Magic ring

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A magic ring is an article of jewelry that appears frequently in fantasy and fairytale. They are found in the folklore of every country where ring-wearing is known.[1] They can be endowed with any number of abilities; invisibility and granting of wishes are two common tropes. Sometimes, they are cursed, as in Norse mythology or The Lord of the Rings, but more often, they feature as forces for good, or a neutral tool whose value depends on the wielder.[1]

The ring combined many traits that make it a natural choice for a magic item: ornament, convenience of wear, a mystical shape (being circular), and a position where the user can easily aim them.[2]

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[edit] Arm rings and finger rings

Generally, only two types of magical rings are known from mythology and fiction: arm rings and finger rings.

Different magic rings can do different magical things: depending on the purposes of the storyteller a magical ring can either have a limited or general function.

Magical rings can be magical for a variety of reasons, or the storyteller can give no reason at all. Some rings are explained as ordinary rings that have become magical because they have been enchanted by a magician or touched by a god. Other rings are magical because of the material they are made of; often a ring is a mere carrier for a special jewel, which itself is the source of the magic. Other rings are magical because they are inhabited by a spirit.

Figures of Celtic gods have been found wearing a torc or a neck ring, and torcs are on rare occasion mentioned as decoration in early Irish and Welsh literature, but none are described as magical.

Similarly, ancient drawings of Mesopotamian gods sometimes include one or several rings attached to staffs or poles, but no reference has been found in writings recovered from that time to show whether they were magical or merely decorative. It should be noted, however, that this may just be a result of the fact that so much of Mesopotamian literature still remains unstudied. It is hard to imagine that in societies where magic and amulets were so ubiquitous, the idea of a magic ring was unknown.

Magic rings are certainly known in Jewish lore. They are mentioned in the Talmud and Midrash. For instance, a story about King Solomon and a ring can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 68a. But their use is more fully discussed in Jewish mystical literature. For their use in halakhic literature see Mark Verman's "The Books of Contemplation" chapter two, note 200. There, the power of the rings is in the divine names with which they are inscribed, and they are used to invoke and command various guardians of heavenly palaces and to gain entrance to those heavens. For an example of magic rings in the Zohar, where God is thought to own and use a signet ring, or, at least, a signet - see Zohar 1:29a, though this is certainly metaphorical.

[edit] Function in the story

Like other magical objects in stories, magic rings act as a plot device. They may give magical abilities to a person lacking in them, or enhance the power of a wizard. For instance, in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, the magical ring allows Bilbo Baggins to be instrumental in the quest, matching the abilities of the dwarves.[3]

Other magical rings function as nothing more than MacGuffins; the characters' desire for the ring rather than its innate powers moves the story. For example, in the Volsunga Saga, the magic ring that eventually rests on Sigurd's arm is not actually used to do anything, and its possible use is never explained. The ring's function in the plot is only to the focus of desire for most of story's main characters; it is their greed for the ring that moves the plot along.

[edit] Magic rings in mythology and folklore

"Brynhild, Sigurd and the Rings" Faroe stamp depicting magical rings from Norse mythology

The earliest known magical ring in European fiction or myth is very likely the arm ring named Draupnir. It belonged to the Norse god Odin. Because its only reported function is to create more gold arm bands every few days, Draupnir seems to have been a religious symbol which represented increasing wealth.

A similar arm ring, which also comes from Norse mythology, was called Andvarinaut. Andvarinaut is the famous Ring of the Niebelungens from The Volsunga Saga and The Nibelungenlied, which eventually becomes the property of the hero Siegfried or Sigurd. Although how it comes to be cursed is explained in detail, Andvarinaut's use is never specifically given in the story. Other than its curse being the source of disaster for every owner, Andvarinaut's only plot function is that nearly every character wants to get it, except Sigurd, who has got it, but doesn't know what it is.

A small number of Viking Age finger rings bearing runic inscriptions of apparently magical significance are known, among them the Kingmoor Ring and the Bramham Moor Ring.

Medieval storytellers report that the wizard Merlin was the victim of a magical finger ring given to him by the young enchantress named Nimue. The magic in the ring caused him to fall in love with her. Merlin then allowed Nimue to imprison him either in the trunk of a tree or in a stone coffin, hence his demise.

