EXCALIBUR

The “Sword in the Stone” and “Excalibur” in the collective imaginary are often confused and assimilated to a single sword: the sword of King Arthur. In the legend, there are two different swords: “Excalibur” was the sword that Arthur found in a lake indicated by Merlin after losing his sword in a fight in which a knight named Pellinor seriously injured him. Excalibur, according to legend, was a magic sword that made those who used it almost invincible, but the real strength of the sword laid in its scabbard, which made those who carried it at their side practically invulnerable.

The Sword in the Stone, the other sword attributed to King Arthur, probably refers to legends of Saxon origins. It was in fact customary that the offspring of noble families, after a period of apprenticeship in the army of another household, returned to their family of origin, preparing to replace their father in command. Among the various ceremonies to which the young man was subjected, there was also that of the unearthing of the paternal sword, a ceremony that symbolized the attainment of adulthood and the legitimacy to command his own people. The extraction of the paternal sword from a stone is probably a variant of this custom in which the legend sees Arthur, still young, extracting the sword from the stone to deliver it to his half-brother who was disarmed during a tournament. The half-brother immediately understood that the sword legitimized the one who managed to extract it from the stone at the investiture of rightful King of England. He therefore tried to make everyone believe he was the one who extracted the sword. To resolve any doubts, the sword was reinserted into the stone and no one was able to extract it, except for Arthur who was thus crowned King of England, by acclamation from the people, on the day of Pentecost.