Excalibur Sword

There are two versions to the myth of the Excalibur sword. In the first, the death of Uther Pendragon prompted the nobles of England to ask Merlin the wizard for aid in securing a new king. In response, he planted a sword in a stone, claiming that only the rightful king would be able to pull the sword from its resting place. His charge, Arthur, Uther's son, was the only one capable of fulfilling the task. In this version of the story, it is said that the sword Arthur withdrew was Excalibur.

Although the above story retains some merit in the second version, this account maintains that the sword Arthur pulled from the stone was not Excalibur. This legend recalls that the original sword in the stone was broken during Arthur's fight against King Pellinore. After this incident, the Lady of the Lake gave Arthur his new sword, which was given the name of Excalibur (meaning "cut steel"). Upon Arthur's death, he requested of Sir Bedivere that Excalibur be returned to the Lady of the Lake.

Name Origins

In Welsh legend, the name of the sword was Caledfwich, and as in the English and French versions of the tale, it was one of Arthur's most valuable possessions. However, in the Welsh tale, Excalibur wasn't used by Arthur. One of his warriors, Llenlleawg the Irishman, used the sword in his duel with the Irish King Diwrnach over the king's magical cauldron. The word was later Latinized to Caliburn or Caliburnus, and after some time, altered to Excalibur.

The Welsh name for Excalibur, Caledfwich is believed to be based on a legendary Irish weapon named Caladbolg. This lightning sword was said to have been carried by heroes of Irish folklore. In the Anglicized version, the sheath of Excalibur was purported to hold the power to protect its bearer from harm, including protecting him or her from further effects of a wound already received. The Anglicized legends tell of Morgan Le Fay's theft of the scabbard, which left Arthur vulnerable and led to his death.