My husband and I click wedding rings sometimes and say, 'By the

In the words of Tamora Pierce, there is playfulness, yet beneath the laughter dwells wisdom: “My husband and I click wedding rings sometimes and say, ‘By the power of the Castle of Greyskull!’” What seems at first like jest reveals the secret strength of enduring love—the blending of solemn vows with shared joy. For marriage is not only the gravity of sacred promises; it is also the delight of companions who can laugh together in the shadows and in the light. The wedding rings, symbols of eternal unity, become not only reminders of solemnity but instruments of play, charged with the spark of imagination.

The invocation of the Castle of Greyskull, drawn from the tales of modern myth, He-Man, transforms this jest into something more profound. For in every age, lovers borrow from the stories of their time to enrich their own. Just as the ancients once invoked the gods of Olympus or the heroes of Gilgamesh, so too do modern souls call upon heroes of their childhood. What matters is not the origin of the words, but the power they carry for those who speak them. To say “By the power of Greyskull” together is to affirm that love, like myth, grants strength beyond the ordinary.

History offers a mirror in the tale of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina, who, though emperor and empress, shared moments of levity amid the weight of empire. Chroniclers say their union was marked not only by duty but by affection, laughter, and private games known only to them. For even the most serious of bonds requires mirth to sustain it. Pierce’s words echo this truth: love survives not by ceremony alone, but by the shared humor that makes each day lighter than the last.

The act of clicking rings itself is powerful. In the clashing of small bands of metal, there is the sound of covenant renewed, as if each playful gesture is a quiet oath: we are still together, we are still one, and our love still holds power. Thus, even in jest, they remind themselves of their eternal pact, blending laughter with loyalty, levity with eternity.

So let this teaching endure: do not believe that sacredness requires sternness. True marriage is a union of both reverence and joy, of myth and memory, of laughter and vow. Just as Pierce and her husband summon strength from their playful cry, so too should lovers learn that love’s greatest power lies not only in the solemn rituals of the wedding day, but in the everyday sparks of laughter that keep the heart young and the bond unbreakable.