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.