Over two-thirds of the world's population employ prayer beads as part of their religious practices. Prayer beads have a variety of forms and meanings, but the basic purpose is the same: to assist the worshiper in reciting and counting specific prayers or incantations. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism are the major religions that use prayer beads in important ritualistic roles.
Beads have long been linked with the act of prayer. The English word bead is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words bidden ("to pray") and bede ("prayer"). The use of beads in prayer appears to have originated with Hindu religious practices in India , possibly around the 8th century B.C.E. Buddhism, which developed from a sect of Hinduism, retained the use of prayer beads as it became established in China, Korea, Japan and Tibet. It is thought that Islam adopted prayer beads through contact with Buddhism and Hinduism. Prayer beads, in the form of the Catholic rosary, were common throughout Europe by the late Middle Ages. As far as anyone knows, pagan religions in the Western world didn't use rosaries before the arrival of Christianity. Modern pagans recognized a good thing when they saw it, however, just like the Buddhists, Christians and Muslims before them, have adopted the practice and reshaped it to fit the needs of their own faiths.  Some of the strands are looped and closed, similar to a bracelet, but not clasped. Others are a simple strand. The closed ones could go on a keychain to keep with you at all times. These make really unique gifts and are very inexpensive. Large/long (9 count) strands - $10 Small/short (6 count) strands - $5 |
This is the Druid Three Realms rosary - (prayer beads). The small version uses six beads to represent land, six to represent air and six to represent water, with appropriate charms. The large version uses counts of nine beads, plus spacers. Length varies depending on size of beads. Click on the image to see it full-sized.
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