Excited by jealousy, he hid himself on one of the prohibited days and saw her in her transformed state, whereupon she was obliged to quit, and wander about as a spirit till the day of doom.
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.
The Shirt of Nessus
More malignant in character was the Shirt of Nessus as the source of misfortune from which there was no escape. According to tradition, Nessus the Centaur, while conveying Dejanira across a river, was shot by Hercules for his rudeness. The dying Centaur bequeathed his tunic to Dejanira, assuring her that to whomsoever she gave it, they would love her exclusively. Believing this, she presented it to Hercules, who on wearing it was subjected to such torture that, being unable to remove the garment, he immolated himself on a funeral pyre.
Similarly malignant was the poison-cloak sent as a present to Arthur by Queen Morgan la Fay.
Swords
Swords at all times have been possessed of magical qualities, but the belief possibly indicates stages of development. The description of the sword of Perseus as a form of diamond, suggests that the story had its origin in the Stone Age. It is reasonable to presume that the later improvements were such an advance that they suggested supernatural origin; e.g., the sword of Siegfried, the name of which was Balmung or Gram (literally “grief”).
The sword was reputed to be made by Wieland Smith, the Vulcan of the Scandinavians. To test the blade he tried it on Amilias, a brother smith, cleaving him through helm and armour down to the waist, but the cut was so fine that Amilias was not aware that he was wounded until he attempted to move, when he fell in two pieces.
Arthur’s sword Excalibur (liberated from the stone) is a later development, as the magical property was in the sheath, which rendered the wearer immune from injury. Arthur’s undoing was the result of losing the sheath, though he retained the sword.