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For other uses, see Excalibur (disambiguation).
Excalibur

How Sir Bedivere Cast the Sword Excalibur into the Water, by Aubrey Beardsley (1894)
A plot element from Arthurian legend
First appearance Welsh legend
Genre Fantasy
In story information
Type of plot element Magical sword
Element of stories featuring King Arthur
Affiliation King Arthur, Lady of the Lake

Excalibur 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.

Contents

Forms and etymologies

The name Excalibur apparently derives ultimately from the Welsh Caledfwlch which combines the elements caled ("battle, hard"), and bwlch ("breach, gap, notch").[1] Geoffrey of Monmouth Latinised this to Caliburnus, the name of Arthur's sword in his 12th-century work Historia Regum Britanniae. Caliburnus or Caliburn became Excalibur, Escalibor, and other variations when the Arthurian legend entered into French literature.

Caledfwlch appears in several early Welsh works, including the poem Preiddeu Annwfn and the prose tale Culhwch and Olwen, a work associated with the Mabinogion and written perhaps around 1100. The name was later used in Welsh adaptations of foreign material such as the Bruts, which were based on Geoffrey. It is often considered to be related to the phonetically similar Caladbolg, a sword borne by several figures from Irish mythology, although a borrowing of Caledfwlch from Irish Caladbolg has been considered unlikely by Rachel Bromwich and D. Simon Evans. They suggest instead that both names "may have similarly arisen at a very early date as generic names for a sword"; this sword then became exclusively the property of Arthur in the British tradition.[2] Most Celticists consider Geoffrey's Caliburnus to be derivative of a lost Old Welsh text in which bwlch had not yet been lenited to fwlch.[3] In Old French sources this then became Escalibor, Excalibor and finally the familiar Excalibur.

Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone

Excalibur the Sword, by Howard Pyle (1902)

In Arthurian romance, a number of explanations are given for Arthur's possession of Excalibur. In Robert de Boron's Merlin, Arthur obtained the throne by pulling a sword from a stone. In this account, the act could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon. This sword is thought by many to be the famous Excalibur, and its identity is made explicit in the later so-called Vulgate Merlin Continuation, part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle.[4] However, in what is sometimes called the Post-Vulgate Merlin, Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign. She calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel." In the Vulgate Mort Artu, Arthur orders Girflet to throw the sword into the enchanted lake. After two failed attempts he finally complies with the wounded king's request and a hand emerges from the lake to catch it, a tale which becomes attached to Bedivere instead in Malory and the English tradition.[5]

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.

History

A statue of Excalibur at Kingston Maurward

Caledfwlch

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. (Irish mythology mentions a weapon Caladbolg, the sword of Fergus mac Roich. Caladbolg was also known for its incredible power and was carried by some of Ireland's greatest heroes.)

Though not named as Caledfwlch, 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 chimeras on the golden hilt; when the sword was unsheathed what was seen from the mouths of the two chimeras 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.
—From The Mabinogion, translated by Jeffrey Gantz.[6]

Excalibur in Cornwall

In the late 15th/early 16th century Middle Cornish play Beunans Ke, Arthur's sword is called Calesvol, which is etymologically an exact Middle Cornish cognate of the Welsh Caledfwlch. It is unclear if the name was borrowed from the Welsh (if so, it must have been an early loan, for phonological reasons), or represents an early, pan-Brittonic traditional name for Arthur's sword.[7]

Caliburn to Excalibur

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 Latinises the name "Caledfwlch" as Caliburnus. When his influential pseudo-history made it to Continental Europe, writers altered the name further until it finally took on the popular form Excalibur (various spellings in the medieval Arthurian Romance and Chronicle tradition include: Calabrun, Calabrum, Calibourne, Callibourc, Calliborc, Calibourch, Escaliborc, and Escalibor[8]). 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 left out the Merlin Continuation from the earlier cycle, choosing to add an original account of Arthur's early days including a new origin for Excalibur.

Different Stories

The story of the Sword in the Stone has an analogue in some versions of the story of Sigurd (the Norse proto-Siegfried), whose father, Sigmund, draws the sword Gram out of the tree Barnstokkr where it is embedded by the Norse god Odin.

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.

Attributes

The Lady of the Lake offering Arthur Excalibur, by Alfred Kappes (1880)

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), alluding to Jonah 1:12.[9] This prefigures its return into the water.

In addition, when Excalibur was first drawn, in the first battle testing Arthur's sovereignty, its blade blinded his enemies. Thomas Malory[10] writes: "thenne he drewe his swerd Excalibur, but it was so breyght in his enemyes eyen that it gaf light lyke thirty torchys."

