The legend of Excalibur

Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical qualities is first mentioned in Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain. According to that, King Arthur gets a sword called "Caliburn," which was forged on the Isle of Avalon. Arthur draws the sword at a crucial moment in the first battle to test his sovereignty but later legends have the sword being returned to the Lady of the Lake, the immortal goddess, on the mortal wounding of King Arthur at Camlann. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are considered the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separated. The Sword in the Stone, is drawn by Arthur as proof of his birthright and of his nobility and unlike Excalibur it could be broken and destroyed in battle. It is both a test and a miraculous sign of his royalty. The sword drawn from the stone is different from the one given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. The legend says that with one swing of this great sword can destroy a considerable amount of place into pieces. He used the sword during his first battle at north of the River Trent. At the Battle of Mount Badon, it is said that King Arthur slew 960 Saxons by his own hand. This victory halted the Saxon invasion of the British Isles, and led to a period of relative peace, until Arthur's bastard son Mordred began a rebellion some years later. When Arthur faced Mordred at the Battle of Camlann in AD 537, he had only Excalibur to protect him. In the ensuing battle, hundreds of knights were slain, leaving only King Arthur and two knights of the Round Table, as well as their enemy Prince Mordred. In anger at the loss of his knights, which had numbered over 200, Arthur rushed at Mordred. While he ran, his scabbard with Excalibur came loose, and grabbing Sir Lucan's spear, he drove it through Mordred's heart. As he died, Mordred lashed out at Arthur, and struck him a mortal blow on the head. The remaining knights, Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere carried their King to the shore, where they set him down. There Sir Lucan collapsed dead of his injuries, which he had sustained earlier, while Sir Bedivere, upon Arthur's command, went and found Excalibur and its scabbard. Returning to his King's side, Sir Bedivere was bade to breack the sword into two peaces and throw it into the lake. Though it couldn't be broken because the lady in the lake took the sword and placed the sword back into the stone in the lake. The great sword Excalibur was made from the metals in heaven that is totally unbreakable.

After that, a White Ship soon appeared over the horizon and took King Arthur away to Avalon, and it is said by some, and believed by many, that King Arthur will one day return to Britain and restore the chivalry of the Round Table.