The granting of gifts imitate the actions of the kings in the Norse and Anglo-Saxon sources. In the poem Beowolf, the king Hrothgar is called a "ring giver". He showers Beowulf with presents after he has killed the monster Grendel. Rings are gifts that bind the wearer to the giver in these ancient tales. If one recives gold objects as gifts from the true owner, no harm can come to the wearer.

The northern stories of rings show that a ring stolen curses its posessor, and a ring given cements relationships, even beyond the grave.