well read and doesn't say things without thinking about them. I'll re-ask for details since I don't remember any.

I guess it depends on what he thins "IS IS" ???

Quote from Wikipedia: "Ching Ling Foo was one of the early performers of the Linking Rings in the form we know today. Speculation about their origin has been made to Turkey, Egypt and the Middle East and as far back as the first century."
If this is true, and my calculations are correct, the first centry was about 2,000 years ago.

Jim

Don't tell me you believe in wikipedia?Remember that anyone can write something, no scholarship required.

I have a copy of a painting of a female magician doing the linking rings in a Turkish harem and a print of a "hindoo" performing in a city square, somewhere in the middle east... and an article written by Geromolo Cardano describing a Spanish performer entertaining the royal family in Belgium in the early 1500s. And a copy of the instructions for the rings from Japan around that same time.

Harlan Tarbell said "The Linking Rings is one of the oldest tricks and one of the finest if presented in a finished and skilled manner". (TCIM Vol. 4) That's good enough for me.

The information that I have come across suggests that the Chinese Linking Rings are a centuries old effect so I second that emotion.

Even older. The Seljec Turkish rulers decreed that those doing "magick" (priests/shaman}and those doing "magic" (Safik) for entertainmeent must follow specific rules and not 'cross over' -- completely different from the Druid traditon of using performing magic as a way of warming up the audience before the priest got at 'em. One of the types of effects proscribed for the 'religious sorts' was "manipulation of rings." This would indicate that using rings for magical entertainment and conjuring was around long before -- like 3,000 years at least. Common sense would say that if rings existed somebody found a way to do a trick with them. Of course, my source is thrice translated and may be inaccurate, but ...

Chinese? Mongolian maybe. Also, the original Shamanic and Tangriest training used large rings as representing the interlocking nature of "three realms" -- three rings representing 'magic' back about 15,000 years. Did they do tricks with them? you bethca!

Alan will be thrilled that his comment drew these reactions. I'm sure he will be facinated by these facts and at one point I'm sure he will investigate things.

Thanks for the reaction.

I heard the Chinese Linking Rings started somewhere in Africa.

Mike: Where did you hear that?

Now that I reviewed the book "Magic City Library Of Magic" Volume #2, it reads "Europe", not "Africa." My bad.