| Magic Ring |
Article Index for Magic |
Website Links For Magic |
Information AboutMagic Ring |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MAGIC RING | |
| rings | |
| fantasy tropes | |
| ring | |
| mythological objects | |
|
ARM RINGS AND FINGER RINGS Generally, only two types of magical rings are known from mythology and fiction: Arm Ring s and Finger Ring s. 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 Torc s are on rare occasion mentioned as decoration in Early Irish and Welsh Literature , but none is described as Magical . Similarly, ancient drawings of Messopotaminan Gods sometimes include one or several rings attached to staffs or poles, no but no referenence has been found in Writings Recovered From That Time to show whether they were magical or merely an insignia. FUNCTION IN THE STORY Like other Magical Object s in stories, magic rings serve to excuse some impossible event, which the story teller wishes to place in the Plot . Normally magic rings either are used as a way to begin a plot or to end it. In modern fantasy, roughly half the time a magic ring occurs it is used by the author as a means for the ordinary Protagonist to enter the fairytale world. Roughly the other half of modern fiction, magic rings are used as a ''" Deus Ex Machina "'', or a plot-cheat, for the author to solve an apparently impossible complication in the plot and end the story. A more recommendable example of use of a magic ring in fiction is as a so-called ''" MacGuffin ."'' 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. MAGIC RINGS IN MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE The earliest known magical ring in 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 Niebelungen s 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, who knows about it (but not Sigurd, who has got the ring but is clueless, like many other Hero es in Medieval German Literature ). 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. Other than these three examples, magical rings are unknown in any other Western or Middle Eastern Mythology or Folktales , but they occur frequently in modern fantasy and fairytales ('' See Below ''). Although Greek Mythology lists many magical objects, particularly in the Perseus Myth , rings are never mentioned. Plato , however, tells a story about the Ring Of Gyges , which conferred Invisibility on its wearer. MAGIC RINGS IN FAIRYTALES AND MODERN FANTASY The following is a partial list of modern fairytales and fantasy novels in which a magic ring is a central or essentail plot element. ''(Note that magic rings occur in a myriad of fantasy stories as incidental objects or background items; those are not listed here.)''
SEE ALSO
|
|
|