Belief in Magical Qualities.
The ancient belief in the supernatural was not confined to the spiritual world, but also extended to inanimate objects which were sometimes invested with magical qualities, as for instance, the Helms of Perseus and Pluto, which rendered their wearers invisible. The same virtue was possessed by Albric’s cloak, Tarnkappe, which also invested the wearer with the strength of twelve men; by means of which, and the invisibility conferred, Siegfried was able to overcome Brunhild, the martial queen of Iceland.