The Legend of the Red Thread of Love
An oriental legend claims that people destined to meet are connected by an invisible red thread. This thread never disappears and remains constantly tied around your finger, despite time and distance.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes to meet that person or how long you spend without seeing them. It doesn’t even matter if you live on the other side of the world. In fact, the thread will stretch to infinity but it’ll never break. It’s owned by destiny. Let’s take a closer look at this magical legend.
“You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it is better to listen to what it has to say. “
-Paulo Coelho-
The red thread
This invisible thread has been tied around your finger since your birth and will stay with you, sometimes tighter and sometimes looser, sometimes tangled and sometimes untangled, throughout your life. In fact, the legend says that the old lunar matchmaker god goes out every night to meet the newborns and tie a red string around their fingers. A thread that’ll decide their future and who they meet, a thread that’ll guide these souls so they never get lost.
The legend of the red thread
When the witch arrived, the emperor ordered her to find the other end of the thread and lead him to who was to become his wife. The witch agreed and the search led them to a market, where a poor peasant woman with a baby in her arms was selling her wares. When the witch reached the peasant woman, she stopped in front of her and invited her to stand up. She beckoned to the young emperor and said, “Your thread ends here”. However, on hearing this, the emperor was furious, thinking the witch was making a mockery of him. He pushed the woman away, who was still carrying her baby in her arms. The baby fell, making a large wound on her forehead that left a peculiar scar. Then, he ordered his guards to arrest the witch and cut off her head.
Many years later, the time came when this emperor needed to marry. His court recommended that he marry the daughter of a very powerful general. He accepted and the day of the wedding arrived. His future wife entered the temple wearing a beautiful dress and a veil that completely covered her face. When he lifted the veil, he saw that his beautiful bride had a very peculiar scar on her forehead…
A red thread straight to the heart
This legend is ingrained in Eastern cultures and millions of people believe they have a red thread attached to them. It’s not known whether the origin of the legend is Chinese or Japanese. However, they say it began when they learned that the ulnar artery connects the little finger with the heart, the source of life, and the home of love. Other sources speak of the ring finger, which tends to be more traditional in our culture.
It’s an unbreakable red thread that’ll never fray no matter what you do. A red thread straight to your heart, which connects you to your eternal love. The love that’ll be forever.
It can relate to the love of a mother, a father, a brother, a child, a friend, a man, or a woman… It’s a red thread that symbolizes love and common interest… The magic of the heart.
Beyond romantic love
For Western culture, the legend of the red thread is usually interpreted within the schema of romantic love. However, in other places, it also encompasses the genuine love that two people can feel for each other without falling in love.
For example, the Japanese who want to adopt a child use this legend as a metaphor in their adoption process. In fact, it’s assumed that the adopted child and the future parents already share a certain bond in advance, thanks to this red thread. This favors their strength in the long wait they have ahead of them, in most cases.
That’s why, in communities of adopting parents, they use phrases such as ” We’re pulling hard on the red string ” or “We’re building bridges with red strings “.
A deep connection
It certainly seems that there are some people for whom the connection turns out to be magical, and a very special bond is created that’s different from the rest.
It’s a love that’s difficult to explain. However, whoever experiences it knows it. Furthermore, they know that it’s that person and not another who they’re destined to meet. The one with whom they share a red thread.
Image courtesy of Melica
