Ever jokes about being a nerd, and he makes light of it -- rolling his eyes and gesturing it off. But the truth of the matter is that he was put in Life division for a reason, and the second he slides into library duty, the truth comes to the surface.
He is curious about their origins, about what little he's heard of Merlin and Arthur, and so he starts at the beginning, with children's stories. Somehow, growing up, he managed to miss out on all of this. He has never seen The Sword in the Stone, even, and maybe now he wants to.
But first he will research older sources. Mixed with a bit of fun on the side.
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Excalibur
Excalibur, naturally, is where Ever has started exploring, has started his notes, including dozens of references and reference numbers to review later. Among them are the Historia Regum Britanniae, Historia Brittonum and Annales Cambriae, which he has already begun paging through for any quirks of translation that might imply hunters or horsemen, with a stricter eye. The library doesn't seem to have The Age of Arthur on hand, which Ever takes to imply that it's not an accurate telling, but perhaps he will pick up a copy next he is on leave.
He also, frustrated, is trying to find a class that can teach him Welsh and Breton, so that he can explore some of the older myths in their original tongue. Ever has done enough bible study that he knows the problems that arise through the telephone-game string of translations all feeding on each other. He wants to read Y Gododdin, the Taliesin poems, and the Black Book of Carmarthen, among many others.
The library's copy of Le Morte d'Arthur has seen better days and, reading it over, Ever may have fallen in love with it just a little bit. This, too, will be added to his personal library on his next leave.
Amusingly enough, though, the library does also hold copies of The Once and Future King and The Mists of Avalon. These aren't, he thinks, of much actual research value. But he reads them all the same.
See Arthur's other weapons:
Carnwennan: Arthur's dagger, used to slice a witch in half.
Clarent: Sword of peace, used for knighting; the sword that was used to kill Arthur.
Mantle of Arthur: Renders the wearer invisible.
Rhongomyniad: Arthur's spear.
And others from the myths:
Fail-not: the bow of Tristan, which always hit its mark.
Lancelot's ring: Protected the wearer from magic. In some myths, given by the Lady of the Lake.
Stone of Giramphiel: Protected the wearer (Gaiwan) from dragon fire.
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Interlude
It's somewhere about a quarter way into The Mists of Avalon that Ever realizes how widespread this story is, how much it's been accepted into the public eye and modern culture. And something about this idea gives him pause: sprawled out on his bed with the pages spread open, his head cocked to one side in a thoughtful sort of way.
There are other stories, like this. And he's probably not the first to think it, but now he's curious. And so the Arthur research is put on hold so he can explore other stories, including those myths he grew up reading about.
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Greek Mythology
Of course the stories of Greek Mythology are older than what is widely taught as the first ever Hunter weapon, but Ever's more familiar with them than anything else, and so they hold his interest. Perhaps with good cause. It's all too obvious that there were monsters back then, perhaps less of a split between the world of Fear and the one that humans occupied. This is a bigger question than he's comfortable exploring, so he just looks at the weapons, whether they be precursor to what Hunters have now or simple runic creations used to fend off enemy forces.
He also, generally, ignores those artifacts wielded by the Gods themselves. Perhaps he will come back to those, someday, but it seems to him that those are more likely to by allegory than reality. He focuses solely on the heroes.
Aegis: The shield of zeus, used by Perseus in his quest and to carry the head of Medusa.
Argo: Ship of Jason, whose prow held the ability to speak prophecies. Monster? Artifact?
Bow of Odysseus: No one but Odysseus is able to string and use this bow, seaming to imply some kind of bond -- or at least ability.
Cap of Invisibility: Worn by Perseus in myth to escape after his defeat of Medusa. Predictably, renders the wearer invisible.
Golden Fleece: Potentially just a representation of power [?] modern myths have assigned it abilities but it seems, primarily, to have existed solely to be one of Jason's labors.
Golden Goblet: Given to Heracles to help him cross the ocean.
Heracles's Bow: Heracles also used arrows tipped with Hydra poison.
