Dragons and Rings in Literature

From the fairy tales read to you when you were a child to epic fantasies, both dragons and rings are frequently found in literature from today and literature of the past. From biblical mentions to some of the hottest teen sagas of today, dragons and rings – usually magical and enchanted – make for some of the best subject matter in many tales.

Dragons in Arthurian Literature

Dragons can be found in all types of literature, and they even have a place in the bible, typically used to describe Satan. Some of the oldest mentions of dragons aside from the bible are Arthurian tales. In the Life of Euflamm, written in the 12^th century, a dragon was slain by King Arthur, and the 14^th century Sir Gawain and the Green Knight again mentions dragons as “worms” that Gawain fights. They are also present in the more modern retelling of King Arthur, The Mists of Avalon, as a myth that one of the characters is always chasing in his homeland.

Dragons in Modern Literature

Dragons are not a thing of the past, as evidenced by the numerous works of the twentieth and twenty-first century that include them. Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series from 1990 to 2011 includes the symbol of a Chinese dragon to depict the “chosen one,” or the dragon. J.K. Rowling’s wildly popular Harry Potter series includes dragons that the contestants fight, as well as one that the famous groundskeeper “adopts.” Dragons are also present in the works of Christopher Paolini, Christopher Pike, Tony DiTerlizzi, and Holly Black.

Magical Rings in Mythology and Folklore

Magic rings have been part of stories and folklore for a very long time. The Norse god, Odin, was said to have worn a magical ring that created golden arm bands every nine days. A symbol of the generation of wealth, this ring was called a Draupnir. In Arthurian stories, Merlin the magician was given a magical ring by a priestess named Nimue, which caused him to fall in love with her. In the Arthurian tale Le Morte d’Arthur, Sir Gareth is given a ring that prevents him from bleeding at a tournament.

Tolkien

“One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness, bind them.” These are the famous words from author J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Perhaps one of the most famous stories to include a magical ring, this one also includes mention of a dragon. Dragons and rings are a large part of Tolkien’s masterpieces, which are beloved by many, young and old. The master ring was created in the fires of Mount Doom by the Dark Lord Sauron, giving him power over all races. Frodo’s mission to destroy it ensures that he has no power over those races.

Dragons and rings make for powerful, enchanting stories that stay with the readers long after the last page has been read, as evidenced by Tolkien and the other masters above.