Svanhvít

* Odile von Rothbart

**Svanhvít**, also known as the **Swan Cloak**, is an enchanted article of clothing created by Odin for the Valkyries, which grants them flight and invisibility.

## Summary

The *svanhvít* was created by Odin thousands of years ago as a gift for his demigod daughter, Brynhildr, who was also the first of the Valkyries. Since then, it has become a tradition for a new valkyrie to receive her own cloak from Odin, personally tailored to fit her style and magical signature.

Centuries later, when Brynhildr left the valkyries to be with the hero Siegfried, she took with her the first *svanhvít*, which later became the family heirloom of house Lohengrin, passed down from one virginal daughter to another upon her death bed. However, when their ancestral manor was burned down by the Thule Society in World War I, the *svanhvít* was also destroyed in the fire.

Another notable *svanhvít* was the one kept by the Swan Guard, an ancient order founded by the Knight of the Swan, and is passed down from one Swan Prince to another. No one is sure about its origins, with many believing the Swan Prince's cloak and the Lohengrins' family heirloom to be one and the same, no one has been able to confirm nor deny any claim.

According to Odin, while the cloaks mentioned above are the most popular, those are not the only *svanhvít* outside of Vahalla's control as he usually let the valkyries keep their cloaks after they left. However, the ones above are special as, despite being centuries-old, their magic still remains while normal *svanhvít*'d require recharge with his own divine power every few decades or so before its magic eventually fades away.

## Appearance

Despite being called cloak, *svanhvít* doesn't always appear as a normal cloak but can be transformed into a variety of garments. Some of its most common forms include coats, blazers, veils, capes...

## Abilities

*Svanhvít* is considered a crucial part of a valkyrie's standard equipment and no valkyrie can be considered battle-ready without equipping it on their body. When they put this on, they possess the ability to fly at high speeds, capable of intricate maneuvers up in the air at a speed comparable to a racing aircraft's maximum speeds. When winged horses aren't available, it's not an overstatement that the *svanhvít* is the primary contributor to the valkyries' mobility.

It also grants its wielder invisibility, allowing them to become transparent to the human eyes so they can perform their duties without getting in trouble from humans or mundane governments. It's also rather durable and can block most curses and/or magical attacks, so one can even compare it to a magical version of a bulletproof vest.

Despite this, the true value of the *svanhvít* goes beyond enabling aviation or invisibility. Its true ability is the divine protection of Odin, the Allfather of Norse mythology. Because of this, it preserves the absolute nature of the valkyrie's mind and soul, repelling magic or attacks that potentially affect the mind, and on top of deflecting physical attacks, the wielder's body doesn't change even after massive intake of calories.

However, according to Freya, there have been multiple anecdotes wherein the removed *svanhvít* is hidden while bathing, resulting in situations like "I have to get married now..." or things in the like, which served as inspirations for many fairy tales and legends across Germanic and Nordic territories.

## Trivia

* The name, *svanhvít*, means "swan-white".
* A regular cloak is large enough to cover two grown adults underneath.
* Some cloaks grant their wielder flight by sprouting feathered wings behind their back, akin to that of an angel's, which resulted in many confunsion when Christianity came around.
* The cloak and the valkyries are the origins of the "swan maiden" stories - Stories about beautiful shapeshifting maidens who are forced to marry human men after their magical garments are taken by said men, thus preventing them from escaping.