Arthur's magic possessions form a prominent element in Welsh
tradition, and their appearance in the early chronicles is an
important testimony to the diffusion of Welsh legend. _Kilhwch and
Olwen_ contains a list of his belongings, all of which there is
reason to believe, from record or from logical inference, were of
otherworld origin. Each has its significant proper name, which in most
cases conveys the idea of brilliant whiteness, a characteristic of
Celtic fairy objects. His ship, for example, is named White Form,
his shield "Night Gainsayer," his dagger "White Haft." The _Dream of
Rhonabwy_ [20] describes his carpet (or mantle), "White," which had the
property of retaining no colour but its own, and of making whoever
was on it (or wrapped in it) invisible, and also his sword,
"Hard-breacher," graven with two serpents from whose jaws two flames
of fire seemed to burst when it was unsheathed, "and then so wonderful
was the sword that it was hard for any one to look upon it." This
sword (Caletvwlch, Caliburn, Excalibur) is a Pan-Celtic marvellous
object, and is one of Arthur's most famous possessions. The deadly
blows attributed by Nennius to him in the Battle of Mount Badon
without doubt traditionally were dealt by Caliburn. Geoffrey of
Monmouth recognised it as a fairy sword, and says that it was made in
Avalon, namely, the Celtic otherworld. We may also feel confident that
the full panoply of armour with which Geoffrey equips Arthur (ix. 4)
consisted of magic objects, although Geoffrey, who in general, as an
historian, rationalises the supernatural, merely describes them as
amazingly efficacious. The shield he calls by the name of Arthur's
ship in Welsh sources, Pridwen (evidently a fairy boat, limitless in
capacity), either from some confusion in tradition, or because, being
enchanted, Pridwen might, of course, serve as either ship or shield.
Layamon adds further information about Arthur's weapons. His burny,
he says (vs. 21133-34) "was named Wygar" (Anglo-Saxon _wigheard_),
"Battle-hard," "which Witeze wrought," Witeze being a corrupted form
for Widia, the Anglo-Saxon name of the son of Weland, the Teutonic
Vulcan, a famous maker of magic weapons in romance, with whom his son
might easily become identified in legend.
This is the explanation given by Professor G.L. Kittredge of the above
lines, as a correction of Sir Frederic Madden's translation: "he
[namely, the smith who made the burny] was named Wygar, the witty
wight." Layamon says (v. 21147) that Arthur's helmet was called
Goswhit, a name that is evidently a translation of some Welsh term
meaning "goosewhite," which at once classes the helmet with Arthur's
dazzlingly bright fairy belongings. Moreover, Layamon says (vs. 21158,
23779 ff.) that his spear Ron (a Welsh common noun, meaning "spear")
was made by a smith called Griffin, whose name may be the result of an
English substitution of the familiar word _griffin_ for the unfamiliar
_Gofan_, the name of the Celtic smith-god. These facts are mainly
important as testimony to the Celtic element in Arthurian romance, and
especially to Layamon's use of current Welsh Arthurian tradition. The
large variety of magical possessions assigned to Arthur is also a
notable indication of the great emphasis that Welsh legend laid
upon his mythological attributes and his character as otherworld
adventurer.
[The above facts have been established and discussed by Professor
A.C.L. Brown in his article on the Round Table (p. 199, note 1) cited
below in Excursus II.; also in _Iwain_, Boston, 1903, p. 79, note
1; _Modern Philology_, I., 5-8; _Publications of the Modern Language
Association of America_, XXV., 25 ff. See also the notes on the lines
cited from Layamon in Sir Frederic Madden's edition of the _Brut_. For
other magic possessions of Arthur, see below, Excursus II.]