Excalibur or Caliburn is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of 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; in Cornish, the sword is called Calesvol; in Breton, the sword is called Kaledvoulc'h; in Latin, the magic sword is called Caliburnus. In many Arthurian tales, it is also a powerful, magical weapon.
History of the Blade[]
In early Welsh works such as Culhwch and Olwen, King Arthur’s sword was known as ‘Caledfwlch’. This term, roughly translating as ‘hard cleave’, may be related to the Irish ‘Caladbolg’, a sword used by Fergus mac Róich and other heroes in Irish mythology. Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia regum Britanniae (c. 1136) latinised ‘Caledfwlch’ to ‘Caliburnus’ (or ‘Caliburn’), perhaps associating the name with a hard metal blade – ‘chalybs’ meaning steel. He, and later authors including Wace and Layamon, stated the sword had been forged in Avalon. Following this, French authors altered the name further, eventually arriving at the popular term ‘Escalibor’, which Malory altered into ‘Escalibur’. Variations along the way included ‘Calibourne’, ‘Calliborc’, ‘Escaliborc’ and several others. Thomas Malory explained that the name ‘Excalibur’ meant ‘Kutte Steele’ (cut steel).
The Sword in the Stone[]
In Malory's 'Le Morte d'Arthur', Arthur is given Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake. However, in one section of this work, Malory also applies the same name to the sword that Arthur draws from the stone. After "he drewe his swerd Excalibur" from the stone, it gave off the light of thirty torches and helped him scare off his enemies. When the sword breaks, Malory then has Arthur receiving another sword, also named Excalibur, from the Lady of the Lake. While he may have intended to only label the second sword as Excalibur, he confused his tale by calling both blades by that name. In any event, the name Excalibur, as previously explained, is a later French variant of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Caliburnus - Arthur's sword… and could possibly refer to both blades whether from stone or lake. The original 'sword in the stone's tale by Robert de Boron in 'The Story of Merlin' actually has the sword embedded in an anvil on top of the stone. (One wonders how a seemingly magical blade, powerful enough to penetrate stone, or an anvil, could break in the first place?) In the 1981 film Excalibur produced by John Boorman, this double-label problem is dealt with by having only one sword. When the ‘sword in the stone’ breaks, it is then repaired by the Lady of the Lake.
Sword and Scabbard[]
In some versions of the legend, the sword is sometimes worn by other Arthurian knights. In Chretien de Troyes' 'Perceval', the blade 'Escalibor' hangs from the belt of Gawain. In Culhwch and Olwen, the warrior, Llenlleawg the Irishman, uses Arthur’s sword to slay the Irish king Diwrnach, at the same time stealing his magic cauldron. The scabbard of Excalibur was also deemed to have magical qualities protecting the wearer from serious injury or from any loss of blood if injured. When Arthur falls at Camlann, Excalibur is returned to the lake by Bedivere in Malory’s account, and by Girflet in the Vulgate 'Mort le roi Artu'.
In Popular Culture[]
TV and Film[]
- Excalibur appears in the animated film The Sword in the Stone, meant to be pulled from the stone by the true heir to the throne of Camelot. Arthur pulls it from the stone when looking for a replacement sword for his brother, unknowingly proving himself to be the rightful king.
- In the Fate series, Excalibur is wielded by Saber/Artoria Pendragon, and a corrupted version, Excalibur Morgan/Black Excalibur, is owned by Saber Alter/Angra Mainyu.
- The sword appears in the television series Once Upon a Time, in the first episode of the fifth season. Originally the Holy Grail, the wizard Merlin reforged it into Excalibur in an attempt to undo his immortality.
- Excalibur is wielded by Arthur Pendragon in the anime series The Seven Deadly Sins. It is a magic sword that possesses great power, and would only bestow it on those it deemed worthy.
- In the Sword Art Online anime, the sword appears in the VRMMO ALfheim Online, referred to as Holy Sword Excalibur, and is the strongest weapon in the game. Kirito acquires the sword after completing a special quest in Thrymheim, and uses it as his secondary weapon in his dual-wielding technique.
- Excalibur appears in the 2017 film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. The sword was reforged from the staff of Merlin in order to defeat Mordred, and Arthur’s father Uther allows himself to be impaled by it, becoming the stone that Arthur would pull it from in his adulthood.
Video Games[]
- There are two references to Excalibur in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The first is a steel sword embedded in a large stone outside of the Rebel’s Cairn cave. The second is found near Bleakwind Basin, where a skeletal arm holds a sword above the surface of the water, imitating the Lady of the Lake.
- In the video game Horizon Forbidden West, there is an Easter egg referencing Excalibur. A sword can be found sticking out of a stone southwest of the Thornmarsh area, a clear reference to the legendary sword.
- Excalibur appears as a legendary weapon that Eivor is able to acquire in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the sword having been created by the Isu/First Civilization.
- Excalibur’s scabbard is wielded by King Arthur in Sonic and the Black Knight. Excalibur itself was split into the four sacred swords when Arthur became corrupted by the scabbard’s power, and was restored after Lancelot, Gawain, and Percival combine their swords with Caliburn when Sonic battled the Dark Queen, transforming him into Excalibur Sonic.
- The sword appears as a craftable weapon in Final Fantasy XVI, available after completing a side quest for Blackthorne the blacksmith. Its description is filled with references to Arthurian mythology