The True Story Behind The Sword in the Stone

A legendary king, a round table, and a bumbling wizard who could turn himself into a crab

are just some of the images conjured up at the mention of the name King Arthur

He commanded the knights of the round table, pulled a sword out of a stone

and hung out with his main mage, Merlin. But at the end of the day, are these stories just legends

Was Arthur even real? Is a round table even practical? Well, today we're extracting the true story behind the sword and the stone

There may have been a 5th century warrior who led the Britons against Anglo-Saxon invaders

and that legendary warrior may have been Arthur Pendragon, if he existed

Britain was decentralized, being bombarded by attacks from outside forces. So a leader who could unite his people against all odds was just what the Doctor ordered

The Celts loved tales of magical weapons, like the Spear of Bedivere

which could draw blood from the wind. or the Spear of Right Said Fredivir, which was so sexy it hurt

Though that weapon did remain a one-hit wonder. And while Arthur's Excalibur may not have had any magical powers

its ceremonial power did help him wallop his enemies on the battlefield

The true story of King Arthur, along with a sword in the stone

has drifted from reality and fallen into legend. But hey, who says Excalibur wasn't forged by a powerful sorceress on the Isle of Avalon

where Arthur's body eventually laid to rest. It's not like any of us were there

We don't know how Arthur really got his sword, but there are several variations on the legend

with the most famous version having him pull it from a stone, like an improbable splinter

But others may choose to believe that the Lady of the Lake, sometimes called Nimue, sometimes the plainer Vivian

was the one who gifted Arthur the sword. After Arthur fell in battle, one of his loyal knights threw the sword back in the lake

where a hand grabbed it and disappeared, possibly with the Terminator-styled thumbs-up

A 12th-century version of the tale says it was stuck in an anvil, both thoughtful renditions

And aside from its origin, the name has also been known to change

But with such lackluster alternates as Calaburnus or Caladwulch, you'd stick with Excalibur too

The first historical mention of Arthur comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth, who wrote about

the king in the 1100s. Geoffrey was a cleric and a historian in Oxford, and wrote texts

which included prophecies of Merlin and history of the kings of Britain. His texts on kings

begins with Brutus the descendant of the legendary Aeneas and ends with the reign of Arthur Pendragon These notes regarding Guinevere and Merlin would become standards in the legend for generations It was 13th century

poet Robert de Bouron who put Excalibur in Arthur's hand. His poem, Merlin, chronicles the life of the

legendary wizard, but ends with Arthur's rise to the throne, after yanking the sword from that rock

It was de Bouron who also wrote that the men at the court would make Arthur repeat the action of

pulling the sword for months, before finally agreeing to crown him king, the old-timey

equivalent of Picks or It Didn't Happen, which ends the poem as the crown is placed on Arthur's

head. Guess they gave him a thorough job interview. Sir Thomas Mallory's book, Le

Morte d'Arthur, was written between around 1470, but was not published for another 16 years

like a Guns N' Roses album. His work came out around the same time as the printing press

allowing his mass-produced story to become widely read and widely regarded. The popularity led to a second and even a third printing

Think Harry Potter fever, only in the 15th century. Mallory chose the wrong side in The War of the Roses and found himself locked up twice

His stints in the slammer may have provided him the time to write his tale

Even though he passed away before his work was published, Mallory's legacy went on to inspire future writers like William Shakespeare

Without Mallory, we wouldn't have such classic films as She's the Man and Ten Things I Hate About You

Thanks, Sir Thomas. While Mallory's version of King Arthur's story is well regarded, some changes he made did cause a bit of confusion

Mainly, a differentiation between the sword in the stone and Excalibur, which according to him, were two separate weapons

If you're not caught up on all the Arthurian lore, the story goes that the original sword is pulled from the stone, but then breaks during battle

Arthur must then earn the true Excalibur from the Lady in the Lake

And after his final battle with his nephew Mordred, the sword is returned to the lake

from whence it came. Also, Mallory claims Excalibur's scabbard was the real treasure, not the sword itself

Maybe he'd gotten it autographed by Bruno Mars or something. The legend of Arthur was simply too good for Britain to keep to itself

As time went on, these stories made their way across the sea to other lands

And as new storytellers heard the tale, solo Arthur adventures were no longer exciting enough to hold attention

To unite his people and keep new readers entertained, Arthur had to get into new and exciting situations

So companions were invented for Arthur. Between 13 and 1,600 companions, depending on who you ask

Just think of trying to collect the whole set. These knights such as Sirs Lancelot Kay Bedivere Gawain Galahad and Mordred would go on to star in their own spin adventures Lancelot perhaps the most famous of all the Little Arthur bunch saved Arthur life through his purity while also falling in love with Queen Guinevere which feels less pure