As mentioned above, Solomon's magical ring had many properties in legend: making him all-knowing, conferring ability to speak with animals, and bearing the sigil that sealed genies into bottles.[2] This ring appeared in modern fantasy in Charles Williams's Many Dimensions.[2] and , also, in the stories with the comic book character Seraph (comics) published by DC Comics

Plato, however, tells a story about the Ring of Gyges, which conferred invisibility on its wearer. The shepherd Gyges, who found it in a cave, used its power to seduce the Queen, kill the King and take his place. Earlier accounts of Gyges - a historical King of Lydia, give different accounts of how he came to seize the throne, which make no mention of a magic ring; the story was evidently used by Plato as a parable for the abuse of power. No do other stories in the earlier sources of Greek mythology mention magic rings, though many other magical objects are listed, particularly in the [[Perseus#Adventures with the Gorgons|Perseus myth.

Child ballad 18, Hind Horn, and Child ballad 92, Bonny Bee Hom, both include a magic ring that turns pale when the person who received it has lost the person who gave it.[4]

[edit] Magic rings in fairytales and modern fantasy books

The following is a partial list of modern fairytales and fantasy novels in which a magic ring is a central or essential plot element. (Note that magic rings occur in a myriad of fantasy stories as incidental objects or background items; those are not listed here.)

  • The oldest "modern" fairy tale to use a magic ring is the story of Aladdin: not only is there a djinn summoned by the magic lamp, there is also a less powerful djinn summoned from a finger ring.
  • Author Andre Norton wrote several fantasy novels in which magic, and occasionally magic rings, play a part. In her novel The Zero Stone the title comes from a ring that is the central artifact in the plot.
  • Author H. Warner Munn wrote an award winning fantasy novel titled Merlin's Ring.
  • Author Poul Anderson, in A Midsummer Tempest, has Oberon and Titania give two characters magical rings that will aid them as long as they are true to each other; these rings act on their behalf on several occasions in the book.
  • Author Piers Anthony wrote Castle Roogna and included as an important part of the plot a ring that claimed to be able to grant wishes. Every wish made on this ring did come true — eventually, and apparently unaided by the efforts of the characters.
  • In Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring, whenever the magic ring gets tapped, it casts a magical spell. Because the ring is sized for human fingers, Jerry the mouse wears it on his head somewhat like a tiara.
  • In the Tanya Grotter book series, a Russian parody of Harry Potter, the heroine uses a magic ring that bears the voice of her great-grandfather in order to perform spells. Additionally, the other magicians in the series also use rings to do magic.

[edit] Magic rings in video and role-playing games

  • In the MMORPG RuneScape, magic rings have many uses from teleportation to helping attack.
  • In the video game Eternal Ring, several magic rings can be made by placing a "dead" ring on a pedestal. The game's storyline revolves around finding the titular Eternal Ring, that may be used to overthrow a tyrant.
  • In Final Fantasy VI, there are many Relic class items that are a sort of ring, some which protect against status effects, or cast a protection spell when the wearer is near death.
  • The Breath of Fire Series often incorporates a magic ring into its storyline for something pivotal. In the first game it is a source of power for the Forest Clan and in the second it serves as a key to open a sealed door leading to a mythical weapon in SimaFort. In the second game, it's also the weapon of choice used by the two "black" mages, Nina and Bleu, in the game.
  • In Quake a bewitched ring called the "Ring of Shadows" was an uncommon item that made the player invisible while wearing it... except for their eyes, which could be seen by other players in multiplayer matches, but apparently not monsters. When in use, the player's view of the game would take on an odd, somewhat faded tone.
  • In Time Stalkers, a character can wield a total of ten rings, most of which have magical properties similar to other magical rings in other video games.
  • In the new Gaia Online MMO, (zOMG) Rings are a pivotal part, providing most if not all of the abilities a character can use.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Josepha Sherman, Once upon a Galaxy p 129 ISBN 0-87483-387-6
  2. ^ a b c d John Grant and John Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Rings", p 813 ISBN 0-312-19869-8
  3. ^ Tom Shippley, The Road to Middle-earth, p 77, ISBN 0-628-25760-8
  4. ^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 2, p 317, Dover Publications, New York 1965
  5. ^ Stephen Prickett, Victorian Fantasy p 69 ISBN 0-253-17461-9
  6. ^ Stephen Prickett, Victorian Fantasy p 233 ISBN 0-253-17461-9
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