This paper condicts both a quantitative and a qualitative analysis of The Lord of the Rings. In particular, it claims that the One Ring and other powers conceptualised as objects in the novel are based on a metaphoric blend, which is echoed in related metaphors for power in the trilogy. It is suggested that the use of such metaphors in a literary work aims to achieve a stylistic effect. The study examines the One Ring as a metaphoric blend (in the sense of Fauconnier, 1997) based on the Object Event-Structure (OES) metaphor, in which abstract goals are conceptualised as physical objects (Lakoff and Johnson, 1999), and compares the structure of this blend with all other OES metaphors for power throughout the Lord of the Rings. Results from this comparison show that while good characters feel ‘burdened’ by other forms of power and authority, evil characters do not feel that power is a ‘burden’. Similarly, the manner in which the Ring is acquired is indicative of character quality, a trend shared by other metaphors for power and authority. Finally, the study shows that other metaphoric ‘objects’ are more likely to be evil, whereas plants and growing things are more likely to map metaphorically onto the forces of good.