King Arthur is one of the most famous legendary rulers of the past. His image is reflected in many literary works and cinema. Everything connected with this great ruler of the Britons is extremely interesting and shrouded in a veil of secrecy. The sword of King Arthur is another fascinating legend from Celtic tales. It is often confused with another famous weapon - a stone blade. The history of the sword Excalibur - find out how it appeared, got to King Arthur and where it is now.
The legendary ruler of Britain - birth and upbringing
The tales of King Arthur appeared a long time ago. The first mention of it refers to the year 600. A Welsh poem from this period tells of a battle between the Britons and the Anglo-Saxons. The Arthurian tales were made popular by the 12th-century priest and writer Geoffrey of Monmouth, or Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the first to combine fragmentary information about the famous ruler of the Britons into a coherent narrative.
Arthur is the son of the legendary king of the Britons, Uther Pendragon. Immediately after birth, by agreement, he was given to the education of the great magicianMerlin. He, in turn, later entrusted the upbringing of the boy to Sir Ector, because he did not want life at the royal court to leave an imprint on Arthur.
Arthur's rise to power
There are two versions of how Arthur took over the reins. According to ancient literary sources, he was proclaimed King of Britain at the age of 15 after the death of his father Uther by poisoning.
In the future, the story of King Arthur acquired the character of a legend. Here appears the famous sword in the stone. Initially, it was a stone slab with a weapon lying on it, pressed down by an anvil. Later, a stone appeared with a sword stuck in it and an inscription that whoever could pull out the weapon would become the king of the Britons. Arthur accidentally drew a sword while searching for a weapon for his sworn brother Kay. Merlin declared the young man king, but many rulers did not recognize him and went to war against Arthur. He had to defend the throne and his right to it.
Arthur's reign and the first appearance of Excalibur
The young king made the city of Camelot his capital. According to another version, he ordered the construction of a city from which he was going to rule the country. It is difficult to say where the capital was located. According to the most common version, it is believed that Camelot is the amphitheater of the city of Chester in the west of England. Geoffrey Monmouth in his famous work "History of the Kings of Britain" believed that Camelot is Caerleon Castle, located in Wales.
King Arthur in Camelot before the conquest of England by the Saxons ruled Britain, Brittanyand Ireland. The young ruler had many enemies. For some time he fought with a sword made of stone, but in a duel with Pelinor the weapon was broken. Then Merlin came to the aid of the king. He promised him Excalibur, a sword with miraculous properties. He pointed out to Arthur the lake, in the waters of which a hand with a blade could be seen. The sword was held by the Lady of the Lake. She gave the weapon to the king on the condition that she expose it only for the sake of a just cause and return the wonderful relic to any lake in the event of the death of the ruler. Arthur promised to fulfill her request.
Appearance and properties of the sword
Usually depicted as a straight blade with a simple cruciform hilt adorned with precious stones. The scabbard of the sword had magical powers - they healed any wound. They had to be worn always next to Excalibur, otherwise they would lose their magical power. The sword gave its owner strength and dexterity in battle.
Excalibur - the names of wonderful weapons
The sword of King Arthur was called differently in different eras: Caliburn, Kalad-kolg, Escalibor. The name we are used to comes from French medieval literature.
Origin of the sword
The legend of the sword "Excalibur" originates in the distant past. There are several versions of the appearance of this weapon. According to one of them, the Lady of the Lake created it especially for Arthur, and then took it away after the death of the king. According to another legend, the great Merlin created it.
There is a version that Excalibur, a sword withmiraculous properties, was forged by Velund, the Norse blacksmith god.
The death of Arthur and the disappearance of Excalibur
When the king went in search of Guinevere's runaway wife, his nephew (according to another version, illegitimate son) Mordred usurped his throne, whom Arthur left as governor. Upon learning of the turmoil, the king returned and fought the traitor on the Kammlan field. In this battle, the whole army of Britain fell. Arthur was mortally wounded by Mordred. After returning the sword to the Lady of the Lake, he died.
But there are other versions of what happened to the king. According to one of them, he was taken to the island of Avalon by four queens. According to legend, it was here that the portal to other worlds was located and sorceresses were brought up. It is said that Britain's great ruler sleeps in anticipation of the day his country will need his help.
St Michael's Hill in Somerset is believed to be a site associated with King Arthur. At its foot is Glastonbury - one of the oldest cities in Britain. Even before the coming of the Romans, there was a large settlement here. In the 12th century, during restoration work in the abbey, the sarcophagi of Arthur and Guinevere were discovered, as the monks said. This place is considered a portal to another world - Avalon.
Sword Excalibur - where is the legendary relic?
According to legends about the life of King Arthur, before his death, he asked to throw the famous sword into the waters of the nearest lake. This was done by the last of the surviving knights of the Round Table. Only making sure that his requestfulfilled, Arthur died. After that, Excalibur, the sword of the great king of the Britons, was lost forever.
Italian researcher Mario Moiragi, in his book The Mystery of San Galgano, seriously believes that the prototype of the famous weapon of King Arthur still rests in the rock in the Abbey of San Galliano. It dates back to the 12th century, so there is no doubt about the authenticity of the ancient weapon. The researcher believes that the legend of Excalibur was inspired by the sword of St. Galliano, who, as a sign of renunciation of violence, stuck his weapon into the rock.
Conclusion
Does the sword Excalibur really exist? History knows many examples when an ancient legend became a reality. The tales of King Arthur are surprisingly plausible - we know the whole story of the great ruler of Britain during the Dark Ages, and this makes us believe that the legend about him has a real basis.
Excalibur - the sword of the legendary king of the Britons Arthur, which has its own ancient and beautiful history, has long become an ancient relic, the discovery of which one can only dream of. For modern researchers, it is like the Holy Grail of the Knights of the Round Table - many dream of finding it and believe in the reality of the existence of a wonderful relic.
