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I know that not all Green (or any other color) Lanterns wear physical rings, but most do and that seems to be the case historically as well. I'm curious as to whether or not there's a canon explanation as to why they wear rings specifically?

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They aren't all rings. Some Green Lanterns don't even have fingers. The ring can take the shape necessary to be close to the body of the wearer. Given the diversity of the alien races in the DC Universe, it would be hard to create a single form that would work for every creature shape possible. A ring isn't universal, it is merely convenient for many but not all species.

  • In Universe: In the DC Universe, there are a preponderance of humanoid creatures with bilateral symmetry, perhaps it is simply a convenience or conceit on the part of the humanoid Malthusians/Guardians to design them as rings.

enter image description here

  • Out-of-Universe: The character of Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern was designed on the common genre trope of the "ring of power". Since the update to the Golden Age Green Lantern was the Silver Age, Hal Jordan, the design was changed but the basic form remained the same.

enter image description here Hal Jordan on the left, the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott on the right.

See Also: Do power rings get resized for each user?

See Also: Can a handless character join the Green Lantern Corps?

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    Also it just looks cool. Imagine Hal wore it as a belt. Thrusting his crotch at villains... his adventures would take on a different tone.
    – Daft
    Commented Jul 10, 2015 at 15:59
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    Additionally, I would argue that a ring is one of the smallest objects one can easily wear, without relying on piercings or attachment to clothing. That, plus the fact that rings are worn on hands, which are the primary "tool using" parts of a humanoid body, makes it a perfect place to locate the tool of the Lantern Corps.
    – Nerrolken
    Commented Jul 10, 2015 at 16:15
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    @Daft ...but not too different. More... blatant.
    – Politank-Z
    Commented Jul 10, 2015 at 17:06
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    @Nerrolken I think that's particularly spot-on. A necklace or a ankle bracelet could also be good places, but in terms of "canalising" the powers, the hands make more sense.
    – Alfredo Hernández
    Commented Jul 10, 2015 at 17:50
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    @AlfredoHernández - i think you're looking for "channeling".
    – Davor
    Commented Jul 10, 2015 at 21:14

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