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[[Skeudenn:Statue of Excalibur, Kingston Maurward.jpg|right|thumb|130px|Un delwenn da Excalibur e [[Kingston Maurward]]]]
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===Caledfwlch===
In [[Welsh mythology|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. Caledfwlch is thought to derive from the legendary [[Irish mythology|Irish]] weapon ''[[Caladbolg]]'', the lightning 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]]'':
{{quote|Then they heard [[Cador|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.<ref>Gantz, ''The Mabinogion'', p. 184.</ref>}}
===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 [[Latin]]izes the name "Caledfwlch" to ''Caliburn'' or ''Caliburnus''. When his influential pseudo-history made it to [[Continental Europe]], writers altered the name further until it became ''Excalibur''. 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.
===Other information===
{{trivia|date=January 2009}}
The story of the Sword in the Stone has an analogue in some versions of the story of [[Sigurd]] (the [[Norse mythology|Norse]] proto-[[Siegfried]]), whose father, [[Sigmund]], draws the sword [[Gram (mythology)|Gram]] out of the tree [[Barnstokkr]] where it is embedded by the Norse god [[Odin]].
In several early [[France|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==
[[Image:Ladyofthelake1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|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 [[Book of Jonah|Jonah]] 1:12.{{Fact|date=March 2009}} This prefigures its return into the water. In addition, when Excalibur was first drawn, Arthur's enemies were blinded by its blade, which was as bright as thirty torches. 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 Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson|Alfred, Lord Tennyson]], described the sword in full [[Romanticism|Romantic]] detail in his poem "Morte d'Arthur", later rewritten as "The Passing of Arthur", one of the ''[[Idylls of the King]]'':
{{quote|: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.<ref>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</ref> Rhongomyniad ("spear" + "striker, slayer") is also first mentioned in ''Culhwch'', although only in passing; it appears as simply ''Ron'' ("spear") in Geoffrey's ''Historia''.<ref>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</ref> 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]].<ref>[http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/alstint.htm ''Alliterative Morte Arthure''], TEAMS, retrieved 26-02-2007</ref>
==External links==
*[http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/swrdmenu.htm The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester: Excalibur and The Sword In The Stone]
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Kemeret e oa bet anv ''Kaledvoulc'h'' da [[anv-pluenn]] gant ar [[barzh]] [[Erwan Berthou]].
== Lennadurezh ==
* 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)
[[Rummad:Mojenn Arzhur]]
[[Rummad:Klezeier brudet]]
[[be:Экскалібур]]
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