r/UpliftingNews • u/ArgentineBeauty • 12h ago
Three Italians turned an Irishman’s lost wedding ring into a real life Lord of the Rings quest: after days searching an Italian mountain stream, they found it in the rapids, and texted the Irishman “Hi Sméagol, look what we found” and then flew to Ireland dressed as hobbits to return it.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/kindness-friendship-story-italy-ireland-9.73833921.2k
u/stx06 12h ago
What a wonderful adventure!
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u/Gadgetman_1 12h ago
No picture of them dressed as hobbits?
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u/tot_alifie 12h ago
Opened the article just for that picture!
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u/thunderrubmles 12h ago
Same! Such disappointment not to find a picture of them dressed up
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u/discerningpervert 10h ago
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u/syncpulse 12h ago
They should have flown to Iceland and dropped it into a volcano.
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u/NoobOfTheSquareTable 12h ago
Iceland is a long way to go for volcanoes when you are Italian
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u/Arbazio 12h ago
Not if they rode the giant Eagles there!
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u/tgerz 12h ago
In this essay I will explain why eagle transport was not available to the Italians.
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u/u35828 12h ago
The eagles were on strike?
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u/Hamrave 12h ago
They are from Philly so that tracks
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u/ZackRaynor 11h ago edited 11h ago
If the Eagles were on strike, they’re probably French.
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u/A_Furious_Mind 11h ago
That is why they have those OUTRAGEOUS accents!
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u/harriethocchuth 12h ago
They could grip them by the husks!
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u/JadedOccultist 11h ago
Rings are not migratory?? They don’t fly south seeking warmer climes in winter
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u/ExpensiveCondition63 10h ago
It's not a question of where he grips it; it's a simple question of weight ratios... :-)
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u/dornaloon 12h ago
Right? It’s not like the world‘s most famous volcanic eruption happened there or anything.
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u/beatles910 12h ago
One does not simply walk into Mount Vesuvius.
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u/NoobOfTheSquareTable 11h ago
No, you have to get a ticket first but it is a lottery system rather than first come first serve so you might not be able to just walk to Vesuvius
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u/AncientWeek613 12h ago
Well there’s at least a kinda direct connection underground between Stromboli and Snæfellsjökull, according to Jules Verne lmao
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u/wrldwdeu4ria 10h ago
When I was on a flight to Italy a volcano erupted in Iceland, causing major delays and reroutes of the flight.
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u/cybercuzco 12h ago
The hobbits are going to Ireland.
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u/poorly-worded 12h ago
One does not simply fly to Iceland
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u/Trackpoint 9h ago
Exactly! If flying to Iceland was a realistic option they would have done it. But it wasn't which is supported by their lore! You could make several youtube videos on the subject!
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u/giant_albatrocity 11h ago
For the last time, you can’t just fly the Eagles to Mordor. You have to walk
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u/ShouldHaveGoneToUCC 12h ago
I love the way they came as Frodo, Merry and Sam.
Pippin doesn't get included. Because he's Pippin.
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u/Verbatrim 11h ago
In the italian version, Pippin is called Pipino, which also means little penis.
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u/sojayn 4h ago
If this is misinformation, please know I will share it far and wide in Australia anyway because it is perfect.
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u/Margali 11h ago
The actors that played Merry and Pippin have a travel around and eat show on youtube - popped into my feed a few weeks back
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u/UranusIsPissy 11h ago
I think they've improved the algorithm. I used to get far-right propaganda all the time, despite mostly using it for music that was mostly far-left if it was political at all. I fell asleep watching something last night, and woke up to Bernie Sanders.
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u/SummerOfMayhem 12h ago
Some people insist on making things fun in life and that is an amazing trait to have. What a story to get to share
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u/cortesoft 10h ago
Yeah, I bet those 3 guys had a blast. Nothing more satisfying than having a goal, working together to accomplish it, and succeeding.
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u/Roadgoddess 12h ago
What a lovely story, and how lovely to read about why the husband was devastated about its loss.
I had a friend that had something similar happen with his wedding ring in a lake when he was water skiing. He kind of visually marked the spot and the next day came back with scuba gear and ended up finding it. We were also surprised he was able to find it and get it back, but he said the ring was very important to him because his wife had given it to him.
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u/DadJokeBadJoke 5h ago
I lost mine in a river. Searched for hours but it's still lost. If anyone's looking for a quest, it's in Humboldt Redwoods State Park
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u/Shakeamutt 12h ago
Three Italians and an Irishman, posted by an Argentinian, from a Canadian article written by a Chinese Canadian. Love it!
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u/HighDefinitionCat 10h ago edited 3h ago
They shall be known as the Fellowship of the Ring.
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u/r0thar 9h ago
Lots of different peoples all meeting for one reason? https://i.imgur.com/lhLAAuP.png
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u/IcanHackett 12h ago
Why is Irish and Italian giving me Elves and dwarf vibes?
Patrick Mohr: "I never thought I'd stand side by side with an Italian"
Filippo Palagi: "What about side by side with a friend?"
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u/FoxyBastard 8h ago
I'm Irish and I often notice, in fantasy, that elvish languages and styles very often come from Irish, or at least Celtic, culture.
In Witcher 3 I could even understand some of the Elder Speech (Elvish) because it basically was Irish.
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u/fullmetalfeminist 5h ago
Modern media is constantly plundering Irish culture for "magical" ambience.
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer there's a "spell" that's actually a leaflet about a new bus route in Irish
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u/eggard_stark 12h ago
So using the eagles was an option.
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u/Outrageous_Laugh5532 12h ago
I mean here yes because I don’t think Ireland has any domestic Anti-air assets.
