What was the name of the sword Arthur pulled from the stone?
King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship both in war and peace. He is the central character in the cycle of legends known as the Matter of Britain. There is disagreement about whether Arthur, or a model for him, ever actually existed. In the earliest mentions and in Welsh texts, he is never given the title “King.” Early texts refer to him as a dux bellorum (“war leader”), and medieval Welsh texts often call him ameraudur (“emperor”; the word is borrowed from the Latin imperator, which could also mean “war leader”). The historicity of the Arthur of legend has long been debated by scholars. One school of thought believes that Arthur had no historical existence. [1] Some hold that he originally was a half-forgotten Celtic deity that devolved into a personage (citing sometimes a supposed change of the sea-god Lir into King Lear). Supporters of this theory often link it to the Welsh etymology of Arthur’s name as derived
Long answer, but I think it explains the confusion: Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur. The sword that Arthur alone was able to draw from the stone, thus denoting his kingship, was later broken. The true “Excalibur” with its scabbard, was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. On his death, it was eventually returned to the Lady of the Lake by Sir Bedivere. “The sword was called “Excalibur”, which means, “cut steel”. Early tradition (by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace and Layamon), called the sword “Caliburn”; a magical sword from Avalon. The tale of Arthur drawing the sword out of the rock first appeared in Robert de Boron’s French verse tale, called Merlin. But the English author, named Sir Thomas Malory (and in the French Suite du Merlin (“Prose Merlin”), c. 1240), wrote that the sword that Arthur had pulled out of stone was not Excalibur; in fact, Arthur broke his first sword in the fight against King Pellinor. Shortly after, Arthur then received a new sword from the Lady
Caladfwich The Tradition: The Name “Excalibur” was first used for King Arthur’s sword by the French Romancers. It was not the famous “Sword in the Stone” (which broke in battle), but a second sword acquired by the King through the intercession of his druidic advisor, Merddyn (Merlin). Worried that Arthur would fall in battle, Merlin took the King to a magical lake where a mysterious hand thrust itself up from the water, holding aloft a magnificent sword. It was the Lady of the Lake offering Arthur a magic unbreakable blade, fashioned by an Avalonian elf smith, along with a scabbard which would protect him as long as he wore it. Towards the end of his reign, during the troubled times of Medrod’s rebellion, Excalibur was stolen by Arthur’s wicked half-sister, Morgan le Fay. Though it was recovered, the scabbard was lost forever. Thus Arthur was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camlann. The King then instructed Bedwyr (or Girflet) to return Excalibur to the lake from whence it came. Howe
The sword first came from the Lady of the Lake, who was its original keeper. At some point (varies with the retelling) someone (usually Arther’s father, but sometimes someone else) got the sword from the Lady, then eventually stuck it in the stone. Arthur became king when he took the sword from the stone. The sword was later broken, as a result of Arthur’s ignoble actions, and was then taken back to the Lady by Merlin for repairs. The sword was returned to the Lady after Arthur died, to await the return of someone worthy to be its bearer.
