Excalibur n. 

In Arthurian legend, the magical sword possessed by King Arthur.

 

Excalibur is perhaps the best known sword in the world. Many know of its ties to the world of myth and magic, the Arthurian Legend. The story of the great sword planted deep within a huge stone, irremovable except to the true heir to the throne of Logres (present day Britain); of a hand clasping a beautiful sword, rising out of a lake, of foes slain and a kingdom saved.

 

The word "Excalibur", King Arthur's legendary sword, means "cut-steel". Contrary to popular belief, Excalibur was not the "Sword in the Stone" that Arthur removed in order to become king. The sword in the stone, "Caliburn" was later broken in a fight with King Pellinor. The name "Caliburn" is thought to be a slur or derivative of "Caledvwlch", from the Mabinogion, a collection of stories and poems by Welsh bards. Some believe that Excalibur, in turn, was a slur or derivative of Caliburn, but many others believe it was a completely different sword.

There are two main beliefs as to the way Caliburn became Excalibur.

The first is the most widely held, and states that Caliburn was broken during the fight with King Pellinor, who consequently quickly nearly defeated Arthur, but Merlin came to the rescue and cast a sleep spell on Pellinor. Merlin took Arthur to a lake, and he recieved Excalibur from a hand that rose up from the water. This belief is stated in Suite du Merlin by Sir Thomas Malory.

Another split in beliefs occurs here: Either that the hand gave Arthur a choice between the Blade Excalibur, or the Scabbard Excalibur. Contrary to Merlin's orders, Arthur chose the Blade, which lacked the Scabbard's protective magic.

The second belief about Caliburn and Excalibur is that when Caliburn was shattered, the pieces were reforged and given a new name: Excalibur. "Ex" means "used to be", or "formerly" and "Calibur" is most of the name of the old sword, Caliburn, hence Excalibur = Formerly Calibur(n). This is stated in Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory.

 

The sword Excalibur (meaning "cut-steel"), or Caliburn, was the magical sword of King Arthur. It is often mistaken for the Sword in the Stone, the sword that Arthur pulled out of a stone that recognized his nobility and kingship. The actual Excalibur was the beautiful sword that was given to him by the Lady of the Lake, after the Sword in the Stone was broken in battle. The myht of Excalibur has been told for countelss times worldwide, but does everyone know the true story of Excalibur?

 

King Uther, the King of England, had died and left no apparent heir to the throne. So Merlin the magician, put a beautifully fashioned swrod in a sonte and proclaimed that whoever can pull the sword from the stone would become the next king of England. Many knights and nobles came from across the country to try to pull out the sword, but none succeeded until Arthur, King Uther's real son, easily withdrew the sword and was declared King.

 

Unfortunately, the sword was broken in battle with King Pellinor. After the battle, Merlin took Arthur to the Lady of the Lake, who gave Arthur the true Excalibur, fashioned by an Avalonian elf-smith. Arthur recieved the sword from a hand sticking out of the water of the lake.

 

Merlin advised the young king that during battle he should not unsheathe the sword until the point of defeat. During one battle, Arthur waited until just that moment, then pulled Excalibur from its scabbard. It shone with the light of thirty torches, blinding the enemy and allowing Arthur's army to win the battle.

 

When Arthur lay dying, he asked one of his most loyal knights, Bedwyr, to throw the sword back into the lake from whence it came. Bedwyr did so, and a hand came from the lake and grabbed the sword, drawing it back into the depths.

 

So ended the myth of Excalibur.

 

Excalibur, known to many magicians and swordsmen as in the medieval times, looks like a Scottish Claymore. The blade is long, as much as four feet in length, and only a few inches wide. The hilt is wide, and the handle is designed for either one or two handed combat. The handle is made of stone or marble, hence the sword is very heavy to carry. On the blade is inscribed the royal symbol of the Lion, representing King Arthur. The sword holds the power of destruction, enough to destroy armies at once. The sheath possesses the power to protect its bearer from harm caused by weapons of enemies.

 

Rarely is there a myth so widely known and disputed as that of King Arthur and Excalibur, with so many side stories. Many things are unknown for sure about Excalibur, such as, "How was Excalibur made? What did it look like? Where is the Lake from which it emerged?" So many questions without answers, as they will be until the actual sword is found.

However, the myth of Excalibur and King Arthur is massively responsible for the large interest in Medieval European times, a romantic setting with castles, damsels, and gallant knights (maybe even those of the Round Table). With all these credits to its name, Excalibur is and will always be the Sword of Legend.