History Main / RingOfPower

** The One Ring was personally crafted by Sauron to give him dominion over all other rings of power, and control their wielders. This mostly failed because the elves immediately detected the attack and Sauron could not properly control the dwarves. Its most prominent effect on the one who wears it is invisibility; however, it also works very hard to corrupt the wielder. The One Ring proved a double-edged sword, as it effectively became a SoulJar for Sauron: if he gets it back he can be made whole, but if it's destroyed, he'll fade to nothingness. Its negative effects are slow-acting but tend to cause paranoia, obsessive protectiveness of the ring, and physical mutation of the user into a near-hairless crawling wretch, although this takes a substantial amount of time-based on its four bearers (Isildur, Gollum, Bilbo, Frodo).

** When Tolkien rewrote ''Literature/TheHobbit'' to fit with ''Lord of the Rings'', one of things he changed is calling the One Ring a "[[TropeNamer ring of power]]".

[[quoteright:254:[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Ring.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:254:[[Franchise/SpiderMan With great power]] [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility comes great responsibility]]. {{Literature/Aladdin}} [[FlavorText was never that responsible]].]]

** The Planeteers' five rings have the powers of [[FourElementEnsemble Earth, Fire, Wind, Water]] and Heart, and able to call upon Captain Planet [[AllYourPowersCombined when they combine]].

* In ''WebAnimation/RWBY'', [[TheCracker Arthur Watts]] uses several rings to hack into [[FloatingContinent Atlas']] systems. They also turn out to be able to generate a HardLight shield capable of blocking bullets.

* In ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', the villain Oliver Cromwell wears a ring that lets him hypnotize people.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]] has one as a key PlotCoupon, namely the Moon-and-Star, a ring worn by the legendary warchief Indoril Nerevar, and gave him supernatural charisma. Wearing the Moon-and-Star is considered iron-clad proof that the wearer is Nerevar reborn.

** * The ''Script/SonicTheHedgehogBible'' (written by Sega of America back in the 90s) offers a western backstory for the Sonic franchise, including the ubiquitous golden rings. The friendly Dr. Ovi Kintobor creates the Retro-Orbital Chaos Compressor (R.O.C.C. for short) to purge the world of evil and pollution, and golden Containment Rings are a major component of the device. When when a freak lab accident makes the R.O.C.C. go haywire, the machine scatters its Containment Rings across the various levels that Sonic explores. This backstory for the rings also features in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogPromoComic'', ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'', and ''Literature/StaySonic''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet|and the Planeteers}}'', there are the five rings of the Planeteers which have the powers of [[FourElementEnsemble Earth, Fire, Wind, Water]] and Heart, and able to call upon Captain Planet [[AllYourPowersCombined when they combine]].

[[caption-width-right:254:[[Franchise/SpiderMan With great power]] [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility comes great responsibility]]. [[FlavorText Aladdin was never that responsible]].]]

Compare MaskOfPower, HatOfPower, TrickedOutGloves, CrystalSkull.

Compare MaskOfPower, CrownOfPower, TrickedOutGloves, CrystalSkull.

** The first book makes mention of Alan Scott's Green Lantern Ring, which was wielded by the man himself in opposition to a pre HeelFaceTurn Magneto during the 70's and 80's and against whatever the hell was unleashed by [[MadScientist Project]] [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Pegasus]]. Unfortunately, Alan retired from SHIELD, handed in the ring, then was killed during the Battle of New York. Fortunately, Doctor Strange swiped it, then gave it to a suitable successor - [[spoiler: Carol Danvers]]. The only catch was that he didn't tell her what it actually was.
*** ''Unfinished Business'' just how terrifyingly powerful the Ring was really capable of being, especially when in the hands of an expert or up against its EvilCounterpart, [[spoiler: Pandora's Box]], as wielded by [[spoiler: Nimue]]. The ensuing battle royale ends up unleashing enough magic that it ''terraforms Mars''. As a ''side-effect''.
** In ''Ghosts of the Past'', the altered First Task involves the four Champions each seeking an enchanted ring in an abandoned underground fortress, braving traps, and monsters on the way. Numerous references to ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' are made, primarily by [[GenreSavvy Harry]], who is wryly amused to find that his ring is a simple gold one, just like the One Ring, and recites part of the Ring Verse -- a reference that gains additional significance when one considers that while ''Lord of the Rings'' is fiction In-Universe, it's fiction based on reality (Loki took a liking to Tolkien -- who was implied to have some ability as a {{Seer|s}} -- and gave him a tour of the Nine Realms). The rings themselves, however, don't seem to be all that powerful, and their only so far displayed function is to lead their bearers out. More significant is the fact that the Task gets hijacked by [[spoiler: an Elder Wyrm, a dragon of Surtur's creation which has been slumbering for the last few hundred millennia under the fortress, and its army of Barrow-Wight minions.]]

** The nine rings that were given to humans granted them extended life but not ''more'' life, eventually reducing them to [[TheUndead wraiths]] with little strength or will except what Sauron granted them.

* ''VideoGame/JewelMaster'' have the titular artifacts, enchanted jewels built in magic rings made by the Twelve Masters of the Elements centuries ago. Collecting and wearing the rings allows the player to cast different, deadly spells including energy blasts, summoning a barrier, launching a stream of flames, or allowing you to DoubleJump.
You're one of the warriors under the order of the Four Masters on a quest to collect all twelve of those rings to save your kingdom, which you do, and in the final stage you use those twelve rings to defeat the dreaded Demon King called Jardine the Mad.

* The ring that Evangeline gives Negi in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' as a gift from master to student, which serves as a more compact MagicWand compared to his SimpleStaff, letting him cast spells with his hands free.

Compare MaskOfPower, TrickedOutGloves, CrystalSkull.

* One cartoon starring an AU version of [[Franchise/FantasticFour The Thing]] without the Franchise/FantasticFour used this trope to turn The Thing into a HenshinHero. The premise was that some bizarre incident reverted pilot Benjamin Grimm into a gangly teenager again that the other characters called "Benji". The incident also gave him the power to turn into The Thing after putting the two halves of his "Thing Ring" together.

* The Secret Scouts' rings in ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaucers}}''.

* King Solomon's ring appears in a few ''Literature/ArabianNights'' engraved with a holy seal that can control djinn.

[[caption-width-right:254:[[Franchise/SpiderMan With great power]] [[ComesGreatResponsibility comes great responsibility]]. [[FlavorText Aladdin was never that responsible]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/KidCosmic'': When Kid finds the Stones of Power, he decides to make them into rings by gluing them on hex nuts. Why? Because "rings are cooler".