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.[11] Rhongomyniad ("spear" + "striker, slayer") is also first mentioned in Culhwch, although only in passing; it appears as simply Ron ("spear") in Geoffrey's Historia.[12] 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 by Mordred.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 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.64-5
  2. ^ R. Bromwich and D. Simon Evans, Culhwch and Olwen. An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992), p.65; see further T. Green, Concepts of Arthur (Stroud: Tempus, 2007), p.156
  3. ^ 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.271; R. Bromwich and D. Simon Evans, Culhwch and Olwen. An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992), p.64; James MacKillop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), pp.64-65, 174.
  4. ^ Merlin: roman du XIIIe siècle ed. M. Alexandre (Geneva: Droz, 1979)
  5. ^ Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation trans. N. J. Lacy (New York: Garland, 1992-6), 5 vols
  6. ^ Gantz, The Mabinogion, p. 184.
  7. ^ Koch, John, "Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia", Volume 1, ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 329.
  8. ^ Zimmer, Heinrich, "Bretonische Elemente in der Arthursage des Gottfried von Monmouth", Zeitschrift für französische Sprache und Literatur, Volume 12, E. Franck's, 1890, p. 236.
  9. ^ http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jonah%201:12&version=KJV
  10. ^ Book I, 19, from The Works of Sir Thomas Malory, Ed. Vinaver, Eugène, 3rd ed. Field, Rev. P. J. C. (1990). 3 vol. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-812344-2, ISBN 0-19-812345-0, ISBN 0-19-812346-9. (This is taken from the Winchester Manuscript).
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ 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
  13. ^ Alliterative Morte Arthure, TEAMS, retrieved 26-02-2007

References

  • Alexandre, M. Merlin: roman du XIIIe siècle (Geneva: Droz, 1979)
  • Bromwich, R. and Simon Evans, D. Culhwch and Olwen. An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992)
  • Ford, P.K. "On the Significance of some Arthurian Names in Welsh" in Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 30 (1983), pp.268–73
  • Gantz, Jeffrey (translator) (1987). The Mabinogion. New York: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-044322-3.
  • Green, T. Concepts of Arthur (Stroud: Tempus, 2007) ISBN 978-0-7524-4461-1 [1]
  • Jones, T. and Jones, G. The Mabinogion (London: Dent, 1949)
  • Lacy, N. J. Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation (New York: Garland, 1992-6), 5 vols
  • Lacy, N. J (ed). The New Arthurian Encyclopedia. (London: Garland. 1996). ISBN 0815323034.
  • MacKillop, J. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998)

External links

King Arthur and the Matter of Britain
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Excalibur · Holy Grail · Round Table · Siege Perilous
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Quotes

Up to date as of January 14, 2010
(Redirected to Excalibur (film) article)

From Wikiquote

It is the doom of men that they forget...

Excalibur (1981) is a fantasy film based on the legends of King Arthur, Excalibur and the knights of the Round Table, directed by John Boorman.

Contents

Arthur

Behold! The Sword of Power! Excalibur! Forged when the world was young, and bird and beast and flower were one with man, and death was but a dream!
  • I have often thought that in the hereafter of our lives, when I owe no more to the future and can be just a man, that we may meet, and you will come to me and claim me as yours, and know that I am your husband. It is a dream I have...
  • I must ride with my knights to defend what was, and the dream of what could be.
  • Ready my knights for battle. They will ride with their king once more. I have lived through others for far too long. Lancelot carried my honor, and Guenevere, my guilt. Mordred bears my sins. My knights have fought my causes. Now, my brother, I shall be... king.
  • Do... as I command! One day, a King will come, and the Sword will rise... again.

Merlin

I have walked my way since the beginning of time. Sometimes I give, sometimes I take, it is mine to know which and when!
Come father. Let us embrace at last.
  • I have walked my way since the beginning of time. Sometimes I give, sometimes I take, it is mine to know which and when!
  • Behold! The Sword of Power! Excalibur! Forged when the world was young, and bird and beast and flower were one with man, and death was but a dream!
  • You will be the land, and the land will be you. If you fail, the land will perish; as you thrive, the land will blossom.
  • Anál nathrach, orth’ bháis’s bethad, do chél dénmha.
    • The Charm of Making, an incantation repeatedly uttered by both Merlin and Morgana, is in an Old Gaelic dialect that translates to "Serpent's breath, charm of death and life, thy omen of making."
  • Look upon this moment. Savor it! Rejoice with great gladness! Great gladness! Remember it always, for you are joined by it. You are One, under the stars. Remember it well, then... this night, this great victory. So that in the years ahead, you can say, 'I was there that night, with Arthur, the King!' For it is the doom of men that they forget.
  • I once stood exposed to the Dragon's Breath so that a man could lie one night with a woman. It took me nine moons to recover. And all for this lunacy called, "love", this mad distemper that strikes down both beggar and king. Never again. Never.
  • It is a lonely life, the way of the necromancer... oh, yes. Lacrimae Mundi — the tears of the world.
  • The days of our kind are numberèd. The one God comes to drive out the many gods. The spirits of wood and stream grow silent. It's the way of things. Yes... it's a time for men, and their ways.
  • Remember, there's always something cleverer than yourself.
  • When a man lies, he murders some part of the world.