Kay is portrayed as Arthur's oldest companion and possible stepbrother. Next to Kay, you can usually find Bedivere

the one who returns Excalibur to the lake after Arthur's death. Gawain, the basis for Dev Patel's character in The Green Knight

famously battled a knight in green armor. Galahad was notable for finding the Holy Grail, although it turned out to just be a beacon

And finally, Mordred, sometimes written as Arthur's illegitimate son, is the one who defeats Arthur and tears down Camelot

And now, you're all caught up on the Arthurian extended universe. Before Sir Thomas Mallory penned his version of the Arthur story, readers only had two compilations to work with

the Vulgate Cycle, and the inventively named Post-Vulgate Cycle. These stories were mainly

focused on Lancelot and his affair with Queen Guinevere. It was scandalous. French poet

Chrétien de Troyes wrote Comte du Graal, The Tale of the Grail. Though de Troyes never finished it

the work was still able to influence Arthurian legends for generations to come. And in this

version, Arthur never owned Excalibur. It belonged to Sir Gawain. He just let Arthur borrow it to

impress his friends, because Gawain was a real one. The blade changes hands several times in

this version, from Arthur to Gawain, Gawain to Lancelot in order to protect Guinevere

Lancelot back to Gawain, and Gawain back to Arthur. If the sword was treated like how your

buddies treat your car when they borrow it, we'd probably throw it in the lake too. Tales of King Arthur enjoyed an uptick in popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries

You could thank poet Alfred Lord Tennyson and writer T.H. White for that

Both writers borrowed plot points from Sir Thomas Mallory and made them their own

For example, Tennyson spins an epic poem about Arthur and his knights

with some attention on Guinevere and her affair with Lancelot. Tennyson's Morte d'Arteur is a standalone work that details the demise of Arthur and the loss of Camelot

In his version, Sir Bedivere is the one who chucks Excalibur into the lake

and into the rummage drawer of the lady therein. And T.H. White's collection, The Once and Future King, is the one you likely read in school

The collection includes 1939's The Sword in the Stone, 1940's The Queen of Air and Darkness

1941's The Ill-Made Night, and 1958's The Candle in the Wind, which, as far as we know

is not an Elton John power ballad about Marilyn Monroe. The Once and Future King is also the basis of the Broadway musical and subsequent film Camelot

In the 12th century Italian knight and nobleman Galgano Guidotti decided to leave the world of wealth behind and become a hermit

On his way to tell his fiancée about his plan, Guidotti is visited by, plot twist

Jesus, Mary, and the apostles, and told to climb the Montesiepi Hill

Once he reached the top, a voice told him to renounce his wicked ways, to which he replied

something along the lines of, yeah, sure, and while I'm at it, why don't I just split this rock

with my sword? When his demonstration led to the sword easily sliding into the stone at his feet

Widoti presumably was very embarrassed. He lived on that hill in poverty for the rest of his days

In true Disney fashion, he befriended the animals and any pilgrims which made their way up the hill

The wolves were even said to guard him from would-be assassins sent by the devil

because the wolves were real ones. Guidotti's life of piety eventually earned him a sainthood

and his shack on the hill became the Rotonda di Montesiepi, an abbey where many pilgrims have visited

The rock and stone remained in the abbey, leading many to believe it was the inspiration

for the legendary Arthurian sword in the stone. But most people believe the sword at Montesiepi was fake

because only the hilt and a few inches of the blade are visible. it's tough to visually date the sword

Carbon dating has proven the metal is at least from the 12th century. Ground penetrating radar also revealed

a cavity underneath the sword, perhaps providing a burial place for a Saint Galgano

A pair of skeletal arms at the site also dates to the 12th century, which reflects a legend that anyone

who tries to remove the sword will have their arms pulled out. Pilgrims and non-believers alike

still travel to the site in Tuscany to this day, hopefully with their arms intact

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a subject that fascinates to this day

A contributing factor to that is likely because so many enjoyed the Disney version of the story

1963's The Sword in the Stone. The film features a young Arthur

endearingly nicknamed Wart, who rises from nothing to become something, which is a beat we all can dance to

Young Wart has to contend with Madame Mim, Merlin's arch nemesis and an agent of chaos in the world

Along the way, he breaks a squirrel's heart, and some of us have never forgiven him for that

Whatever your favorite part of the film, it cannot be denied that Disney played a big part

in keeping the legend alive. But they're not the only megacorporation doing so

because there's something about the legend of the sword in the stone that rings true in real life

People like stories about common folk overcoming insurmountable odds and achieving greatness

It's one reason why superhero movies are so popular, like that one they made about King Arthur

King Arthur, Legend of the Sword