Excalibur
Excalibur or Caliburn is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. In Welsh, the sword is called Caledfwlch. In today's most popular versions of the story, Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's royal lineage) are the same weapon, but in most earlier versions they are considered separate.
The best known version of the story of Excalibur depicts the wizard Merlin putting the sword into the stone, saying that the throne will be claimed by the one who was able to withdraw it. Young Arthur would later prove to be the one to do it. The second Excalibur story locates was the sword at a magical lake, where the Lady of the Lake gave it to Arthur. The sword, made by an elf of Avalon, is later stolen by Arthur's, sister at which time its scabbard was lost. In the battle of Camlann, Arthur was hurt, and he told his companion Sir Bedivere (Griflet) to return the sword to the lake. When Bedivere did so, an arm rose to catch the sword, brandishing it three time before it disappeared beneath the waters.
Excalibur and its name have become very widespread in popular culture, and are used in fiction and films.
The Sword in the Stone and the Lady in the Lake
The first surviving account is the "Sword in the Stone" legend, originally appearing in Robert de Boron's French poem Merlin (late twelfth century). Here, the sword is not named, but it came to be identified with Excalibur in Sir Thomas Malory's famous English account. In this, the most famous version, Merlin has placed the sword into a huge stone, declaring that only the true heir of Uther Pendragon could reclaim it. Many attempt the task, but it can only be withdrawn by "the true king," the divinely appointed king or true heir. In the midst of a national crisis, Arthur withdraws the sword and become king.
The second version comes from the later Suite du Merlin, part of the Post-Vulgate Cycle of French Arthurian literature of the early thirteenth century, which was taken up by Malory in his famous English-language version. Here, Arthur receives Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake after breaking his first sword in a fight with King Pellinore. The Lady of the Lake calls the sword "Excalibur," that is as to say as "cut-steel," and Arthur takes it from a hand rising out of the lake.
Much later, as Arthur lies dying at the end of the saga, he tells Sir Bedivere (Sir Griflet (in some versions) to return his sword to the lake by throwing it into the water. Bedivere is reluctant to throw away such a precious artifact, so twice he only pretends to do so. Each time, Arthur asks him to describe what he saw. When Bedivere tells him the sword simply fell into the water, Arthur scolds him harshly. Finally, Bedivere throws Excalibur into the lake. Before the sword strikes the water's surface, a hand reaches up to grasp it and pulls it under. Arthur then leaves on a death barge with three queens to the magical island of Avalon, from where he will one day return to rule in Britain's darkest hour.
Malory records both versions of the legend in his Le Morte d'Arthur, and confusingly calls both swords Excalibur. The film Excalibur attempts to rectify this by having only one sword, which Arthur draws from the stone and later breaks; the Lady of the Lake then repairs it.
Related accounts
In Welsh legend, Arthur's sword is known as Caledfwlch. In Culhwch and Olwen, it is one of Arthur's most valuable possessions and is used by Arthur's warrior Llenlleawg the Irishman to kill the Irish king Diwrnach while stealing his magical cauldron. Caledfwlch is thought to derive from the legendary Irish weapon Caladbolg, the lightning sword of Fergus mac Roich. Caladbolg was also known for its incredible power and was carried by some of Ireland's greatest heroes.
Arthur's sword is described vividly in The Dream of Rhonabwy one of the tales associated with the Mabinogion:
Then they heard Cadwr Earl of Cornwall being summoned, and saw him rise with Arthur's sword in his hand, with a design of two serpents on the golden hilt; when the sword was unsheathed what was seen from the mouths of the two serpents was like two flames of fire, so dreadful that it was not easy for anyone to look. At that the host settled and the commotion subsided, and the earl returned to his tent.[1]
Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain is the first non-Welsh source to speak of the sword. Geoffrey says the sword was forged in Avalon and Latinizes the name "Caledfwlch" to Caliburn or Caliburnus. When his influential pseudo-history made it to Continental Europe, writers altered the name further until it became Excalibur. The legend was expanded upon in the Vulgate Cycle, also known as the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, and in the Post-Vulgate Cycle which emerged in its wake. Both included the work known as the Prose Merlin, but the Post-Vulgate authors apparently added an new account of Arthur's early days, including a new origin for Excalibur, in the form of the story of the Sword in the Stone.
The legend of Excalibur is also similar to the Irish hero, Cú Chulainn, who had a sword named Caladbolg; or to Norse Legend of Sigurd. All the swords in these days were made by elves. In some, the elven smith is named Wayland (Saxon myth) or Gofannon (Celtic myth).
The Norse story of the Sword in the Stone is analogus to some versions of the story of Sigurd (the Norse proto-Siegfried), who draws his father Sigmund's sword out of a tree where it is embedded.