Others

  • Come father. Let us embrace at last.
    • Mordred, to Arthur during their battle.

Dialogue

You shall have it; but to heal, not to hack...
One day, a King will come, and the Sword will rise... again.
  • Uther: The sword. You promised me the sword.
    Merlin: And you shall have it; but to heal, not to hack. Tomorrow, a truce; we meet at the river.
    Uther: Talk. Talk is for lovers, Merlin. I need the sword to be king.
  • Merlin: Shall I tell you what's out there?
    Arthur: Yes, please.
    Merlin: The dragon. A beast of such power that if you were to see it whole and complete in a single glance, it would burn you to cinders.
    Arthur: Where is it?
    Merlin: It is everywhere. It is everything. Its scales glisten in the bark of trees. Its roar is heard in the wind. And its forked tongue strikes like... [lightning strikes]
    Merlin: Like lightning — yes that's it.
  • Arthur: Move aside! This is the king's road — and the knights you joined arms against were his very own.
    Lancelot: I await the king himself. His knights are in need of training.
    Arthur: I am King. And this [draws the sword] is Excalibur. Sword of Kings from the dawn of time. Who are you, what do you seek?
    Lancelot: I am Lancelot of the Lake, from across the sea. And I have yet to find a King worthy of my sword.
  • Arthur: Merlin! What have I done?
    Merlin: You have broken what could not be broken! Now, hope is broken.
    Arthur: My pride broke it. My rage broke it! This excellent knight, who fought with fairness and grace, was meant to win. I used Excalibur to change that verdict. I've lost, for all time. The ancient sword of my fathers, whose power was meant to unite all men... not to serve the vanity of a single man. I am... nothing.
  • Merlin: You have a kingdom to rule.
    Arthur: But how? I don't know how.
    Merlin: You knew how to draw the sword from the stone.
    Arthur: That was easy.
    Merlin: Was it? I couldn't have done it.
  • Merlin: You brought me back. Your love brought me back. Back to where you are now. In the land of dreams.
    Arthur: Are you a dream Merlin?
    Merlin: A dream to some. A nightmare to others.

Cast

External Links

Wikipedia
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Wiktionary

Up to date as of January 15, 2010

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

English

Proper noun

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Wikipedia

Excalibur

  1. A legendary sword of King Arthur, attributed with magical properties.

Translations

Legendary sword
  • Breton: Kaledvoulc'h  br(br)
  • Esperanto: Ekskaliburo eo(eo)
  • Greek: Εξκάλιμπερ el(el) (Exkáliber) n.
  • Hebrew: אקסקליבר he(he) (Aqsqalybur)
  • Japanese: エクスカリバー ja(ja) (Ekusukaribā)
  • Korean: 엑스칼리버 ko(ko) (Ekseukaribeo)
  • Mandarin: 王者之劍 cmn(cmn) (wángzhězhījiàn)
  • Thai: ดาบเอ็กซ์คาลิเบอร์ th(th)
  • Welsh: Caledfwlch cy(cy)

Simple English

Excalibur is a legendary big, long, knife, or sword, in the mythology of Great Britain. It was owned by King Arthur.

The sword and its name have become very widespread in popular culture, and are used in fiction and films.

The sword was obtained by the king with the advice of his wizard-adviser Merlin. But it was considered that there existed two Excalibur swords. The first was the one Merlin put into the stone and said that the throne will be taken by the one who will take the sword out of the stone. Young Arthur was the one to do it. The second Excalibur was the one to which Merlin took the King. The sword was located at a magical lake where the Lady of the Lake gave it to Arthur. The Excalibur was made by an Avalonian elf. Later the sword was stolen by his sister and it was the time when the scabbard (sword coverage) was lost. In the battle of Camlann, Arthur was hurt, and he told Bedwyzr (Griflet) to return the Excalibur to the lake.

One of the earliest names of King Arthur's sword was Caladfwlch. It is a Welsh word that comes from Calad-Bolg (Hard Lightning). Later it was changed to Caliburn by Geoffrey of Monmouth. And today we know it as Excalibur, due to Frenchified.

The legend of Excalibur is similar to the Irish hero, Cú Chulainn who had a sword named Caladbolg; or to Norse Legend of Sigurd. All these swords were made my an elf. Sometimes he is named Wayland (Saxon myth); and Gofannon (Celtic myth).

Clarent is one of King Arthur's two mythic swords. The first is Excalibur – the sword of war, and the second Clarent – the sword of peace. Clarent sword is less known because it was used for peaceful acts, whereas the Excalibur was well-known for it was used to defend Camelot. But by the legend the Clarent Sword play a very important role. It was stolen by the traitor Mordred, who later used it against Arthur and cut him to death.

Other websites

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