The legendary sword Excalibur, owned by King Arthur, is one of the most iconic artifacts in history. Endowed with powers that gave the monarch unique prowess on the battlefield, she became a symbol of his strength and leadership during the 5th and 6th centuries.
According to tradition, when facing his last battle on British lands, King Arthur, on the verge of death, threw his sword into the waters of a lake. Now, experts in a tireless search are trying to locate this icon in the depths of British waters, without stopping in the face of the uncertainty of its existence.
In an ambitious mission, these experts have identified several possible locations where Excalibur could rest and are determined to find it, hoping to integrate it into a new television series titled “Weird Britain”.
The legend of King Arthur and Excalibur
The figure of King Arthur is located at the end of the 5th century and beginning of the 6th century, and he is credited with leading the resistance against the Saxon invaders.
Tintagel, the castle associated with his birth, remains in ruins in Cornwall, although some sources identify it as Welsh.
Regardless of the controversies, the narratives converge in portraying Arthur as a monarch of great stature, who defended Great Britain against both earthly and supernatural enemies.
According to legend, he possessed the legendary sword Excalibur, given to him by the mysterious Lady of the Lake, this being distinct from the one taken from the stone as a symbol of his divine right to the throne.
A diverse group made up of filmmakers, magnetic fishermen, technology experts, archaeologists and divers is committed to the mission of locating the legendary Excalibur.
The initial phase of the project began in an undisclosed location in Cornwall in 2023, but now new British channels will be meticulously explored as part of this endeavor.
We haven’t been defeated yet and no one has the amount of equipment we have,” said Nigel Lamford, director of Northants Magnet Fishing, which is part of the project.
If it’s in there and it’s magnetic, it will come out.
Experts have identified several possible locations in Britain where the legendary Excalibur could rest.
In Cornwall, there is speculation that it may be at Dozmary Pool, on the shores of Bodmin Moor, or nearby Alderley Edge in Cheshire.
The team remains hopeful that this project will not only reaffirm the sword’s mythical status, but may also reveal significant surprises during its quest.
There is a lot of debate about the location of the lake mentioned in Arthurian lore,” said Weird Britain producer Tim Whittard.
Identifying the lake in question is a conundrum that has been debated by historians and researchers for centuries, namely whether the lake still exists – or whether the legend is even true in the first place.
In the search, experts are employing underwater drones and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), which are unmanned devices controlled by a team remotely.
ROVs may or may not be connected to a larger surface vessel and are controlled using a joystick, providing an experience similar to controlling a game console.
This is the first time we have had the opportunity to use underwater drones or submersible ROVs alongside professional magnetic fishermen on an expedition of this type,” said Mr Whittard.
I think it’s a really innovative and fun application of drone technology that will play well on TV.”
According to Arthurian legend, the sword originated in a magical lake, where the Lady of the Lake presented it to the king.
Later, when the king was seriously wounded after his last battle, he instructed his faithful knight, Sir Bedivere, to cast the sword into the waters of the lake.
An arm emerged to receive the sword, swung it three times, and then disappeared.
This scene would have taken place on the legendary island of Avalon, which is associated with modern-day Glastonbury in Somerset.
After the final battle, known as the Battle of Camlann, which possibly took place in Cornwall, near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, or even in Wales, Arthur was taken to Avalon to recover.
A Welsh record, possibly dating from the 10th century, known as the Annales Cambriae, records the date of Arthur’s death at Camlann as between AD 537 and 539.
Excalibur is also the name given to the sword in the stone, which Arthur removed as proof of his rightful right to the throne and kingship. This narrative served as inspiration for Disney’s classic 1963 animated film. However, many sources maintain that they were two separate swords.
There are several versions of the legend, which muddies the waters, so to speak, but the legend persists after many centuries, so there may well be a kernel of truth to it,” said Mr Lamford.
So right now we are looking for a sword or anything that might have been part of a sword, and if something like that is found, it will be up to historians, archaeologists and laboratory scientists to identify what exactly we found.”
“Weird Britain” premiered on Wednesday on Blaze (Freeview 64) with episode 1 – “The Search for the Loch Ness Monster”.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR?
The saga of King Arthur is known to both children and adults. However, details relating to the legendary figure are shrouded in myth and folklore, leading historians to generally agree that Arthur himself probably did not exist as a single entity, but may have been an amalgamation of several figures.
Despite the many versions of the Arthur legend, there are common points among them. They have their roots in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s fanciful and largely fictional work, the 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Great Britain).
Around AD 410, the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain resulted in the loss of central authority, leading to disputes between local chiefs and kings over territories. In 449 AD, King Vortigern invited Angles and Saxons to settle in Kent to assist him in defending against the Picts and Scots.
However, Angles and Saxons treacherously attacked Vortigern during a peace council, where they wielded their knives and murdered 460 British leaders. This attack became known as the “Night of the Long Knives”, as reported by Geoffrey of Monmouth, taking place in a monastery on Salisbury Plain.
According to Geoffrey, Ambrosius Aurelianus ascended the throne after the massacre and sought the advice of the wizard Merlin to choose a suitable monument in honor of the deceased chiefs.
The king’s brother and Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon, led an expedition to bring stones from Ireland to England. Merlin then used his magical powers to rebuild these stones as Stonehenge, erecting them on Salisbury Plain around the graves of fallen British leaders in the monastery’s cemetery.
Other legends suggest that Arthur was born at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, and was later taken by Merlin to be raised by Sir Ector.
Shortly afterwards, a civil war broke out in England and Uther Pendragon was killed. According to popular narrative, while he was still young, Arthur drew a sword called Caliburn from a stone. Merlin then proposed dismantling the king’s ring from Mount Killarus in Ireland and taking it to England.
One version of the legend says that the sword was forged in Avalon from a sarsen stone, possibly originating from Avebury or Stonehenge. The belief was that only the true king of England could remove it from the stone.
Arthur was then crowned king, as legend had it, in the ruins of the Roman fort of Caerleon in Wales.
Another version of the story reports that King Ambrosius Aurelianus led a battle against the Saxons at Badon Hill. After Aurelianus’ death, his nephew, Arthur, took command of the troops and emerged victorious from the battle.
In a later episode, Arthur lost the sword Caliburn in a duel against Sir Pellinore, but was saved by Merlin’s magical intervention. Afterwards, Arthur received a new sword, Excalibur, and a magical scabbard from Nimue, the Lady of the Lake in Avalon. It was said that as long as Arthur carried this scabbard, he would be invulnerable.
Additionally, Arthur had three half-sisters, sometimes referred to as witches. He fell in love with Morgana without knowing that she was his half-sister, and together they had a son named Mordred. When Arthur discovered the truth, he was horrified and ordered that all male babies born around the same time as his son be taken to Caerleon. The babies were placed on an unattended ship which, unfortunately, sank after colliding with some rocks.
Mordred managed to survive the sinking of the ship and was rescued by a man walking along the beach, and was taken home safely.
Arthur then found love again in the arms of a woman named Guinevere, daughter of King Lodegrance of Camylarde. After they married, her dowry included a round table and many knights. Arthur established his court at Camelot.
The Round Table became a symbol of equality between the knights, as none of them occupied a higher position than another. Additionally, a tradition during meals was that no one could begin eating until everyone had shared a story of bravery.
