Gaea's

Posts Tagged ‘Battle of Camlann’

I was asked a question on the “Sword of Destiny” Modern reference seems to indicate a term used inTV Series and Films, however after a little more research I am inclined to believe that any such reference would be more credible linked to Excalibur, The Sword of King Arthur legend.

The name Excalibur apparently derives ultimately from the Welsh Caledfwlch which combines the elements caled (“battle, hard”), and bwlch (“breach, gap, notch”). 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.

This sword then became exclusively the property of Arthur in the British tradition. 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. In Old French sources this then became Escalibor, Excalibor and finally the familiar Excalibur.

Excalibur (also sometimes referred to as Caliburn or Caledfwich in Welsh) the sword has such great powers that it is considered by many to have a magical influence on the true right to rule in Britain. Read the rest of this entry »