Hide of the Nemean Lion: The skin worn by Heracles, which could not be pierced by any conventional [read: human] weapons.
Pandora's Box: This is a myth that interests him as it potentially could be a tale about an object used to contain monsters, but Ever's more inclined to view it as an allegory.
Ring of Gyges: Mentioned by Pluto, wielded by the king of Lydia. It had the power to render the wearer invisibly. It was found on a body, meaning it was older even than the myth. And here Ever writes "read Lord of the Rings".
Rod of Asclepius: While Asclepius was in some myths a god, in others he was a wanderer, and so it is hesitantly included. It is associated with healing abilities.
Thyrsus: Fennel-staff wielded by the Maenads in the Bacchanal. It is a symbol of fertility. Here, Ever stutters a bit, because it seems unlikely to him that Hunters would use such a thing, for obvious reasons. However, the Maenads were completely insane, so perhaps it is a monster artifact used on humans.
Winged Sandals: Used by Perseus in his quest to destroy Medusa, gave the wearer the ability to fly.
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Celtic Mythology
Caladbolg: The sword of Fergus mac Róich from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology; extremely powerful, and said to leave light [or a rainbot] in its wake. It chopped through hills.
Gáe Buide: Yellow spear of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, which inflicted wounds no one could recover from.
Gáe Bulg: seven-headed spear wielded by Cúchulainn in the Táin Bó Cuailnge. Made from the bones of a sea monster.
Gáe Derg: Red spear of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, which destroyed any magic it touched.
Moralltach: Sword of Aengus which was fabled to be highly lethal, killing with a single blow.
Spear of Lugh: Belonged to the mighty-king / deity Lugh. Made of yew; seems unlikely to be Hunter, then.
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Beowulf
Note that Beowulf does seem to have a certain element of this hunter-mythos to it, except that it's far too old. To Ever, though, it seems to match the prototype.
Hrunting: the sword of Beowulf was supposed to possess great power, but failed to do so underwater.
Nægling: the story used by Beowulf to finally kill the dragon, at which point it snapped in half.
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Christian Mythology
Ever admits a certain bias in believing that these might be weapons of power, and so his notes are brief. He is also, primarily, working on memory. He's strangely uncomfortable researching this.
Holy Grail: As this is also tied into Arthurian myth, Ever can't help but be curious as to if the grail is real, and if so, where it's gone to. But not with the feverish need others have shown through history.
Lance of Longinus: The spear that was used to stab Jesus.
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General Folklore
Hand Of Glory: Said to have the power to unlock doors and freeze people where the stood, making it useful for thieves or spies.
Magic carpet: Multiple instances, as with Seven-league boots. Potentially a common artifact type, or one that shows again and again over the years.
Philosopher's Stone: Ever thinks that this is bullshit, and so he dedicates very little time to it. Merely men promising more than they can offer, in truth. Besides, it's useless; who needs to turn metal to gold?
Seven-league Boots: There are a surprising number of mentions of these boots, leading Ever to believe they are either an artifact or a common type of artifact.
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"Modern" Weapons
Almace: A sibling to Durendal and Curtana, able to slice a hand's breadth into a steel mound. Given by Charlemagne to Bishop Turpin.
Curtana: A sibling to Almace and Durendal, called the Sword of Mercy and used as a ceremonial sword by British monarchs, on record as far back as 1236. It is broken. Some myths say this was Tristan's sword, originally.
Durendal: A sibling to Almace and Curtana, the sword of Charlemagne's paladin Roland, from poems of the same name. Supposedly forged by Wayland the Smith, a great maker of weapons [research further]. Sharpest sword in existence.
Joyeuse: The sword of Charlemagne is here with several question marks next to it. A blade has been discovered using this name, but its dating isn't correct to be the weapon used by the great king. Possibly it was a hunter weapon, and has been reclaimed.
Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain: Thirteen artifacts that appear in many texts in the 15th & 16th centuries, each with a specific power very similar to Hunter artifacts.
