Religions tend to come with a lot of interesting stories. Some of these tales can be read in the various holy texts associated with a particular belief system, while others tend to get passed from generation to generation via oral traditions. Some of these stories even include magical or divine objects, often referred to as “relics.” While the relics of each religion hold different significance, it is interesting to note that a vast majority of the world’s religions turn to these objects during difficult times in order to feel inspired, comforted, and hopeful for the future.
Some relics have more of a reputation than others. If you’re curious about some of the more peculiar and fascinating relics around the world, now is a great time to take a look at some examples.
The Tooth of Buddha
Buddhism can often be viewed as a complicated religion from the outside. This is primarily due to the fact that there are historically three “branches” of Buddhism and each has a different set of customs and practices. To make matters more complex, the religion itself is often observed in highly personal ways rather than through large established rituals. Still, there are certain stories many Buddhists of varying walks believe collectively. One example of this is the story of the tooth of Gautama Buddha, who is one of the more prolific figures in Buddhist tales.
Legend has it that when Gautama Buddha died sometime around 543 BCE, he was placed on a traditional funeral pyre. After the blaze had subsided, observers were surprised to see a single tooth had survived the fire. Over the years, the tooth was revered as a holy object and placed in various temples. Some even believed whoever held the tooth would hold power across the land. This belief led to many conquests, with the tooth bouncing to several locations until finally making its way to Kandy in India, where it is displayed today in the Palace of the Tooth.
The Missing Piece
The Catholic religion has more relics than any other in the present age. Though Catholic teachings forbid worshippers from “honoring” relics directly, pilgrimages to visit relics around the world are a common occurrence amongst the pious and devout. Many of these relics are tied to Jesus Christ, who Catholics and Christians believe to be the “son of God.” Perhaps the most bizarre of these relics is the “missing foreskin of the Savior.” Odd as it might sound, this relic was said to have been cut from the flesh of Jesus and passed on for generations after.
Many churches around Europe claimed to possess the foreskin around the Middle Ages, though some reports are conflicting and it is not entirely clear if the relic actually existed as the same object throughout this period. Stranger still, the claims about having the “foreskin relic” lasted until 1983 AD, when the object was held in Calcata, Italy. From there, it vanished without a trace. It has not been seen since, and no one has made any claims about possessing it.
Ancient Times
Though modern religions have been venerating relics for many centuries, the practice seems to predate most of these belief systems. In ancient Greece, the poet Orpheus was a respected and well-liked prophet. Upon his death, legend states that his head was cut off and taken to a temple in the city of Atissa. There, the head was said to continuously sing sad songs until he was permanently silenced by the god Apollo.
Religious relics tell some odd stories, but these tales help to shape the complex belief systems into what they are. Though new relics do not seem to appear with the same frequency as they once did, it is only a matter of time before someone else’s tooth gets placed in a temple for protection.