Thumb Ring

In Mongolia, the thumb is referred to as Erhii Mergen, the name of a famous archer of Mongol legend. The significance of the thumb in Mongol culture has everything to do with its use in the Mongolian archery technique.

In Mongol Archery, as well as archery styles of other Asian cultures such as Indian, Korean, Japanese, Turkish and Chinese archery, the thumb is used to draw the string of the bow. A ring made of horn is most often used by Mongols to protect the thumb in this method, but stone and metal rings have been known, as well as experienced archers using no ring at all. In modern Mongolia, beginning archery students often use a home made ring out of leather before they come into their own professional set of equipment. References to use of a Thumb Ring made out of leather have been cited from the Middle Ages (thanks to Kay's Thumbring Book) and as early as two millenia ago in the Indic epic Mahabharata.

"At the command of the preceptor, the youthful Arjuna, equipped with leather protector for the finger, his quiver full of arrows, bow in hand, and wearing golden armor, performed the initial rites of propitiation and entered the arena like the evening cloud reflecting rays of the setting sun."
- Mahabharata, Book 1, Adi [Origins]

This is a pattern for making your own Thumb Ring. The pattern is a trace of a homemade Thumb Ring used for beginning archers in Mongolia. It is to be made of thin leather or some other suitibly smooth surfaced, tough and pliable material. The tabs labelled 'A' and 'B' are to be made long enough to be sewn together into the ring worn on the thumb with the remaining tab to protect the tip of the thumb while shooting. When used to draw a bow, the string is to rest about where the joint of the thumb is marked on the pattern. Print this page to use the pattern for making your own thumb ring.

Sources

I must spend a moment to thank those who have taught me what I know about Mongol archery technique:

Batjargal - A National Champion Archer in Mongolia. She has taught me much about the technique and how to make a homemade thumbring.
Stephen Selby - He has done extensive research which is available on his ATARN website (Thumbring articles linked below) and in his book Chinese Archery.
Jaap Koppedrayer (Yumi) - I bought my first thumb ring from him and he was the first to show me how to use it.

Books

Selby, Stephen. Chinese Archery.

Koppedrayer, Kay. Kay's Thumbring Book. Ontario: Blue Vase Press, 2002.

Narasimhan, C. V. (trans.) Mahabharata. in The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volume A, ed. Sarah Lawall (New York: Norton, 2002)

Other websites with more information about Thumb rings:

Selby, Stephen. How do I use a Thumb-ring with a Mongolian Draw? 1998.
http://www.atarn.org/FAQ/thumbring.htm (Sept. 2, 2003)

Dwyer, Bede. Early Archers' Rings. 1997-2001.
http://www.atarn.org/chinese/thumbrings/archers_rings.htm (Sept. 2, 2003)
(Chinese Thumbrings)

Duvernay, Thomas. How to Make an Archer's Thumb Ring Using Simple Tools, Instinctive Archer Magazine. 1997.
http://www.atarn.org/korean/IA_kr_2.htm (Sept. 2, 2003)
(a slightly more difficult technique)

You can also buy Thumbrings from one of these businesses:

Yumi
kkoppedr@perth.net

Horsebows
http://www.horsebows.com

Saluki Bow Company
http://www.salukibow.com

3 Rivers Archery
http://www.bowsite2.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=15&Product_ID=3683&CATID=61

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