The association of knots with the symbolism of love, friendship and affection dates back to antiquity (although the term itself is attested from the late 1300s).
[4] The true lovers' knot is a motif in several British folk songs, including "Barbara Allen", "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet", "Lord Lovel", and "Fair Margaret and Sweet William".
The knot, made of a rose growing from one lover's grave and a brier from the other's, is described at the end of the ballad.
Many examples feature sailors separated from their beloveds.
Ashley notes that it was once a common style in sailors' wedding rings, where gold wire was wrought to incorporate the "true lovers" knot, creating a ring containing two tori, inseparable, yet flexible and able to move about each other.