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A magic ring is a ring, usually a finger ring, that has magical properties. It appears frequently in fantasy and fairy tales. Magic rings are found in the folklore of every country where rings are worn,〔Josepha Sherman, ''Once upon a Galaxy'' p 129 ISBN 0-87483-387-6〕 and they endow the wearer with a variety of abilities, including invisibility, the granting of wishes, and immortality. Sometimes, they can be cursed, as in the fictional ring that was recovered by Sigurd from the hoard of the dragon Fafnir in Norse mythology〔Byock, Jesse L, 1990, reprinted 1999. ''The Saga of the Volsungs: the Norse Epic of Sugurd the Dragon Slayer''. Translated from Old Norse with an introduction. Penguin Books Limited.〕 or the fictional ring that features in J R R Tolkien's modern saga ''The Lord of the Rings''. More often, however, they are featured as forces for good, or as a neutral tool whose value is dependent upon the wearer.〔 A finger ring is a convenient choice for a magic item: it is ornamental, distinctive and often unique, a commonly worn item, of a shape that is often endowed with mystical properties (circular), can carry an enchanted stone, and is usually worn on a finger, which can be easily pointed at a target.〔John Grant and John Clute, ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'', "Rings", p 813 ISBN 0-312-19869-8〕 ==History == Early stories of magical rings date to classical antiquity. Plato, in the second book of The Republic, tells a story about the Ring of Gyges, which conferred invisibility on its wearer.〔Grube, G M A and Reeve, rev C D C. 1997. ''Republic: Book II''. In: Cooper, John M (Ed). ''Plato: Complete Works''. Hackett Publishing Company. p 1000.〕 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, however, who was king of Lydia, make no mention of a magic ring. Rings are not generally attributed with magic powers in ancient Greek legend, although many other magical objects are listed, particularly in the Perseus myth. Josephus (8.2) has an anecdote of one Eleazar who used a magic ring to exorcise demons in the presence of Vespasian. J G Frazer, in his study of magic and superstition in ''The Golden Bough'', has speculated to the effect that rings can serve, in the "primitive mind", as devices to prevent the soul from leaving the body and to prevent demons from gaining entry.〔Frazer, James, 1922. The Golden Bough. Published by Penguin Books Limited with an introduction by George Stocking Jr., 1996 (Frazer's abridged version).〕 A magic ring, therefore, might confer immortality by preventing the soul's departure and thwart the penetration of any harmful magic that might be directed against the wearer. These magical properties inhibiting access to the soul may explain "an ancient Greek maxim, attributed to (ancient philosopher and mystic ) Pythagoras, which forbade people to wear rings" in ancient Greece.〔Frazer, James, 1922. The Golden Bough. Published by Penguin Books Limited with an introduction by George Stocking Jr., 1996 (Frazer's abridged version). p 293.〕 ===Medieval demonology and alchemy=== In the medieval demonology, in both Arabic and Hebraic tradition, this gave rise to the legend of the Ring of Solomon used for such purposes, which by the Renaissance era also entered Western magic, occultism and alchemy. Magic rings feature in ''Arabian Nights'', where Aladdin summons a second djinn from a finger ring. Magic rings are known in medieval Jewish esoteric tradition; they are mentioned in the Talmud and Midrash. Solomon's magical ring had many properties in legend: making him all-knowing, conferring him with the ability to speak with animals and bearing the special sigil that sealed genies into bottles.〔 A story about King Solomon and a ring is found in the Babylonian Talmud,〔(Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Gittin ) Folio 68a.〕 but rings are more fully discussed in Jewish mystical literature. The power of a ring is in the divine name with which it is inscribed; such rings are used to invoke and command various guardians of heavenly palaces and to gain entrance to those heavens.〔For the use of such rings in halakhic literature see Mark Verman's "The Books of Contemplation" chapter two, note 200.〕 In the Zohar, God is thought to own and use a signet ring, or, at least, a signet.〔Zohar 1:29a, although this is certainly metaphorical.〕 In the medieval collection of Welsh tales called the Mabinogion one of the romances – Geraint ab Erbin – has the eponymous character find a ring that grants him the powers of invisibility when worn.〔http://gorddcymru.org/twilight/camelot/mabinogion/geraint.htm〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「magic ring」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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