lord of the rings what does the ring represent
Ring of Power
One Ring
 It first appeared in the earlier story "The Hobbit" (1937) as a magic ring that grants the wearer invisibility. Tolkien changed it into a malevolent Ring of Power and re-wrote parts of "The Hobbit" to fit in with the expanded narrative.
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One Ring [SEP] Introduction
The One Ring is a central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" (1954–55). It first appeared in the earlier story "The Hobbit" (1937) as a magic ring that grants the wearer invisibility. Tolkien changed it into a malevolent Ring of Power and re-wrote parts of "The Hobbit" to fit in with the expanded narrative. "The Lord of the Rings" describes the hobbit Frodo Baggins's quest to destroy the Ring. Critics have noticed similarities and differences with the ring-based plot of Richard Wagner's opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen"; Tolkien denied any connection, but at the least, both men drew on the same mythology.