A Circle Of Rings

[McCoy]

In some versions Aladin, in addition to the lamp, had a ring that summoned a less powerful genie.

[Lord Liaden]

Agemegos, those references are fabulous! Thanks muchly!

BTW I couldn't bring myself to call Andvari's ring Andvaranaut. Not only am I tired of the Norsemen's habit of naming everything, but that's a dang pretentious name for a ring.

[Geryon]

It's in The Republic. The story is told by Glaucon of a ring that belonged to Gyges.

http://www.freeessays.cc/db/26/hmd198.shtml

http://plato-dialogues.org/tetra_4/republic/gyges.htm

Another link to the story of Gyges' ring.

I also remember reading something about a "Ring of Eucrates" in ancient greek/roman stuff somewhere but I can't recall what it did or where I read about it. I know it had something to do with prostitutes. Not the ring that is, but the story.

[keithcurtis]

If we're using non-traditional sources, then how can we forget the awful 70's saturday morning cartoon, "The Thing" (based *very* loosely off Marvel Comics' Thing, from the Fantastic Four)? Who here remembers the famous battlecry -- "Thing Ring, do your thing!"

Bill.
(Showing my age (but not my wisdom) with this reference...)

I always thought Benjy Grimm should have been hospitalized with all those rocks smashing into him. But then I never understood Iceman's method of ice-ing up in Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. He should have been entombed. "Uh, Spidey? Could you break this ice? I uh, forgot I don't have super strength."

Keith "no more de-railing, I promise" Curtis

[Doug McCrae]

Gyges ring is probably the inspiration for both the One Ring in The Hobbit/LotR and the SA Green Lantern's origin.

[AlHazred]

In the <i>Mabinogion</i>, mention is made of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain (here is another link). Depending upon your source, one of them is given as the <i>Ring of Luned</i> or the <i>Ring and Stone of Eiluned</i>, which actually comes from the story (in the same book) <i>The Lady of the Fountain</i>. My version (a 1932 edition translated by Lady Charlotte Guest) renders it's power so:


"Take this ring and put it on thy finger, with the stone inside thy hand; and close thy hand upon the stone. Ans as long as thou concealest it, it will conceal thee."

[Agemegos]

http://www.ukans.edu/history/index/e...*/Annulus.html

"There are several celebrated rings with magic powers, mentioned by the ancient writers, as that of Gyges which he found in a grave (Plat. de*Republ. ii. p359,*&c.; Plin.*H.N.*xxxiii.4), that of Charicleia (Heliod. Aeth. iv.8), and the iron ring of Eucrates (Lucian, Philops. 17)."

[teh bunneh]

Keith "no more de-railing, I promise" Curtis

Even further back in the dim recesses of my mind, there was another bad cartoon from the (early 70's? late 60's?) called "Hercules." Herc was really strong, but when he got into trouble (every episode) he pulled a magic ring out of his pocket and held it up to the sky. A bolt of lightning struck it and he became as strong as 10 men. He had a satyr sidekick named... Pip or Puck or something. Anyone else remember that?

Bill.
(It's vaguely related to the thread, so it's not really derailing...)

[Bazza]

Ring of Invisibility

I can't remember if this was in Norse Mythology/Greek Mythology (specifically Hermes). I could be remembering RoI from the Thor comics.

LL a Ring of Invisibility seems so ordinary, that it would have had to appeared in some literature before. Maybe you could invent a history for it.


Could I also make a suggestion for those PCs who misuse the rings mentioned (if the rings could be used by the PCs): a ring can easily become a noose.

[Carmen]

Depending upon your source, one of them is given as the <i>Ring of Luned</i> or the <i>Ring and Stone of Eiluned</i>, which actually comes from the story (in the same book) <i>The Lady of the Fountain</i>. My version (a 1932 edition translated by Lady Charlotte Guest) renders it's power so:

"Take this ring and put it on thy finger, with the stone inside thy hand; and close thy hand upon the stone. Ans as long as thou concealest it, it will conceal thee."

This is probably the ring given to Yvain in Chretien's <u>Yvain: The Knight of the Lion</u>, which you should all go read <i>right now</i>.

[tkdguy]

wtf? That story is messed up...

Yup. But it's funny.

[tkdguy]

In Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, Sir Gareth of Orkney (Sir Gawain's brother) once had a ring that would make his (normally yellow) armor change color continuously.