In several early French works such as Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail and the Vulgate Lancelot Proper section, Excalibur is used by Gawain, Arthur's nephew and one of his best knights. This is in contrast to later versions, where Excalibur belongs solely to the king. In the Alliterative Morte Arthure, Arthur is said to have two legendary swords, the second one being Clarent, stolen by the evil Mordred. In these version, Arthur receives his fatal blow from Clarent.
Attributes
In many versions, Excalibur's blade was engraved with words on opposite sides. On one side were the words "take me up," and on the other side "cast me away" (or similar words). This prefigures its return into the water. In addition, when Excalibur was first drawn, Arthur's enemies were blinded by its blade, which was as bright as 30 torches. Excalibur's scabbard was said to have powers of its own. Injuries from losses of blood, for example, would not kill the bearer. In some tellings, wounds received by one wearing the scabbard did not bleed at all. The scabbard is stolen by Morgan le Fay and thrown into a lake, never to be found again.
Nineteenth-century poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, described the sword in full Romantic detail in his poem "Morte d'Arthur," later rewritten as "The Passing of Arthur," one of the Idylls of the King:
- There drew he forth the brand Excalibur,
- And o’er him, drawing it, the winter moon,
- Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
- And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt:
- For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks,
- Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work
- Of subtlest jewellery.
Arthur's other weapons
Excalibur is by no means the only weapon associated with Arthur, nor the only sword. Welsh tradition also knew of a dagger named Carnwennan and a spear named Rhongomyniad that belonged to him. Carnwennan ("Little White-Hilt") first appears in Culhwch and Olwen, where it was used by Arthur to slice the Very Black Witch in half.[2] Rhongomyniad ("spear" + "striker, slayer") is also first mentioned in Culhwch, although only in passing; it appears as simply Ron ("spear") in Geoffrey's Historia.[3] In the Alliterative Morte Arthure, a Middle English poem, there is mention of Clarent, a sword of peace meant for knighting and ceremonies as opposed to battle, which is stolen and then used to kill Arthur.[4]
Forms and etymologies
A number of theories exist as to the etymological origins of the name Excalibur and its relationship to other legendary swords. The name Excalibur came from Old French Excalibor, which in turn derived from Caliburn, used in Geoffrey of Monmouth (Latin Caliburnus). "Caliburnus" meanwhile, seems to be derived from the Latin chalybs "steel," which is in turn may be derived from Chalybes, the name of an Anatolian ironworking tribe. In Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Excalibur is said to mean "cut-steel," which some have interpreted to mean "steel-cutter." There are also variant spellings such as Escalibor and Excaliber.
Another theory holds that Caliburn[us] comes from Caledfwlch, the Welsh name for the sword first mentioned in the Mabinogion, a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. This may be cognate with Caladbolg ("hard-belly," i.e. "voracious"), a legendary Irish sword. Still another theory is related by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer in his Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, which holds that the name Excalibur was originally derived from the Latin phrase Ex calce liberatus, "liberated from the stone."
In her book The Ancient Secret, Lady Flavia Anderson postulates that "Excalibur" has a Greek origin, Ex-Kylie-Pyr or "out of a cup—fire." This corresponds to her thesis that the Holy Grail refers to those items used to draw down the Sun in order to make fire. Excalibur, she believed, was a "brand of light" ("brand" is another word for "sword") and associated with Aaron's Rod. Just as only Aaron could make his rod "flower," so only Arthur could pull Excalibur from the stone.
Notes
- ↑ Gantz, The Mabinogion, p. 184.
- ↑ T. Jones and G. Jones, The Mabinogion (London: Dent, 1949), p.136; R. Bromwich and D. Simon Evans, Culhwch and Olwen. An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992), pp.64, 66
- ↑ P. K. Ford, "On the Significance of some Arthurian Names in Welsh" in Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 30 (1983), pp.268-73 at p.71; R. Bromwich and D. Simon Evans, Culhwch and Olwen. An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992), pp.64
- ↑ Alliterative Morte Arthure, TEAMS, retrieved 26-02-2007
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Cavendish, Richard. et al. Man, Myth & Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion, and the Unknown. New York: M. Cavendish, 1995. ISBN 978-1854357311
- Cohen, Richard. By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions. New York: Random House, 2002. ISBN 978-0375504174
- Cornwell, Bernard. Excalibur: A Novel of Arthur. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0312185756
- Day, David. The Search for King Arthur. New York: Facts on File, 1995. ISBN 978-0816033706
- Gantz, Jeffrey (translator). The Mabinogion. New York: Penguin, 1987. ISBN 0-14-044322-3
- Kennedy, Edward Donald. King Arthur: A Casebook. New York: Garland Pub., 1996. ISBN 978-0815304951
External links
- Timeless Myths website: Legend of "Excalibur"
- The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester: Excalibur and The Sword In The Stone
- Background on King Arthur's weapons.
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