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u/confusion2951 9h ago
We spend so much time dealing with humans at their absolute worst. We must also appreciate them at their absolute best.
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u/Maleficent-Sinking 12h ago
That text message is pure gold. Getting a random photo in rapids with the name Smeagol would give me a heart attack before realizing what they actually pulled off.
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u/SandhogDig 12h ago
An example of how a Great movie can unite humanity across cultures 👏
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u/cptjeff 12h ago
Ahem. Movie? The movies are a wonderful adaptation, but...
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u/lt_kernel_panic 12h ago
Someone should adapt the movies into a book!
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u/KamiKagutsuchi 11h ago
That would be a big book, maybe we should split it into three books?
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u/LnStrngr 11h ago
What if we split it into six books, but grouped them in pairs for a trilogy of bindings?
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u/shaunrundmc 12h ago
Those are friends for life. I understand the husband. I lost my ring on a plane taking it off to use the bathroom. I was only married for a few weeks at the time and I was sick.
This story also infuriates me because these dudes found that ring searching an entire fucking river, meanwhile no one could find my ring and I was stuck in in giant metal tube for 6 hrs.
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u/Prof_PJ_Cornucopia 9h ago
What were you doing in that bathroom that you needed to take your ring off?
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u/saidinmilamber 10h ago
Thanks u/ArgentineBeauty for posting this Canadian article about 3 Italians helping out an Irish person! Truly a global adventure!
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u/Not_a_N_Korean_Spy 12h ago
This story was beautiful to read. Faith in humanity restored. Thanks OP.
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u/iambkatl 10h ago
This is why I open up Reddit - hoping for headlines like this.
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u/Geeekaaay 9h ago
I am seriously disappointed with the lack of hobbit pictures included in this article.
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u/Big_Kahuna_69 4h ago
This needs to be three-picture project helmed by Peter Jackson or Edgar Wright.
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u/K1ngofnoth1ng 12h ago
They should have made him lead them to a volcano and made him watch one of them throw it in. Full LoTR experience.
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u/Syssareth 12h ago
Could've made a little papier-mâché volcano, lol. Not sure if vinegar's the best thing to get on a wedding ring so maybe best not to have an eruption, but some whipped cream and food coloring should be fine.
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u/kkgetofftheinternet 10h ago
God, this is the kind of news I need in my life. Not just endless dystopia.
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u/upstatedreaming3816 4h ago
Majorly bummed there’s no picture of them dressed as hobbits in that article
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u/AgenticGuillotine 11h ago
Having disposable income is basically a magic power.
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u/DiscotopiaACNH 11h ago
Lol when I read he was still on vacation 9 days later...my American ass could never
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u/bukkakekeke 12h ago
But the Hobbits didn't return the ring to Smeagol
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u/Smooth-Brilliant-940 10h ago
"Oh, sorry, we aren't going to return it, we are flying to iceland to toss it into the lava where it belongs. We'll send you a video"
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u/Dyvanna 11h ago
Yep, Ireland doesn't have a volcano though so they had to do something with it obviously
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u/Raistlarn 10h ago
They just put the whole movie on reverse, which I guess means they should have had 1 hobbit and a bunch of dwarves returning the ring after 60 years of faffing about.
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u/SmugCapybara 12h ago
When handing over the ring, did the one carrying it change his mind at the last second, only for one of his companions to bite off his finger?
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u/XennialQueen 11h ago
Their commitment to the bit is fabulous but the most amazing part of this story is how committed they were to finding that ring. Incredible.
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u/Smooth-Brilliant-940 10h ago
If I had to come up with 3 Italian-sounding Hobbit names I don’t think I could do better than Poggi, Palagi, and Malloggi.
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u/jaypizzl 12h ago
In a world of Trump and war and climate change, this is a great little story!
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u/TinyFugue 12h ago
How did they get there? They had to walk.
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u/photowalker83 12h ago
Nah, they actually listened to Gandolf and flew lol. But I love that video lol.
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u/girlsxxgirlz 10h ago
lmao the "Hi Sméagol" text is perfect. like imagine losing your wedding ring and then days later you get that message and you just know these absolute legends found it and are about to make this the best story you'll ever tell
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u/OBDreams 8h ago
It doesn't even matter that this was such a good deed. Doing this would just be fun. I'd do it simply for the enjoyment.
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u/TarArov 7h ago
Imagine dropping your ring in a random mountain stream and getting a text out of nowhere that literally just says "Hi Sméagol, look what we found",, flying all the way to Ireland fully dressed as hobbits just to return a stranger's ring is peak chaotic good energy,,
This is the exact kind of legendary side quest that restores my faith in humanity and makes the internet worth scrolling through today
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u/Uberzwerg 11h ago
That's a lot of effort.
But imagine how it 'bought' them THE story of their lives. I would never stop telling that tale.
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u/twoxtopia 8h ago
That was so extra of those men. Bet they loved every moment of it. Because I clearly did just by reading it all.
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u/djinnisequoia 7h ago
I love this story better than any other story I've heard this year. Keeping magic alive!
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u/Slothinasuit7 11h ago
I thought they were going to push him into a volcano after the Italian bit one of their fingers off. This title was misleading.
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u/DeliciousAnything977 8h ago
Man they should make that into a Netflix movie tbh. I’m sure those bros have a few beer and get goofy
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u/Pristine_Goat_9817 6h ago edited 2h ago
That's the opposite of how Lord of the Rings works. You're supposed to have it until you drop it in a volcano, not find it in water and bring it back.
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u/TitotheBurrito 5h ago
Could this be the inspiration for an Italian Lord of the Rings spaghetti trilogy? I think so.
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