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[sleepykiwi.livejournal.com]

Did the sword that Arthur pulled out of the stone have a specific name? I know it wasn't Excalibur, because he got that one from the Lady of the Lake.

Comments

[magickalmoon.livejournal.com]

I thought it was Excalibur, and it was put into the stone after the last king died? Now you have me confused..

[resmin.livejournal.com]

Same sword just two different perspectives on how he got it.

Re:

[sleepykiwi.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Re: Excalibur

[sleepykiwi.livejournal.com]

Ok. Thanks. I must have gotten confused or something.

[psephomant.livejournal.com]

Most authors and historians of the Arthurian legend do use the name Excalibur. The only author I've read so far who calls the sword by a different name is Mary Stewart in both Her Merlin Trilogy and The Wicked Day ( BTW for those of you with an interest, as I have, in Mordred read Wicked Day if you haven't already, it definitely put a whole new spin on things) where the sword goes by the name Caliburn. In this book, also the sword was not given to Uther by the Lady of the Lake, instead it is the sword of the Ancient roman warrior Maximus from whom Uther is descended. This sword is hidden in a temple which Merlin himself guards until Arthur is of an age to receive it.

Re:

[sleepykiwi.livejournal.com]

Hmm.

[chthonic-gnome.livejournal.com]

In the earliest tales in which Excalibur appears, Galahad, the son of Lancelot, is the one who pulls Excalibur from the stone. It was prophesized that whoever pulled the sword from the stone would find the Holy Grail. Since Galahad was the purest, he was able to accomplish both tasks--Arthur couldn't pull it from the stone, nor did he embark on the quest for the Holy Grail. Only in subsequent legends was Arthur associated with pulling Excalibur from the stone. Hope that helps.

Oh, my source is: The Quest for the Holy Grail from the Vulgate Cycle.