Items of myth and legend

[Stone]

I am trying to find a good list of items or "artifacts". I am looking for items such the spear of destiny or items supposedly created by real scientists (Tesla's death ray). I am trying to stay away from mythological items like Excalibur or Zeus's Lightning Bolts. Anyone have any ideas?

[Lucius]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

??

 

In what way is the Spear of Destiny less mythological than Excalibur?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary fears the Crab Cannon

[Stone]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

You have a good point, but I am trying to keep the feel of "Indiana Jones". I realize on face value both are considered mythological. I am trying to tie in the Nazis' search for paranormal items during the 30's and 40's and things scientists supposedly created during the same time period.

[Lucius]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Well, if the Nazis had a line on something they thought was really Excalibur they'd go after it - especially before there was open war between them the Nazis and Hitler in particular had, as I understand it, an attitude of kinship with the English who they regarded as fellow "Aryans." The propoganda value alone of claiming to have the real Excalibur would make it valuable.

 

But if you'd like a relic sword that's not (exactly) Excalibur, try Gram, a sword that was similarly thrust into a tree by Odin and wielded by the hero who drew it forth, and eventually was used to slay the dragon Fafnir. Relics don't get much more German than that.

 

As for technology, ask Susano about the Nazi walking tanks.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary points out that if you do some word searches in the forums you're likley to come across more threads on related topics than you can shake an enchanted dragon slaying sword at

[Escafarc]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

How about the Horn of Roland or his sword.

[Stone]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Good idea, thanks!

[st barbara]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Any of the weapons of the Norse gods (Thor's hammer, Odin's spear, Heimdall's sword) would make good "maguffins" for a pulp quest; particularly if their a nazis involved !

[st barbara]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Oh and Nikola Tesla came up with some LOVELY devices that i'm sure any self respecting pulp villain could find a use for (including a death ray, Vtol aircraft and advanced submarines).

[LordGhee]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

• The Sword
  
• The Spear
  
• The Ring
  
• the Shield
  
• The Crown
   
   
  

In a game long ago Thease were the five major mystcal items of power from Alantis.

 

Four each a repasentation of the four elements and the fifth the (soul) mind.

 

we the players encounter a few and trace there history

 

the sheild of Achilles, The ring of King Solomon,

 

it has been stated by prophets that he who hold all will conquer the world.

 

Alexander is belived to hold four, the shield of Achilles gotten when he cut the gordean knot, the sword and the Spear and the crown (taken from the fallen Persian King ).

 

Some say that the dagger and the chalice are of the same group.

 

The the last time all five were used Alantis sank,

 

hope thi9s helps!

 

Lord Ghee

[LordGhee]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Also THE ROBE, could also be the Cloak of the Prophet, (rumored to be needed to protect the person using the items to invoke.)

[AlHazred]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Artifacts in the Indiana Jones movies are religious in significance (the Hebrew Ark of the Covenant, the Hindu Sankara Stones, the Christian Holy Grail). There are a wealth of such items from the major religions of the world:

 

• Wikipedia: List of artifacts significant to the Bible has a good list of Christian and Jewish stuff.
  
• Relics associated with Jesus is also decent.
  
• Cetiya are a Buddhist relics and sacred places
  

The only religion that seems immune is, oddly enough, Hinduism.

 

Temporal artifacts (i.e., relics without a spiritual component) are far more common and widespread.

 

• Arthurian enchanted objects
  
• The Emerald Tablets of Hermes Trismegistus (for my money, this is the best idea)
  
• Here's a thread with many ideas
  

Just about the only things I wouldn't send Indy after and thoroughly modern relics - alien spacecraft or some such, for example. Good thing they've never done an Indy movie like that! It would be terrible!

[Lucius]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

I don't know that I'd agree the Emerald Tablets have no "spiritual component."

 

"As above, so below."

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says take two Emerald Tablets and call me in the Golden Dawn

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Some ideas:

 

Crystal Skulls (I used these in a Shadow Run game)

The Keys of Solomon (books of forbidden magical knowledge sought after by masters of the Dark Arts)

The Necronomicon

Taliesin's Lute (Taliesin being a bard in King Arthur's court in Celtic Myth. Possibly the origin for the Merlin character in later romances)

The articles of the Japanese Emperor (The Mirror, the Jewel and the Sword)

The Shroud of Turan

The last remaining wooden shard of THE Cross where Jesus was crucified.

[AlHazred]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

I don't know that I'd agree the Emerald Tablets have no "spiritual component."

 

"As above, so below."

Eh, it's 50/50. An argument could be made either way. Which just makes them EVEN MOAR BETTER for the job!

[John Desmarais]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

http://warehouse13.wikia.com/wiki/Artifacts

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artifacts_and_gadgets_from_Warehouse_13

[azato]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Here is a little different twist.... I came across this BBC podcast A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 100 OBJECTS. They give an item and then give some history of what was going on in relation to the object. Many of these are not useful, but some really are. It would just take a little imagination for many of these objects especially since they are given in context.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/

 

For example:

The serpentine mask from a long dead Mexican empire

The Jade Cup of Ulugh Beg

 

There are many ways to look for objects...http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/exploreraltflash/?tag=56&tagname=Aztec,+Maya+and+Central+America

[Stone]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Thanks everyone for the great ideas, links, and help

[RJB]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Some ideas:

 

Crystal Skulls (I used these in a Shadow Run game)

The Keys of Solomon (books of forbidden magical knowledge sought after by masters of the Dark Arts)

The Necronomicon

Taliesin's Lute (Taliesin being a bard in King Arthur's court in Celtic Myth. Possibly the origin for the Merlin character in later romances)

The articles of the Japanese Emperor (The Mirror, the Jewel and the Sword)

The Shroud of Turan

The last remaining wooden shard of THE Cross where Jesus was crucified.

 

It's that last one that most intrigues me. Imagine your PC is approached by a government agent and his hot-babe daughter. He tells you that he wants you to find a piece of the true cross. After you get done laughing, you politely explain that enough pieces have been found of the "true" cross to build a ship. The agent responds that he found such a piece and used it to cure his hot babe daughter of smallpox. Unfortunately, it was lost in Cairo and is possibly now in the hands of Axis agents.

 

The agent points out the military applications of the cross. Wounded soldiers can be instantly healed so that they can go back to the front lines and kill again and again. This makes hot babe slightly uncomfortable. Nevertheless, she asks for your help.

 

The plot twist here is that hot babe still has the piece. She is working for the germans, but wont give it to anyone except Hitler himself. It's pure ego and greed on her part that will make kill any german agent that tries to take it before then, while tricking your character into getting her safely into Berlin.

 

How you want to end it is up to you.

[Escafarc]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

Maybe you can use this:

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/22/1000-sqft-secret-cha.html

[st barbara]

Re: Items of myth and legend

 

In one of my early attempts to write a "Pulp" story (I have made several; mostly they fail dismally) I used the banner of the Tuetonic Knights (which I speculated was lost at "The Ice Slaughter" see "Alexander Nevski") as the "maguffin" that the nazis were after. My current attempt (which has progressed further than most do ) uses the codices of the Aztecs.