Arthur Pendragon's sword

Excalibur

The Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake

Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereigntyof Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early. In Welsh, the sword is called Caledfwlch.

Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign. She calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel." In the Vulgate Mort Artu, Arthur orders Griflet to throw the sword into the enchanted lake. After two failed attempts (as he felt such a great sword should not be thrown away), he finally complies with the wounded king's request and a hand emerges from the lake to catch it, a tale which becomes attached to Bedivere instead in Malory and the English tradition. Malory records both versions of the legend in his Le Morte d'Arthur, naming Excalibur as the sword the Lady of the Lake gives to Arthur to replace the sword that Arthur broke in his fight with King Pellinore.

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